The Vitals:
the spot: Midnight Shift 1610 Broadway St, Lubbock, TX 79401
the eats: NY Strip Steak, Burgers, Charcuterie
the bucks: $$$
the full nelson: pricey comfort food for the upscale tourist or the trendy Lubbock local

I really like Lubbock TX. I guess you could say I was just surprised that this blip on a map had some respectable dining options. When we drove through Lubbock on the way to ski the slopes of New Mexico, I experienced a meal at the West Table that I would easily return to again and again, price of gas be damned. It wasn’t a life changing meal per se, just a remarkable find for a small city like Lubbock. The restaurant knows they are setting the bar high and take pride in doing it in a market where they don’t have to.

Midnight Shift doesn’t hit those notes but it is a bit cheaper(by a hair) and pretty friendly by design. It’s more a bar lounge with a decent menu. The safe bet would be to stick to burgers but I was feeling more like a bourbon and a steak that night.

Old Fashioned anyone?

I love these cocktails. Some bourbon plus simple syrup, some bitters and an orange peel make for a cocktail with a punch. Especially in the hands of an experienced bartender. Like the service at Midnight Shift, the bartender lacked experience but the drink went down well enough. I guess I just really like whiskey.

You get what you pay for

Even though my gut said keep it basic, I reached for the stars and got a NY Strip steak. This cut was my first steak crush growing up. I love ribeyes and skirt plus other lesser known cuts like flap meat but you don’t find those out often. I tend to criticize getting a steak when it comes to bang for your buck because it’s pricey and I can flip a steak with the best of them. But you know what? This steak did the trick. And the well roasted brussel sprouts topped with a heavy hand of parmesan and the sweet potato terrine were decent sides. If I made them at home I would pat myself on the back.

At the end of the day, splurging for the steak probably left me more impressed with Midnight Shift. I just didn’t think they would be doing anything game changing. So why not let a good cut of beef and some whiskey bring a smile to my face?

Midnight Shift might be named so because when it’s late you take what you can get. That’s the case here. It’s not horrible but better options don’t exactly pop up that frequently when you’re covering this many checkboxes in Lubbock TX. It’s a hotel restaurant and while some hotel restaurants snag celebrity chefs, they are by design mean to be crowd pleasing and convenient to a weary traveler. And for one craving a steak and a whiskey on his way back to Austin, Midnight shift was certainly both pleasing and convenient.