Marfa, Tx
Off the Eaten Path
By Jay Carroll
Photographed by Leonard Grecco
Left to right, clockwise: the Food Shark's brisket tacos; cheeseburger at Padre's; Marfa Burrito; Late Night Grilled Cheese Parlour bus and their grilled cheese; Marfa Burrito.
Ginger Griffice, a Marfa-based soap-maker and woman-about-town, described the remote West Texas outpost as "the extreme rural center-of-the-universe equivalent to New York." Over a week in early April, I found that sentiment to be apt, as a friend and I explored and ate our way through the cultural and culinary haunts of Marfa. What is essential about experiencing the eateries there is that they function as the main civil crossroads to the artists and cowboys, eccentrics and border patrol-man, Mexican families and Juddian pilgrims who live there -- or are just stopping through. And it's that diverse and ever-changing mix of people which makes Marfa Marfa.
You can't fly to Marfa and it's not a short drive from anywhere. Its expansive landscape famously lured in minimalist artist Donald Judd from New York in 1973. And today both the Judd and Chinati foundations preserve and promote his work and philosophies in addition to attracting a new breed of creative spirits for its artist-in-residence programs.
Our first stop was Marfa Burrito,hich doubles as the home kitchen of the owner Ramona. She doesn't speak any English but will chat you up as she makes an authentic Mexican chile relleno burrito on a large homemade tortilla. If her grandson or one of the border patrolmen is there they might translate for you. If not, just smile, nod and say gracias when she sweetly calls you mijo.
Padre's is a local watering hole with bar and stage up front; shuffleboard and country music juke out back. Anytime between noon until 10 p.m. you can get an incredible half-pound bacon cheeseburger. Pair that with a Shiner Bock for a Texas-style beer and burger that's near perfection. Play $2 worth of Gram Parsons on the juke for actual perfection.
Left to right, clockwise: Cochineal's outdoor courtyard, the Pizza Foundation; a peek at Cochineal's food.
Easily the most interesting food experience in Marfa is Food Shark, helmed by husband and wife duo Adam Bork and Krista Steinhauer. The duo drives their big silver food truck to the center of town almost every day at noon to serve a mix of Mediterranean and Mexican food. Locals and tourists order and gather on the Judd-designed picnic tables. The day we were there the special was braised brisket tacos but the "marfalafel" is the staple. While waiting I ran into local cowboy Ty Mitchell -- also owner of the Lost Horse Saloon. I asked him if he ate there often. "I'll come up and ask Adam if he's got anything today that a cowboy would eat. Sometimes he says yes... sometimes he says no."
Bork and Steinhauer also run the Museum of Electronic Wonders and Late Night Grilled Cheese Parlour. This grilled cheese-only restaurant is open weekend nights, and its parking lot is home to Bork and Steinhauer's collection of vintage cars. Inside, an 8-track provides the soundtrack and vintage TV sets line the walls transmitting a close-up image of Bork's mustachioed mug in various stages of intense expressions.
Arguably the best dinner in Marfa is to be had at Cochineal, a restaurant set back in a gravel courtyard surrounded by light-strung trees. Owners Tom Rapp and Toshi Sakihara opened Cochineal several years ago after selling their popular Upper East Side restaurant Etats-Unis and hightailing to Marfa. Bartender and ex-Gourmet magazine drinks editor Jimmy Rodewald can help you navigate the extensive wine list.
The week we were there, pioneering Italian restaurant Maiya's was celebrating its ten-year anniversary. Musician David Garza, who was seated next to us at the bar, said it best as we ordered French-inspired cocktails from the bartender named Tootie: "When else can you call a woman Tootie and get away with it?"
Jay Carroll is a San Francisco-based brand concept designer for Levi's.
Ginger Griffice, a Marfa-based soap-maker and woman-about-town, described the remote West Texas outpost as "the extreme rural center-of-the-universe equivalent to New York." Over a week in early April, I found that sentiment to be apt, as a friend and I explored and ate our way through the cultural and culinary haunts of Marfa. What is essential about experiencing the eateries there is that they function as the main civil crossroads to the artists and cowboys, eccentrics and border patrol-man, Mexican families and Juddian pilgrims who live there -- or are just stopping through. And it's that diverse and ever-changing mix of people which makes Marfa Marfa.
You can't fly to Marfa and it's not a short drive from anywhere. Its expansive landscape famously lured in minimalist artist Donald Judd from New York in 1973. And today both the Judd and Chinati foundations preserve and promote his work and philosophies in addition to attracting a new breed of creative spirits for its artist-in-residence programs.
Our first stop was Marfa Burrito,hich doubles as the home kitchen of the owner Ramona. She doesn't speak any English but will chat you up as she makes an authentic Mexican chile relleno burrito on a large homemade tortilla. If her grandson or one of the border patrolmen is there they might translate for you. If not, just smile, nod and say gracias when she sweetly calls you mijo.
Padre's is a local watering hole with bar and stage up front; shuffleboard and country music juke out back. Anytime between noon until 10 p.m. you can get an incredible half-pound bacon cheeseburger. Pair that with a Shiner Bock for a Texas-style beer and burger that's near perfection. Play $2 worth of Gram Parsons on the juke for actual perfection.
Left to right, clockwise: Cochineal's outdoor courtyard, the Pizza Foundation; a peek at Cochineal's food.
Easily the most interesting food experience in Marfa is Food Shark, helmed by husband and wife duo Adam Bork and Krista Steinhauer. The duo drives their big silver food truck to the center of town almost every day at noon to serve a mix of Mediterranean and Mexican food. Locals and tourists order and gather on the Judd-designed picnic tables. The day we were there the special was braised brisket tacos but the "marfalafel" is the staple. While waiting I ran into local cowboy Ty Mitchell -- also owner of the Lost Horse Saloon. I asked him if he ate there often. "I'll come up and ask Adam if he's got anything today that a cowboy would eat. Sometimes he says yes... sometimes he says no."
Bork and Steinhauer also run the Museum of Electronic Wonders and Late Night Grilled Cheese Parlour. This grilled cheese-only restaurant is open weekend nights, and its parking lot is home to Bork and Steinhauer's collection of vintage cars. Inside, an 8-track provides the soundtrack and vintage TV sets line the walls transmitting a close-up image of Bork's mustachioed mug in various stages of intense expressions.
Arguably the best dinner in Marfa is to be had at Cochineal, a restaurant set back in a gravel courtyard surrounded by light-strung trees. Owners Tom Rapp and Toshi Sakihara opened Cochineal several years ago after selling their popular Upper East Side restaurant Etats-Unis and hightailing to Marfa. Bartender and ex-Gourmet magazine drinks editor Jimmy Rodewald can help you navigate the extensive wine list.
The week we were there, pioneering Italian restaurant Maiya's was celebrating its ten-year anniversary. Musician David Garza, who was seated next to us at the bar, said it best as we ordered French-inspired cocktails from the bartender named Tootie: "When else can you call a woman Tootie and get away with it?"
Jay Carroll is a San Francisco-based brand concept designer for Levi's.
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