Cattle Baron

My family and I recently went home to the South Plains to visit my mom and grandmother for Christmas.  We had a great time spending Christmas with family and enjoyed a restful visit.  On the last night of our trip, my wife and I decided that we would give my mom some time alone with our girls.  So while mom spent some quality time with our daughters, my wife and I went to Lubbock to eat dinner and see a movie.

We decided to eat dinner at Cattle Baron, which is a small chain of steakhouses with locations in West Texas and New Mexico.  My wife and I ate at Cattle Baron frequently when we were dating, but we had not dined here in over seven years.  We arrived in plenty of time to eat before our movie and Cattle Baron did not have a waiting list on this night.  I was not super hungry, so I ordered the Patty Melt with fries and added a trip to the salad bar.  By wife just chose to do the soup and salad bar as her meal.  While we went to the salad bar, the waitress brought some warm bread and butter to our table.

Loved this butter

After placing our orders, we immediately hit the salad bar.  I consider Cattle Baron to be one of the top three salad bars I have ever tried and it hit the spot on this visit.  I tried to not gorge myself because I knew I had a Patty Melt and fries coming too, but it took a lot of willpower to eat lightly at this salad bar.  My wife also enjoyed her trip to the salad bar, but said her Cream of Chicken soup was somewhat runnier than what she preferred.

Tried not to put too much on this plate since I still had a meal coming

My Patty Melt arrived thirty minutes after I ordered it, which was way too long.  I had finished my salad twenty minutes before it arrived and my wife had finished her soup and salad as well.  The Patty Melt was served on rye bread with bacon, Swiss cheese, and sauteed onions.  The burger itself had a nice chargrilled flavor, had plenty of bacon, and the cook put just enough onions on it to give it some flavor without overpowering the burger itself.  The fries that came with it were cold.  Not cold as in lukewarm, but they were actually chilled.  If you have ever had cold fries, then you know that eating them is not a pleasant experience.

Patty Melt and Fries

This was the only visit I have had to Cattle Baron where I left disappointed.  The salad bar and burger were good, but the fries were beyond bad and the service was lacking during this visit.  I had to wait for fifteen minutes just to get my water refilled.  Past visits have been filled with good steaks and seafood, so I know that they can serve very good food and sides that are warm.  Perhaps the restaurant just had an off night, because I truly hope that the restaurant has not deteriorated this much since our last visit seven years ago.  The delicious salad bar is the only reason I am rating it as high as I am.

Cattle Baron
http://www.cattlebaron.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating = 2