Sam’s Place
“The owner, Massimo makes your experience here even better not that the food doesn't do that on its own.”
“While not particularly inventive, this old school Italian-American place has food and service that are solidly good.”
“Ask Max to suggest a wine to go with your meals….he has great "house" wines that are reasonably priced.”
Sam’s Place
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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I really like this place. I've been twice and really enjoyed the food both times. Atmosphere is also nice and classy Italian but you don't have to get dressed up. Love their chicken parm and their take on chicken marsala.
My husband and I came here to celebrate my dear friend's birthday. Her mother introduced this place to us. It wasn't a mistake coming here, it turned out to be one of our favorites. Perfect size portion and the interior is quite intimate, very good for loving couples and married couples; definitely not for divorced couples. We'll go back. We heard about the owner that he's extremely friendly but didn't see any friendly owner at the time. However, we enjoyed the time celebrating my friend's birthday. The place is small and cozy, quiet and peaceful, beautiful and wonderful . I ordered a sea bass plate from the special menu. Hubby ordered veal forestiere. My friend ordered cheese ravioli in pesto sauce. Wow! I can't believe it's not butter but it's better! Everything that was served was superb! Sam's superb place. Grazie!
This is indeed a neighborhood spot that sticks – strictly – to the classics. If you're looking for tried and true recipes made well, this is your place. Don't expect innovation here, and you'll be just fine.
The restaurant also could not feel farther away from Grand Central, located merely a few blocks north of Sam's Place. It looks to be located on the ground floor of an actual house, which is likely because it was almost certainly an actual house at some point. You really do not notice much street noise at all. You might expect a place like this on a random residential street on the UES. In Murray Hill, though? Not so much. We came late on a Friday night, and there was one large group of drunk/chatty ladies and a few other couples. The place was otherwise empty, although that sounds more depressing than it actually was (the dining room is not that big).
In the mood for something spicy, I ordered the chicken arabiata. It wasn't the most moist chicken I've ever had, and with the first few bites I was not a huge fan, but the tomato sauce, which had a kinda slow-burn spicy kick to it along with fresh peppers, garlic, and mushrooms, grew on me. It was salty, too, but *good* salty. Several weeks later I can still conjure up the taste of the sauce in my mind, which says something, I think.
My boyfriend ordered one of the many specials of the day: the salmon in mustard sauce. I had a few bites and… wow. It was cooked perfectly, and the mustard sauce was wonderfully creamy. Really, really good dish.
The complimentary bread we received was crusty and tasty and served with butter, but the olive oil was disappointing.
The drink game here seems to be a little weak. Bf had a Peroni, one of the very few bottles of beer available, which at $9.00 was wildly overpriced. I had an $11 glass of Montepulciano that tasted a little brash. I don't know anything about the wine itself, because the menu didn't list wines by the glass at all; I had to ask for a glass instead.
Overall, I'd say Sam's Place is maybe not your next destination restaurant, but that's okay. That's not its purpose. It's nice to have some neighborhood spots, especially in MH, where it is easy to feel overwhelmed given the proximity to the hustle of midtown and other establishments in the area that sometimes give off an impersonal vibe. Fred Rogers would be proud.
3.5 stars rounded up.
I find it unusual that the standard Italian entrees are accompanied by a side of vegetables rather than pasta. Typically this is a low carb option. That having been said, the food and service is very good.
Go here if you are in the area and crave an "old school" Italian meal.
Definitely old school Italian except for the fact that the restaurant staff that night I visited was all Hispanic. Hmnn it's like I never left Texas. The spacing was tight but I assume that was due to New York real estate.
Ordered the stracatella soup and angel hair primavera. Prices are high but so was the portion. Enjoyed my soup. The primavera dish was both heavy on the pasta and vegetables and not heavy on the cream sauce which I liked. My coke came in a small wine glass and was never refilled nor did the waiter ask to refill it so I assume that meant no refills. My water glass on the other hand was never empty.
It should be said, before anything else, that my friend and I got in here at noon, 30 minutes before Sam's Place was scheduled to open. They seated us and got us started anyway, and for that, they are bros for life.
So the whole staff was very nice, and that got lunch started on a good note. It was actually a smaller restaurant than I expected, just a handful of tables. A better place for a date than a party. It's got a casual ambiance, nothing overwrought or try-hard, but there remains a sense of old world class, which I really appreciated. Too casual for a wine list though – the server listed off the options, and we just stopped him when we heard one we liked.
Anyway, food. They started us off with a generous half loaf of bread that looked like if it were whole it'd be bigger than my head, as well as some breadsticks. I got the cheese ravioli (the prosciutto and cheese-stuffed chicken is also good, but I didn't want to repeat myself). I wished I'd asked for it al dente or something though, as it was a bit overcooked. The sauce, however, was delicious, and they did not skimp on the filling. My friend got a special, penne with bacon, onions, and red sauce, and though his only comment was "it's good", I've rarely seen him wolf food down so quickly.
We were each just north of $30 for one entree and one glass of wine, which is about average for a lunch in Midtown. Sam's is not exactly innovative, but it is reliable.
This is a super cute old school Italian restaurant. We live close by and passed by it a number of times before finally deciding to grab a bite. The clientele is definitely swings to the older side. There are some families but mostly folks well over 50. It is tiny and squished so probably not good for groups.
We ordered the pasta near, squid ink linguini with cream and sauteed mushrooms, and
veal piedmontese sauteed with artichoke, procuitto, wine, and topped with mozzarella. And we ended our night with spumoni for dessert. Everything was solid. It definitely isn't one of those family Italian restaurants with huge portions, but it was enough to feed me for dinner (but not enough for takeout). The food does slight on the salty and creamy side of things. Overall, very a-ok experience with an a-ok bill.
I took my friend here for her next to last meal in NY. The outside looks a bit shabby. It looked quite fancy and cozy inside though and reminds me of Italy a little. I had the chicken piccata and she had the tortellini dish. The chicken piccata was sour with its lemon goodness. I enjoyed it, but it didn't stand out that much for me. My friend's tortellini tasted really overcooked though. It was way too soft and I couldn't find the meat in them (they hid 'em well even after biting in to it). The creamy sauce didn't help it any. Creamy sauce plus sogginess..meh. Need I say more?
I know we're the younger generation, but this restaurant really differentiates you on age and how you dress unfortunately. To me, it's not that big of a deal, but to my friend…she was annoyed by the inequality since the restaurant wasn't even busy.