Taqueria is under repair after car crash

Fans of Don Pepe's Taqueria, don't fret. The Blackstone and Gettysburg restaurant, which was damaged in a Christmas Eve car accident, is being repaired.

If you missed the details, here's the recap: A Lincoln Continental crashed into Don Pepe's dining room about 6:15 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Luckily, no one was hurt. Don Pepe's had closed at 5 p.m., restaurant manager Juan Robles says.

However, the car hit the restaurant's gas line, forcing it to remain closed. Robles hopes the restaurant will reopen in the next week, depending on city approval.

In the meantime, he's directing customers to the Don Pepe's across from California State University, Fresno.

The restaurant at Shaw and Woodrow avenue is open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. Details: (559) 292-3188.

Come mid-January, J's Sports Bar and Grill in Dinuba is adding upscale dishes.

It might seem like an odd addition for a sports bar, but the business has two identities.

The ground floor is a 68-seat sports bar with televisions that serves dishes such as fire-breathing wings, popcorn shrimp and fried artichokes.

The top floor, called "The Upper Deck," has 50 seats meant for upscale dining, says J's general manager Jim Tomlinson. In mid-January, expect to find a five-course meal on the menu. Dishes include lobster macaroni, crème brûlée and filet mignon.

The menu will change seasonally, says Sammy Kinalele, who left Twist in north Fresno to become J's executive chef.

J's opened in November at the corner of L and Tulare streets in Dinuba. Hours in the sports bar are 10 a.m.-midnight Mondays-Thursdays, 10 a.m.-1 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays, and 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Sundays. The Upper Deck's hours are Wednesdays-Saturdays 5-10 p.m.

Details and reservations: (559) 591-4400.

Luby restaurant has reopened, but owner Thomas Lee is hoping you won't rush there.

Luby opened on Christmas Day with a skeleton crew, and within a day, fans of its Chinese and vegetarian food were coming in. "It was chaos," Lee said.

Luby won't have a full kitchen crew that's up to speed until early next year, so Lee -- a stickler for food quality -- is hoping to avoid a crush of customers until mid-January. He even asked me to hold off writing about the restaurant for two weeks.

But the news already is out, thanks to Twitter, Facebook and other word-of-mouth. Plus, there's a banner outside the restaurant announcing that it's open.

Still, take some pity on Lee and wait a little while if you can stand it. Luby's popular fake meat -- vegetarian chicken, vegetarian pork, vegetarian beef and vegetarian shrimp -- isn't going anywhere.

You'll see a couple of changes when you do visit. With seating for 50 customers, the new restaurant has a dining room. And Luby's has applied for a beer-and-wine-license.

Luby is at the southeast corner of Willow and Nees. Weekday lunches are served 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., while dinners are served 4-9 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays, hours are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Details: (559) 299-7175.