Fine Dining In Grayson GA – Sam’s On the Main

I have been coming to Sam’s on the Main from before it was relocated to the new shopping center inside the city of Grayson.  I normally do not hang out in this area, but lately, I found myself coming here at least once per month because there are definitely not many restaurants in the Grayson area in my point of view that live up to the quality of food that Sam’s has. That said, I have been coming here since he has opened his first location on Main Street.

Sam’s on the Main has been open almost 3.5 years with the new location opening on Aug 21st of last year. The older location was a  smaller space and with the level of hype, they definitely needed a bigger space. That said,   I’m glad that this spot opened up. With the social distance guidelines, they now have many 4 top tables out in a large field in front of the restaurant as well as inside dining available. The new space is extremely inviting and now can hold about 160-170 even with the guidelines.

Before Sam’s On the Main

Sam has been cooking since 1996. He started as a dishwasher at around 13 years old at 7.25 an hour at a Lebanese restaurant.  At that point in time, he was a Kurd refugee and was too young to hold a job – so he was paid under the table. He taught himself in the kitchen and worked his way up to the chef.  It’s an American success story in itself that a refugee at 13 years old would work hard and eventually start his own restaurant.

“Since I was about 20 years old it was my Dream to have my own restaurant.”

From the time he became a Chef he was out to one day open his own restaurant. Upon starting Sam’s on the main, he wanted to go for a fine dining style of cooking.  That said, the dishes you get at Sam’s on the Main are going to be top-notch but the overall atmosphere will seem like a clash against the quality of the food. I am not sure what created this family-friendly culture, but Sam wouldn’t change it for the world. While I was sitting here writing this article, there are children here who knows the chef by name as well as parents who are constantly coming not only for the food but for the family-friendly atmosphere where their kids can play in the field in front of the restaurant while they enjoy fine dining.

The magic behind this – I believe – is the outgoing personality of chef Sam himself. When he is not working in the kitchen, he is out meeting the guests, learning about their children, and offering on the house samples for people to try. This creates a long-lasting relationship with local churches, families, and businesses which keeps people coming to Sam’s on the Main not just for the food but for the service. There is now somewhat of an expectancy of having the chef come to your table and speak to you.  Sam’s on the Main is now at a place where people’s negative comments stem around rather or not they connected to Sam or got that personal touch.

“I do not want to change the family atmosphere for anything else. I love the family/friendly atmosphere. I love from the bottom of my heart everyone who comes and goes here”

Food Worth Talking About at Sam’s On the Main

Unlike other restaurants, one thing you can be sure of is that the dishes you get are not coming from a bag or box. Almost everything here is not only cooked fresh but butchered in the house as well. There is nothing that is precooked. Ingredients such as vegetables and seafood are brought in daily. To make this point even more clear – the chicken tenders themselves are cut, breaded and made in house. Sauces are done with love and care everything is built in a process that takes 10-20 hours.

Because everything is brought in and made fresh, you may have a bit longer of a wait time than you are used to from other places like Chilis or Applebees but you’re going to get something made fresh and will definitely taste the difference in the taste.

My friends who are regulars here normally will just ask the chef to surprise them with whatever is on his mind. That alone shoes an amazing trust that the main chef really knows what he is doing in the kitchen.

Fried Green Tomatoes

I am not a fan of this dish in any other establishment, to be honest, but I was with some friends here after church and they ordered this as an appetizer. They were cooked perfectly in my opinion. The tomatoes were soft which is normally not the case when you are dealing with green tomatoes. The breading was sone very well as well to the point where it almost resembled a tempura coating. It comes with this amazing red pepper sauce and can easily be a dish you want to order more of.

Knockout Shrimp

This is my #1 appetizer when I am here. It comes out looking just amazing The shrimp are large in size and fried (I obviously love anything fried). What really makes this dish is the combination of the slaw with the sauced fried shrimp – you really need to make sure you get everything in with a bite and not just eat the shrimp alone.

Fried Flounder

When I first ordered this dish, I expected a small piece of flounder like you’d find at red lobster or these other seafood places but this was nothing of the sort. I originally ordered this in sandwich form and was totally blown away by the size of the sandwich. This was not because of the bread but the size of the fish. If you get the sandwich version, its a bit overwhelming by itself but if you are trying to go less on the carb side, the dish is just as good.

Based on what I know and have experienced here, this is definitely at the top of my list of fine dining in Grayson. I do not think that any restaurant comes close to the quality of the food and the personal experience that your going to get at Sam’s on the Main in Grayson. If you have been here and would like to leave a comment about your experience, please do so below.

If you wish to try this with a group, we will be hosting a meetup event on the 5th of September at 12:00PM for Lunch. Please RSVP by clicking this link.