Lucille + Mabel Kitchen & Libations for impressive upscale dining in Brownwood, TX

Exterior

Lucille + Mabel Kitchen and Libations was a lovely surprise to find in downtown Brownwood! I cannot recall having a more enjoyable dining experience recently. The best meals I have had eating out this year have been at the Black Cur Steakhouse in Coleman and now this gem in Brownwood. Restaurants in Abilene need to up their game without question. I will happily drive 80 miles for this kind of quality and service.

My dining companion and myself greatly appreciated the atmosphere, the service, and the food at Lucille + Mabel. All were stellar. You really feel like you are at a restaurant in a much larger city but without the attitude that can come with elevated restaurants in urban areas. That being said, the prices are in line with the quality so be prepared. The menu is elevated but not inaccessible to most tastes.

Lucille + Mabel Kitchen & Libations is in a former bank building, complete with vaults. Upon entering we were greeted by the host. We had reservations and were taken to our table quickly. The bar and dining areas are separated but you can see into both. The restaurant is rectangular shaped with high ceilings, exposed brick and a green, black and white color scheme. It has the look of a historical building which tickles the history buff in me.

Bar area

Dining area

After being seated, the server came quickly to pour our water and get our drink orders while we looked over the menu. There were several steak options as well as many creative twists on familiar favorites--Korean fried chicken for example. The water for the table is served in previously used liquor bottles which is a fun way to use an item that otherwise would have just been thrown out. Clever.

Once the server returned with our drinks, she asked if we would like to order an appetizer. We went with the fried asparagus spears that were topped with crispy crab and a Bearnaise sauce ($22). My date had a question about the steaks so our server went back to the kitchen and brought out the various cuts and discussed them in detail to aid him in his choice. 

I ordered the pasta Alfredo with mushrooms and chicken ($21). He ordered the 9 oz prime cut filet ($59) which was sourced from 1855 Black Angus Beef. The steak was served with rosemary garlic mashed potatoes topped with bacon and asparagus on the side.

Asparagus appetizer

The appetizer was yummy and visually appealing. The asparagus were tender but not mushy. The crispy crab on top added an intriguing element to the taste. The portion size was more than we could eat and still have enough room for our entrees.

My pasta Alfredo was ample in size. I could only eat about 1/3 of it as the sauce was so decadent. Unlike so many places, they did not overdo the garlic in the sauce. Yay! The chicken on top was lightly breaded and juicy and the fettuccine was al dente which was quite pleasing to the palate. The past tasted fresh. For the reasonable price of the dish, it may be the best return on investment on the menu. Certainly there was enough left for a second meal the next day.

Pasta Alfredo with chicken

The filet was stellar--cooked to a perfect medium-rare and tender. The server asked that the steak be cut to be sure it was cooked correctly. It was seasoned in a way that really let the beef shine through and was topped with an herbed butter. There was not a bite leftover. A sumptuous steak indeed.

The service was outstanding and that aspect of eating out is getting more and more difficult to find. Our server was friendly without being intrusive but most of all she knew her job, the menu, and was a great ambassador for the restaurant. I had not one quibble about anything in regard to the food, beverages, atmosphere, or service. It was all five star in my book.

Filet cooked medium-rare

One caveat about making reservations there, and you are going to need a reservation, is to just call them. I tried three different avenues to contact them online; via the contact form on their website and two emails to different email addresses that are posted on their website and never heard anything back. Currently, there is no option to make reservations on any of the popular dining reservation apps either. I think the owners are concentrating more on running the restaurant than on their online presence. Their Facebook seems to be the spot with the most up to date information regarding hours and specials.

If you are in the area, I highly recommend trying Lucille + Mabel. Brownwood can surprise you. There is more going on there than you would expect. Check it out.

Update: Yesterday I took two friends to try Lucille + Mabel. Since it was only 4pm we sat in the bar. We ordered drinks and the mint in my friend’s mojito was slimy, not muddled. She had to send it back. The rest of the drinks were fine.

The servers in the bar were okay but not as attentive as what I experienced on the first visit in the dining room. Maybe newer employees? The three of us ordered off the appetizer menu, starting with two tasty crab cakes over grilled asparagus, and one of us added a half wedge salad as well. The steak bites topped with shrimp (3 per order) the others had were very good but we had to ask if the shrimp were breaded with flour, it was cornstarch, as she was gluten sensitive. However, my coconut shrimp tacos ($15) were overpowered by the balsamic sauce on the tacos and only had about two cut up pieces of shrimp in each taco. For dessert we shared a butter pecan cheesecake which was divine. All the desserts were tempting. 

