Niki's Italian Bistro, Italian, Keller-TX

(Photo courtesy of Yelp)

We're really losing momentum here. The real job is becoming all-encompassing, as I warned at the beginning of the year. No matter what though, the RJG still gets out to eat. It's essential to my mental health, though not always ideal for my physical health (depending on where we go right?). This past week I tried 4 restaurants that we haven't been to prior. Hopefully on the weekend I can get a couple of these written up. Today's post is the only revisit, but since we haven't been there in awhile, it's time for an update. And, as stated below, Niki's is still a great place to go for old school Italian baked dishes.

Last visit: February 2012

First time listed: September 4, 2008

Other locations: North Richland Hills, Garland (as Sali's)

Mrs. RJG and I have been regular, albeit infrequent, visitors to Niki's since we moved back to Texas in 2003. In fact, I think they're the first Italian restaurant we visited upon our arrival.

Niki's, like almost all of NE Tarrant's Italian restaurants, are of a Balkan heritage. So there isn't much deviation of taste from others we've written about before on these pages like Oggi Italia, Cafe Italia and Bellisimo's. All the familiar telltale signs are there: A tomato based vinaigrette house dressing, similar desserts, a familiar menu with a mix of chicken / veal entrees and tradition pasta, including baked dishes - and pizza of course. On the latter, of the restaurants we mentioned above, we've only tried Oggi Italia's pizza, and if the others follow suit, we'd be very happy. Mrs. RJG's co-workers swear by Niki's pizza, and we've vowed to try it sometime. (4/18/10 update: Tried, and while it's good, there are better pizza places nearby like My New York Pizza and Marco's).

There is one major difference between Niki's and the others: They have a liquor license. That can be seen as a plus for many, but we like the savings of BYOB. We're spoiled in these parts, as most of the country's restaurants want the juicy margins that alcohol can bring. Still, we don't see that as a show stopper, and we'll dutifully order a 1/2 carafe of vino to go along with our meal. Or a nice cold beer at lunch.

Both the wife and I recommend sticking to the baked dishes, or basic red sauce pasta concoctions like chicken parm. They have a nice smooth textured and tasteful red sauce, and the pasta is always cooked al dente and steaming hot.

We probably frequent Niki's about 2 to 3 times a year, and it's consistently good, though not exceptional. It doesn't have to be.

The Keller location is at Rufe Snow and North Tarrant Parkway, set inside a newish strip center on the SE corner. The decor is excellent, in a darkened room with nice lighting and plenty of murals of Italian scenery. It's rather capacious, with two distinct rooms, ideal for large parties of people.

As for the North Richland Hills location, the less said, the better. As good as the Keller location is, the NRH one is abominable (and it's the original!). We've been there three times and the service has been awful and the place is always dirty. I just can't believe they're run by the same people! I cannot think of one occurrence EVER (and Mr. RJG has been to thousands), where the difference between one location of a local chain and another is so different. Maybe a wayward relative? We had to walk out on our last visit some 3 years ago and vowed to never go back.

Anyway, not to derail the review, as the Niki's in Keller is absolutely fine. But does the NRH experience naw at us when we think of going to the Keller one? Yes, it does.

Website