A trio of great Lubbock restaurants

Dear Folks,

With a recent visit from daughter and son-in-law from Phoenix, it gave me an opportunity to visit some great restaurants in Lubbock.

Café J’s

First on the list is Café J’s on 19th Street. They are well known for excellent service and high quality food.

So I knew my out-of-town dear ones would enjoy one of Lubbock’s best.

Believe it or not, we had a difficult and dreadful time getting there.

Why you ask? Because of all the crazy construction on 19th Street. It was night and the lighting was extremely poor.

The lanes were confusing, and we went many blocks past Café J’s entrance. Yes, we did turn around and eventually arrived at our destination.

Our dinners were fabulous and well worth the aggravation.

My first order was a bowl of their delicious creamy green chili soup, then daughter and I selected the Ahi Tuna Lettuce Wrap which had the tuna coated with sesame seeds and quinoa and included were diced cucumbers, tricolor carrots, radishes, a generous amount of iceberg lettuce and two yummy sauces — peanut and sweet chili.

Although, this was considered a “wrap,” it ended up being a knife and fork deal for me. There was even a generous amount of “take home” for next day’s lunch.

Son-in-law ordered the Pad Thai which was served in a large bowl with rice noodles, roasted peanuts, jalapeños, Napa cabbage, and all combined with J’s famous Thai Sauce.

Everything was absolutely delicious. Although this was an extremely busy weekend, especially for restaurants, we were only 1 of 3 tables being served. Our waitress said the construction has really hurt their business. I did find an easy way out and in. More on that later.

Ike’s

Next on our list was an evening at Ike’s on 82nd Street.

After a short wait, we were ushered to our comfy booth.

After reviewing our menus, we all decided to order the grilled Mahi-mahi. It was perfectly prepared and topped with a delicious lemon wine butter sauce.

Saffron rice and asparagus tips completed the entrée — all so yummy — and excellent service.

Aspen Creek Grill

Last on our list was a lunch “date” with a dear mutual friend of mine and my daughter.

She originally lived in Lubbock, then moved to

Phoenix, then back to Lubbock. While in Phoenix, I made sure the two would meet. Dear friend is now very successful in real estate. It was great to visit with her again.

The decision was made to meet at Aspen Creek Grill on West Loop 289. They were extremely busy, but after a short time, we were given our table.

Aspen Creek’s menu is quite extensive, but I found one of my favorites — potato skins with all the trimmings. Daughter ordered the Bison Burger Plate complete with veggies, and friend ordered the huge classic salad topped with chicken. All orders were served promptly and all were delicious.

All in all, having the opportunity to again visit with loved ones is a real blessing.

Now for a better way to avoid the “Nightmare on 19th St.” on your way to Café J’s.

Take University to 20th Street and turn west. Go a couple of blocks and on your right, you will see a parking lot. Turn into the parking lot and you will see Café J’s lot on your right. This is easy, and avoids all the danger.

Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.

– William Arthur Ward