Stella's - Lubbock, TX

When I first moved to Lubbock I started a monthly brunch rotation with some of my new co-workers. One of the places we made it to was Stella's. I hadn't been back in some time so I was excited to try it again. Stella's has been in Lubbock since 1998 and got it's original start in NYC as far back as the 1970's with none other than Stella herself. You will find a menu filled with Italian specialties from hand-made pasta to calzones. Brunch is offered Saturday and Sunday so it was the perfect place for a Saturday morning meet up of the Lubbock chapter of Geek Girl Brunch - more to come on that later.

Fresh hot bread

Manhattan style clam chowder

Nothing starts a brunch off to a good start like fresh, warm bread. The bread was perfectly "bready" - a nice crunchy crust on the outside with a soft warm inside. It was perfect with a little bit of butter. I also started with the Manhattan style clam chowder. It's not the traditional New England clam chowder you think of that's made with cream. Manhattan style is tomato based, but still chock full of clam, potatoes and veggies. Stella's chowder was delicious. It was filled with tender potatoes and veggies and had a nice balance of flavor from the tomatoes. It was almost like eating a veggie soup with some clams thrown in. 

Ham & Biscuits with Fried Eggs & Peppercorn Gravy

Let's get real though - brunch is about yummy scrumptious breakfast type food. And Stella's delivered exactly what I was looking for with the biscuits and gravy. It was served with diced pieces of ham and smothered in a creamy peppercorn gravy.  I ordered my egg over easy and it was perfectly ooey gooey runny. The biscuits were soft and flakey. Although they were just a touch on the dry side, the gravy more than made up for it. I also really enjoyed the chopped green onions sprinkled on top. It added a nice freshness to each bite.

Whether you brunch on Saturday or Sunday, you'll be in for a treat at Stella's. I know I was and I think everyone at the table enjoyed what they ordered. This was my first outing with the Geek Girls Brunch and I will join them for more. It was really nice to meet other women in a smallish town (for a girl from southern California) that have similar geeky interests. The theme this month was Villains and someone even came dressed as Harley Quinn and fittingly won a Harley Quinn made from perler beads. Super cool!