MARFA “DE-LIGHTS” WHERE TO EAT (AND DRINK WINE) AND STAY WHILE YOU SEARCH FOR THE MARFA LIGHTS   By Scott Chase Hopefully, most Texans (and wannabes) have heard of the Marfa Lights and wondered if they were real.  Well, this writer has seen them and all curious travellers should go see them.  Particularly now that there are many dining and accommodation options for those who want to see those lights in the far reaches of the Trans-Pecos area. From Dallas, one of the challenges in going to Marfa for that experience is the driving distance and lack of scheduled air service past Midland.  But with proper planning, road-weary drivers can stop at several places along the way to refuel.  And once you get to Marfa (and its companion towns, in this west Texas triangle, of Ft. Davis and Alpine), there are plenty of nice restaurants and inns for your dining pleasure and comfort.  And kudos to those local visionaries, Joe and Lanna Duncan, who have restored the Paisano Hotel in Marfa, to go with their Hotel Limpia (and related B&Bs) in Ft. Davis, for making the area so comfortable once you get there.  Because each town has grocery stores that sell beer and wine, you should also be set for the “sundowner” happy hours that you should enjoy on your patio of the various B&Bs and hotels.        Let’s start with Marfa.  Home to two “white table-cloth” restaurants, Jett’s Grill (in the newly-refurbished Paisano Hotel) and Maiya’s, Marfa is almost a food destination, in addition to being an art destination.  The Chinati Foundation has world-acclaimed sculpture (by Donald Judd and Dan Flavin, among others) and is the home of an annual art institute that has helped to fuel the restaurants and hotels in Marfa.  And with the architecturally-significant Paisano Hotel (home to the cast of the 1950’s classic Texas movie, GIANT) offering reasonable rates, Marfa is a good place to stay in the area.  www.hotelpaisano.com Jett’s Grill is named for Jett Rink, the James Dean role in GIANT, and its casual, Western feel would make Jett feel at home.  Its signature dish is pistachio-crusted chicken fried steak, with jalapeno gravy.  The Paisano Hotel’s lovely courtyard, with its soothing fountain, offers an al fresco choice for diners.   Maiya’s is in a restored, early 1900’s commercial building and its minimalist décor fits nicely with its upscale, but reasonably priced and eclectic, menu. Both restaurants offer vegetarian dishes too. Of course, Tex-Mex also is available in Marfa and Borunda’s and Mando’s are fine choices.  There is also a new pizza shop called the Pizza Foundation which local folks say is good.  Also recommended is the Marfa Book Company, a combination bookstore and wine/coffeee bar. But not all food activities take place in Marfa.  One of the area’s premier restaurants for years has been Reata in Alpine (photo below)   This was Grady Spears’ first restaurant after honing his skills at the restaurant at the Gage Hotel in Marathon (more on that later).  DFW “foodies” will remember his Ft. Worth outpost and may have been to his new Granbury restaurant.  While he is no longer associated with the Reata in Alpine, the “cowboy” cuisine that made Grady famous is still deliciously carried on there.  Also good picks in Alpine are the West Texas Grille in the Holland Hotel (www.hollandhotel.net) and Tapatia, a self-styled “authentic Italian-style expresso bar and trattoria.”  The Holland Hotel is also a reliable hotel, if you choose to stay in Alpine. Our favorite town is Ft. Davis.  Nestled in the Davis Mountains, it is within 20 minutes of both Marfa and Alpine.  Ft. Davis is home to The Hotel Limpia (www.hotellimpia.com) (our usual “home” in the area) and some interesting food spots.  The grilled cheese sandwich, with chocolate shake, at The Drugstore in Ft. Davis is one experience that everyone needs to have, particularly after an exhausting day of hiking in Davis Mtns. State Park or the Ft. Davis National Historic Site.    The Drugstore (below) also has tasty breakfast burritos.  The Hotel Limpia, a breezy, old-time hotel, also has a dining room with home-style cooking.   The lodge was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the mid-1930’s and many of its rooms have magnificent views of the Davis Mtns.  It also has a recently-renovated café called the Black Bear.  One place that shows another phase of cowboy life is the Dry Bean Cowboy Opry House, a dinner theatre featuring cowboy poetry most evenings.   Many travelers will want to see the newest telescope at the McDonald Observatory.  Its new visitors center has a soup/sandwich place known as StarDate, with an outdoor patio overlooking the silvery-skinned observatory.  The panini sandwiches are fresh and made-to-order and the view of the mountains and observatory from the patio are worth the visit.   In Marathon (pronounced Mare’-a-thun), the Gage Hotel has Café Cenizo which was the original home of the “cowboy” cuisine that many folks believe started the trend.   For a another, real taste of local cuisine, stop at the Burnt Biscuit and have a freshly-made fried pie. Wine options in the area are not as abundant as in urban areas of Texas, but the careful wine drinker can still find plenty to choose from.  Blue Mountain Vineyard is just outside Ft. Davis and its local Texas wines can be purchased there and are available in many grocery stores. Baeza’s Grocery, in both Alpine and Ft. Davis, has a good selection of Texas and California wines, as well as some interesting French and Italian offerings.  The Marfa Book Co. sells wine by the glass and Jett’s and Maiya’s have well-chosen wine lists.  But the serious oenophile may want to consider bringing their own wine. On the drive to Marfa, there are several options for sustenance.  One of the best is the Perini Ranch Steakhouse in Buffalo Gap, 10 miles (approx.) southwest of Abilene.  The owner/chef is Tom Perini, who has catered BBQ for Pres. Bush and has cooked at the James Beard House in New York City.  In addition to wonderful steaks and ribs, the side dishes (for example, hominy casserole) are downright awesome.  A bit further south in San Angelo, 2 Tex-Mex places are worth a stop.  Hidalgo’s (the one on S. Bryant) is particularly good for breakfast and Mejor que Nada is festive and reliable (and much, much better than nothing, for you Spanish speakers). A restful alternative for travelers with children is Balmorhea State Park, home to the refreshing Balmorhea Spring swimming hole.  Just 30 minutes north of Ft. Davis, it also offers scuba diving in its natural waters. All in all, a trip to Marfa, Ft. Davis and Alpine can be a very calming trip, especially if you take advantage of the restaurants and hotels that are in the area.  In fact, Tom Perini and Grady Spears both have colorful and user-friendly cookbooks that can serve as a reminder of your trip.  And if you want to go on to Big Bend, you will be well-rested and well-fed.    Questions or comments about this article can be sent to him at schase@airmail.net . Do you have any questions, comments or suggestions? Email: jwdineline@aol.com Copyright © 1998 Inter Active Media Solutions. All Rights Reserved. The interactive components of this site require that you use a current browser version of Explorer; be sure to maximize your window out so you can see the entire page. This page was created by Inter Active Media Solutions.