Review: Blue Mesa Grill Lubbock

Blue Mesa Grill has long been a staple of Dallas-Ft. Worth and now it's come to Lubbock with the goal to be the very best. If you haven't tried Blue Mesa Grill out yet, do so quickly. You won't be disappointed.

My wife and I went to Blue Mesa this past Saturday for dinner and absolutely loved it. Blue Mesa is located off the Marsha Sharp Freeway at Raider Park. Parking is easy and free, so don't worry about that. You will most likely have to park in the parking garage, but if you eat at Blue Mesa just ask for the code or for your ticket to be validated and you won't have to spend a dime to park.

When entering Blue Mesa, you'll notice the modern/Southwestern theme that they are going for not only in decor but also with the food. It's not a huge place, but there is plenty of seating with lots of great views of Jones AT&T Stadium. One of the first things you will probably notice is the great bar Blue Mesa has set-up in the middle of the restaurant. This, I believe, is to showcase their large selection of tequila. Blue Mesa features over 100 tequilas and personally, I can't wait to try out many of them. You can view Blue Mesa's tequila menu here.

After we were seated, we were immediately served with chips and two different types of sauces. Now, when I mention chips, I must mention that these aren't just the normal chips that any place has. Sure, those are mixed in, but you also get Blue Mesa's sweet potato chips. They are fantastic and to be honest I wanted to order more, but we still had to eat food that was on the menu. We started our meal ordering 2 Classic Blue (frozen) Margaritas and a cup of their classic 4 Way Queso with cheese by Texas Cheesemakers. We were not disappointed. The margaritas are some of the best in Lubbock, and I haven't even tried their higher-end ones yet. The queso was great and enough for both of us as we continued to look over the menu trying to decided on what to have for dinner.

Our waiter, Webb, was very attentive but not overbearing. I liked that. It gets on my nerves when the waitstaff comes by every thirty seconds to see if you are ready to order. At Blue Mesa, they aren't going to do that. They want you to take your time and will answer any questions that you may have. My wife asked for a recommendation between two items and decided to order the Blue Crab & Shrimp Enchiladas. I had a tough time deciding between a few different items, but decided to go with the Mixed Grill Churrascaritas.

The presentation of the food was great. This is something that you just don't find at many restaurants in Lubbock. Presentation is all part of the process to show how much care the cook is putting into the meal. As I said earlier, my wife had the Blue Crab & Shrimp Enchiladas which of course I stole a bite of, and I was impressed. The chipotle cream sauce gave the meal a brief kick, but it was tampered down by the crab and shrimp. I have been to other places that have served seafood enchiladas and what I enjoyed most about these was the fact that it was all hot! Not spicy hot, but temperature wise. Other times I've had it and different places, the outside was warm and the seafood was cold. No thank you. At Blue Mesa, they got it right and it's something I would order next time.

Now, onto the Mixed Grill Churrascaritas. This was probably my favorite meal that I've had in Lubbock for a

number of reasons. First, it just looks great. The presentation was great and you have to love a meal where you get to have steak, chicken, sausage, and shrimp all on one plate. This meal is served with Chimayo Market corn, which they cut off right in front of you, and Mesa Panna Bread. Two people could probably split this one entree and be happy but it was all mine, though my wife did manage to get a taste of each item.

I started with the red chile glazed steak and was surprised at just how good it was. Not sure why I was surprised, but I was. The red chile gave this piece of meat a slight kick, but then a sweet taste came in. It wasn't overpowering at all, and it was a great piece of meat. Very tender and cooked perfectly. I then tried the ginger-chipotle chicken. The chicken was very moist and again had that spicy/sweet taste to it. The smoked pepper sausage was great and had just enough of that smokey taste that West Texans will enjoy. My favorite skewer was the one that had three jumbo shrimp on it. This had the perfect amount of sweetness with a little spice to it as well. My wife and I figured that there had to be some mixture of brown sugar and chipotle spice on the shrimp because it was just amazing.

Another favorite at Blue Mesa, though we did not try it, is the Red Chile Crusted Salmon. I have heard nothing but good things about this selection and it was the one I went back and forth on. Don't worry, on my next trip to Blue Mesa I will try it!

No dinner to Blue Mesa is complete without trying one of their desserts. We decided to go with Tres Flans. Tres Flans is a seasonal sampler of three different flans. Again, nothing bad to say at all. It was interesting what the chef did to each of the flans to give them a distinctive taste. I've only had traditional and chocolate flan before, but these were more complex and gave you three different options. The Dark Chocolate Empanadas with sangria sauce looked great too. May have to try that next time.

After dinner, my wife and I took the elevator up to The Roof on top of Raider Park. You can't beat The Roof's patio, seating, and atmosphere. It's a fun place to be whether you are a college student or a professional wanting great drinks and great views. It's my favorite patio in Lubbock and they will see us up there a lot.

Blue Mesa Grill opened on Mother's Day in Lubbock and has quickly become one of the best restaurants in town. They know what they are doing, and they are doing it well. General Manager Chad Francis has his staff working hard to make sure every detail is taken care of. I saw Chad and other management going around to the different tables and making sure everything was good. It's that type of attention that people like here in Lubbock and frankly, you don't see it at many places here in town.  If you are looking for great Southwestern food that offers a bold taste, Blue Mesa is the place for you. I highly recommend Blue Mesa to everyone out there. I don't believe you will find another place in Lubbock that offers what Blue Mesa offers.

On a side note. Another must try at Blue Mesa is the Brunch on Sundays. In 2008, Blue Mesa was the third place winner of Best Brunch in the World. People in Dallas-Ft. Worth have always sung the praises of Blue Mesa's Brunch. It's something everyone should try and it's a great value. For more on the Brunch, you can go here.

Blue Mesa Grill is located on the first floor of Raider Park at 2522 Marsha Sharp Freeway. They are open 11am to 10pm Monday thru Thursday, 11am to 11pm Friday and Saturday, and 10am to 10pm on Sunday. For more information on Blue Mesa Grill, visit their website.