Zachary S.
Yelp
I think a quality dinner is worth the price tag. When you have someone you want to spoil, it makes that price tag even easier. I was back in Lubbock visiting my girlfriend after she had come to see me in Austin the last few times, and we were planning our weekend. I had previously taken her to The West Table to celebrate her graduation, and since we loved it, we knew we had to go back.
Last time we went was an amazing experience. We had their arancini as our shared appetizer. She had their Roasted Beet Salad and the Grilled Rack of Lamb, while I had their Caesar and their Cast Iron Seared Duck Breast, which was amazing. We also enjoyed their specialty drinks.
This time we arrived for our 7:00 reservation and were greeted and sat immediately. We both ordered a drink to start the night. I started with the Hibi-Jibi, a hibiscus and gin drink, while she had the Peach Ring Margarita. West Table is a farm-to-table scratch kitchen concept, so it's very important that you order all your food from appetizer to main course up front to give them time to craft it at the right pace.
The West Table is at the floor level of the luxurious Pioneer Condos. It sits right across from their sister location, The Brewery LBK, and even serves their current brews on location. However, opting for their brews and not their cocktails is a mistake in my opinion because their specialty cocktails are truly one of a kind.
The restaurant itself is beautiful. It feels like a ballroom and all the tables are well spaced out. In the back is the open kitchen where you can see all the chefs putting in hard work and mastering each meal. All around, there is great energy.
We started with their Roasted Bone Marrow. I was worried about the idea of eating bone marrow since that was something I had never had before, but my girlfriend assured me it would be great. The bones were filled with an onion jam and lemon caper vinaigrette that were placed inside the bone. You could spread the jam and vinaigrette on their grilled bread, which was fantastic as well. It was purposely charred and really added to the jam's flavor profile.
We then split their Caesar Salad, and it was a needed divider between our appetizer and entree. Their salad is a good portion for one person, and it was still satisfying being split for two. It was the perfect amount of salad.
We got our next drinks ordered to go alongside our main entree. My girlfriend ordered their Fig Old Fashioned, while I got the "C" Monster, a celery-infused vodka drink with a name that sounds so stupid saying out loud that I almost changed my drink after saying it. Can I get the C Monster? WHAT A FOOL.
The drink was really solid. The celery flavor was super noticeable, but in a good way. It balanced with the vodka quite nicely.
For our main entrees, my girlfriend got their Salmon over Angel Hair pasta, and I got their Pork Chop over mashed potatoes and asparagus. The noodles with the salmon were strong with a very heavy Cajun kick, which complemented the crispy salmon piece, but my pork chop was the star of the show. They recommended it medium, so I got it medium, and it was delightful. Portions of the pork chop were nice and fatty, while others were lean and tender. I was a big fan of its flavor, and the sauce and mashed potatoes really added to it. Perfectly fluffy mashed potatoes.
We closed the night with no dessert, but dessert drinks. My girlfriend got The Cold Fashioned (a mix between a smoked old fashioned and coffee liqueur), and I got the Buenas Noches, which mixes coffee liqueur, chocolate liqueur, and orange liqueur.
Of all the "nice" restaurants in town, West Table stands alone. It has a price tag but still feels fair. Everything we had was top notch, and I still think they've made the best duck I've ever had. Their waitstaff is attentive and amazing and really sells the experience. At the end of the night, she was happy, I was happy, and West Table proved itself to be the LeBron of Lubbock restaurants.
RIYL: Specialty cocktails that make you go "Ooo that's interesting" and some of the best New American in West Texas