I had never been to Nick's but since moving to Calgary I'd heard much about it. It used to be, supposedly, a place where any dish on the menu would be amazing - you just couldn't go wrong. Well, I gave it a try with my husband and honestly I doubt I would ever go back after that.
My first impression was it's very dark and gloomy, the decorations and lighting seemed dated and not in a charming way once you really started looking around. It looks like it was built in the 70s and never grew from there.
The server wasn't super helpful with recommendations so I ended up ordering a classic Chicken Parmesan with baked potato and vegetables. The vegetables were bland. The potato was so tiny - I've had bigger baby potatoes. The only thing that saved it was the topping tray with sour cream, bacon bits, green onion... at least the potato was cooked through. The chicken parm was overcooked, I'd hoped the garlic toast would be useful in soaking up the extra sauce that should have been there but there was so little that the breading on the parm had absorbed most of it by the time it hit the table. There wasn't much cheese and it wasn't the soft delicious coating it should have been.
After the bland, overcooked, disappointing tasteless meal I'm not sure I want to bother trying the pizza they're famous for. If this restaurant was a gem once, it's come down a long way and needs to revive some of its lost quality if it wants to stay around much longer on more than just a name. It would be nice if they find someone who cares enough to revive it.