I recommend if you want to experience the best side of the restaurant, get a reservation for dinner and skip dining in the bar.

Lucille + Mabel Kitchen & Libations
114 Center Ave.
Brownwood, TX 76801
(325) 430-0979
 

https://www.lucillemabel.com/

https://www.facebook.com/p/Lucille-Mabel-Kitchen-and-Libations-100076016620145/

Hours (these recently changed so I recommend checking their Facebook page for updates)

Sunday-Tuesday CLOSED

Wednesday 4pm-9pm

Thursday & Friday 4pm-10pm

Saturday Brunch 10am-2pm, 4pm-10pm

 

The Smokehouse at the Doubletree Hotel in Abilene--A new edition to Abilene upscale dining

The Smokehouse is the restaurant inside the new Doubletree hotel in Abilene which opened in late July. It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week. For my birthday, my date and I had dinner there in late August. 

Hummingbird cake

Chocolate cake

Previously, when the hotel first opened some friends and I stopped in for dessert in the lounge outside the restaurant called the Cattleman's Exchange. All three desserts were delectable and very large for the price which was $10 or less. Each of us took about half of our portion home with us. In addition, the lounge also serves bar food. I highly recommend stopping in for a sweet treat. I understand they have their own pastry chef. The server also told us that the restaurant employs a chef that moved to the area from New York City.

 The ambiance of the restaurant is modern with a western touch. Inside there are booths but most of the seating is tables for two or four individuals. For a date, ask for a booth. 

Chocolate chip skillet cookie

Our reservation for dinner was early so the restaurant was not crowded at all. More people came in as it got closer to 7pm. Once we were seated the server came promptly and asked for our drink orders. Upon returning with our drinks, he told us about the specials for the evening. We decided to try the appetizer for the night which was fried bread and butter pickle spears. I tend to prefer dill pickles but these were quite sour for bread and butter pickles so they had a bite to them and a slight spicy flavor. They were served with a barbeque aioli dipping sauce. I found the batter to be on the heavy side. In the future, I want to try the fried green tomatoes which are on the regular appetizer menu.

Restaurant interior

For dinner, I had the brisket plate and my companion ordered the filet cooked medium rare. Sides for the steaks can be ordered separately but the price on the menu is for the steak only. The sides that came with the brisket were pureed potatoes and broccolini. The brisket was topped with fried onion strings and a gravy. The steak was a little over $50 and the brisket plate was about $18. The website for the restaurant does not list prices but expect the meal to be on the expensive side for Abilene. Since it was a celebration we were prepared for the cost.

The steak was cooked nicely and had a good color and flavor. He said it was a little different than most "Texas" style steaks. The brisket was on the fatty side for me, but many people like that. It did indeed have a strong smoky taste (as one would expect from a place called the Smokehouse). I enjoyed the sides very much but found the gravy on the meat to have a shade of a sour taste but perhaps that was leftover on my tastebuds from the strong fried pickle appetizer. The portion was generous and I could not finish the dish.

Service throughout the meal was attentive and professional. The server was able to answer any questions we had or if he could not he found someone else who had the answer. We were pleased with the training that had obviously been done with the waitstaff before opening for business.

Sliced brisket plate

The next time I go, I will go for lunch since the price points on the lunch menu are lower and there is a greater variety of choices. The dinner menu is not large but they take pride in what they serve. You can tell that this is a chef-driven place

For most locals, dinner at the Smokehouse will be a special occasion splurge, much like Copper Creek or Perini's in Buffalo Gap. The Smokehouse has a more contemporary look inside, less rustic and Texan than either of those but still with a nod to locality in the artwork on the walls. A couple could easily spend over $100 on dinner, if you both had steaks, not counting sides, appetizers, desserts, or alcoholic beverages, so be prepared.

Filet

You can make reservations on OpenTable on the app or online. Currently, the website for the hotel does not have the menu or the prices available to check before you go. 

The Smokehouse

https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/abidtdt-doubletree-abilene-downtown-convention-center/dining/

Doubletree Hotel

500 Cypress St.

Abilene TX 79601

(325) 999-1878

Hours

The Smokehouse

Monday-Sunday 7am-10pm

Cattleman's Exchange Lounge

Monday-Sunday 11am-12am



 

Miguel's Mex Tex Cafe--a new Abilene favorite

Miguel's has been one of the most highly anticipated restaurant openings that I can ever remember for our fair burg of Abilene. Citizens have been watching the remodel and additional building on to the old Famous Dave's Barbecue location for over a year. It opened for business five days ago and has been packed ever since. The husband and I went last night. We got there at 5:30pm and the parking lot was almost full. Once we got our names on the list, we were told it was a 45 minute wait. Larger parties I'm sure had a significantly longer wait. We went to sit in the bar since it was open seating and you could order dinner in there if you wanted. As is happened, we struck up a conversation with a man who had been there every night since they opened and eaten in the bar every time. He gave us some tips on what was good and raved about how great the service had been. The bar was hopping with people.

