Sammy G’sDistrict 70 — Restaurant in El Lago

So I would like to start off by saying that this is my second time visiting the fine establishment. My first visit was on a Tuesday (taco Tuesday FYI) and was immediately greeted by the staff. I sat down at the bar and ordered a Michelob draft beer. I was given a menu, and as I looked down the list I observed some pretty tasty dishes that caught my attention. However, the bartender informed that they were having a taco night special that consisted of various proteins (shrimp, chicken, beef, and rib eye). I decided to go with 2 shrimp tacos and a rip eye taco. I sat down watching the Astros game and within 5-7 minutes my food had arrived—pretty damn fast. Ladies and gentlemen, the tacos did not disappoint…especially the rib eye. The taste, portions, and price were nothing but extraordinary. They were $1.99 ($2.99 for the rib eye), so come on, you can’t beat that.

Today marks my second visit here to Sammy G’s. I was starving and was in the area, so I wanted to see what they had to offer on a Thursday. I was once again greeted by the staff and sat myself at the bar. I ordered a beer and the bartender (Alex) informed me that they were having their Thursday $1.00 smoked wing night special (is this real life?) and a new menu item called Shrimp Zaza. I was mood for some wings so I ordered 10 wings that consisted of 5 Franks ares hot wings and 5 habanero garlic. I waited for about 12 minutes before my wings came (that’s not a bad wait, seriously). Let me just say “hot-diggity-damn”, those wings were fan-freaking-tastic. Especially the habanero garlic awesome recommendation, Alex), they had that nice balance of spiciness to it! I have zero complaints on the wings and highly recommend them.

After I was done, I was still a bit hungry so I decided to try the Shrimp Zaza. Let’s just say that it was phenomenal. It had a creamy texture with a nice tangy kick to it. I hope that they add it to their taco night, as I believe that it will be a great addition. Anyways, the Shrimp Zaza was fantastic. Kudos to the creator.

So if you’ve made it this far in my review, then all I can say is get over to Sammy G’s and get yourself some delicious grub. The staff, food, vibe, etc was great and will have me coming back. As someone that just moved to the area, this is by far my new favorite spot.

Bravo, staff of Sammy G’s, bravo. Keep up the...

It’s a nice deck with a view of the water but the food and service needs attention. We ordered drinks first. The club soda was flat and they didn’t notice so my drink wasn’t good. She was nice and offered tonic on the next try. My husband’s draft beer was brought as a bottle but she fixed that so no harm done. However we ordered the ceviche to start and the special which was fish and shrimp nachos. They came out at the same time which always frustrates me. I want my appetizer first. Unfortunately the plantain chips were replaced with regular tortilla chips and there was no mention of that at all. Also it was basically cucumber salsa. Not even a whole perch made it in that ceviche. I’m saying less than a teaspoon of fish in the whole martini glass. The flavor was unique and had it been fish I would have enjoyed it. The nachos were equal to a high school football game. They did add those small frozen shrimp but we basically paid for a pile of chips with canned refried beans and canned queso. The cheese was not good. It had some large lettuce leaves and some sour cream and 6 pickled jalapeños. Overall I was very disappointed. We have amazing seafood down here and that’s what I would have expected from a restaurant in Idaho. Maybe the burgers and mac and cheese are better but for a restaurant on the water your seafood game should be strong. I wanted to love it. Both were big let downs. The owner asked us as we were leaving how it was and said they were trying out new things. I was honest and he seemed to want to know so here’s the honest truth. Also note to staff: they asked my husbands name, they handed him the check and called him sir. I’m the foodie and I’m the one paying and I was basically ignored. Y’all...

Sammy G……. OMG. This is the sixth time we’ve tried this place. Each time something was wrong and this time was an absolute disaster. I must apologize to my wife for asking to try it again. The poor kitchen staff all speak Spanish and the orders all come in English so the wait time for food was over an hour and a half because they couldn’t decipher English to Spanish. We ordered mozzarella sticks and fish tacos and two drinks. The drinks took over 45 minutes and we had to ask for them, again. We were told that the kitchen was being hit hard but until the partial investor told us the facts, we could see the disarray. I long for this place to be consistent and have quality. The drinks were great for me but way too strong for my wife. No consolation for the experience. The poor servers were about in tears as they were left to explain to the customers the situation which impacted their tips. So freaking sad. We had three conversations with our server to calm her down. If that was my daughter, I would’ve had told her to quit. I’m not sure if I can even convince my wife to try it again. The kitchen manager, expediter all need to be replaced. I’m truly sorry to say that. I know they’re working hard but it’s a recipe for failure. There’s opportunity in this community and you’re so close but currently missing...