We got up at 6 am today to make it to Marfa, Texas in time for our meal at Cochineal. I heard of Marfa from someone in my women's group. She said, "If you are going to Big Bend National Park you really should stop off and experience Marfa." Then I learned that my daughter-in-law had been here and she sent me her recommendations. I have been very excited for this stop on our trip.
Last night we did some more reading about Marfa. The town was established in 1880 as a water stop for the railroad. It is named for a character in a Jules Verne novel. The population of Marfa is around 1700 and the elevation is almost a mile high. We read that we should drink lots of water, wear sunscreen and a hat and put lotion on often. Thanks to the artist Donald Judd, Marfa is now a center for minimalist art. In 2012, Vanity Fair described Marfa as a "playground for art-world pioneers and pilgrims."
We hit the road and headed for West Texas. The scenery became more and more bleak the closer we got to Marfa. There wasn't much to see on the way. We finally got off the 10 freeway and headed southwest towards Marfa. We went through the little town of Alpine. What a funny name for a town in the desert of West Texas. It seems to be a town with a chip on its shoulder. It wants everyone to know that they had an art walk before Marfa did.
We had planned to stay at the Hotel Paisano, an old historic hotel in the center of Marfa. It had its groundbreaking just a few days before the stock market crashed in 1929. In 1955, Warner Brothers, made the hotel their headquarters for the filming of the movie Giant with Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean and Rock Hudson. When we learned that there wasn't an elevator in this beautiful old building, we canceled our reservation and switched to a little hole-in-the-wall motel on the eastern edge of town. One of the amenities it listed was "free parking directly in front of your motel door." We arrived to find a clean and adequate room.
We headed to dinner but we took a quick drive through the little town to get our bearings. We found the water tower that plays a prominent role in the decor of our motel room.
We drove past the Presidio County Courthouse. Marfa is the county seat. If it is open tomorrow and we have time we may try to climb to the top to get a perspective of the town.
We headed to Cochineal for dinner. Bon Appetit did a nice piece on this restaurant. The executive chef and owner is Alexandra Gates and is a James Beard semi-finalist. The meal is sourced from their own garden and local and regional farms and ranches.
We had asked to do their prix fixe dinner. We started with a pumpkin gazpacho. Then our meals divided. Gayle is not a fan of meat so I told them she is a pescatarian. My second entree was antelope tartare with creme fraiche, horseradish, caviar and borage flowers. I admit I was worried that I wouldn't like raw antelope but the dish was delicious. On Gayle's plate the antelope was replaced with grilled potatoes.
Next up for me was a savory crepe with rabbit and greens and a dijon sauce. So good. Gayle had the same thing minus the rabbit. Then I had quail with a mousse foie gras and a prickly pear sauce. My last main dish was bison with pear. I loved it. Gayle had trout. We ended with an apple clafoutis. Delicious.
After our 2 1/2 hour dinner we headed to the Marfa Lights Viewing Center, 9 miles outside of town. Marfa lights or ghost lights are lights on the horizon towards the southwest that move and jump around in an abnormal way. No one has fully explained what they are. The viewing center is right along the highway behind a brightly lit restroom. There were quite a few people standing there in the dark, speaking to each other in hushed tones. Gayle and I weren't sure where to look for the Marfa lights and frankly, we were mesmerized by the night sky. I saw more stars than I have ever seen. There were so many stars that we couldn't find Orion's belt or the Big Dipper, which are usually so much brighter than everything else. The Milky Way was beautiful and boldly obvious. Just as we were giving up on the Marfa Lights a couple pointed out the lights on the horizon that pulsated, disappeared and then reappeared in a different location. Gayle got the giggles about the whole set up. A viewing area right next to the highway where people stop to look for pulsating lights seemed silly to her. So I banished her to the car before she upset us true believers.
We came back to the room to settle down for the night. I researched how to view the Taurid meteor shower, the hours for the county courthouse, how far away is the Prada Marfa art installation, etc. Tomorrow is our only full day here and we have tickets to Chianti Foundation in the morning and Ballroom Marfa in the late afternoon. I am also excited by what else I can see and do while I am here.
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