Cool fixtures and art

The atmosphere at Miguel's is very colorful and I loved the blown glass light fixtures and the tile. This a place that cares about the details. The owners have made a HUGE investment in this restaurant. Abuelo's (formerly the fanciest Mexican/Tex-Mex restaurant in town) is in trouble.

The chef is the same gentleman that used to own Bonterra Blu in Clyde. A former favorite before they closed. When I heard that news, I was suffused with happiness because as I have mentioned on this blog before there isn't (wasn't) any truly outstanding Mexican or Tex-Mex in Abilene and Chef Trueblood has the talent to change that.

One of several dining areas

Once we were seated, we were brought chips and three kinds of salsa/dip. There was the traditional freshly made tomato salsa, which was a bit too citrus-y for my taste, an avocado-pineapple salsa, and a creamy black olive dip that was my absolute favorite. My husband thought it too salty. The photo below is out of perspective. The tortilla chips were light and crispy.

Chips and dips

The menu is big. Brunch is served on the weekends. That is a future must try. Dinner was a difficult decision but I went with some classics; a San Antonio style puffy beef taco, a spinach/portabello/avocado enchilada, and a white cheese chili relleno. For sides, bacon and cheddar refried beans and Mexican fried rice. There was also a little bit of steamed cornbread which was really sweet. The relleno was the best I have ever eaten outside of New Mexico. Not oily at all and the pepper had a kick to it. The enchilada was delicious. I actually become too full to eat the puffy taco which had a fry bread shell and another crispy blue corn shell. I had to give it to my husband. The sides were super tasty. I enjoyed the fried egg twist on the rice. The beans were super flavorful. It is so disappointing at other places when I can tell they came out of a can or when the cook doesn't add enough seasoning.  No problem with that at Miguel's.

Classic combo--enchilada, chili relleno, puffy taco

My husband decided on one of the specialties of the house, the #14 which was carne asada steak and bacon wrapped shrimp...surf and turf Tex-Mex style. For a few minutes, we were told they were out of steak but it turned out that wasn't the case. The shrimp were fresh and delicious. The steak was topped with cheese and a cilantro pesto. He wasn't asked how he wanted his steak cooked and in the end he didn't finish it because he wasn't fond of the toppings and the steak was a bit overdone. However, he raved about the shrimp, beans and rice. He also got a side order of the corn on the cob which was topped with chipotle crema and some spices. He wasn't a fan but it looked pretty yummy to me. I didn't taste it because it is impossible to eat corn on the cob with any grace in a public setting, much less corn with a cream sauce on it.

#14

I was stuffed but he wanted dessert when he heard they had  fried bread pudding on the menu.

  It was topped with vanilla bean ice cream. I managed a couple of bites, superb. 

Fried Bread Pudding

Service was outstanding. One of the owners came by our table, as did one of the managers. Our server, Leslie, was excellent.

Now for the skinny on cost. Our bill was almost $60.00 not counting tip. That being said, it was worth it. They have only been open for less than a week and the quality was awesome and the staff very well trained. However, it isn't going to be a cheap meal when you eat at Miguel's. The entrees start at $7 (one classic item and rice/beans) and go up from there. I highly recommend trying it as portions were generous, even if you have to wait a while. There are very few places in town I would bother to wait 45 minutes for a seat but this is one of them.

A word about seasoning. Nothing we ate was particularly spicy but it was spiced. If you are a person who prefers food to be simply seasoned, like how my husband likes his steak without any extra toppings, this probably won't be your place.

Update 8/9/2015

I have been back several times and MOST of those occasions were still a good experience but my visit this past weekend demonstrated some of the issues that others have encountered such as inconsistent service and skimpy portions for the price charged; i.e. only six medium-sized shrimp in my shrimp fajitas at a cost of $17 with less than generous amounts of toppings and sides. One of my companions hated the salmon tacos, said they tasted "off". Still happy with most other entrees I've tried and the appetizers and desserts have all been excellent. 

3001 S. Danville Dr.
Abilene TX 79605
325-698-8100
miguelsmextexcafe.com