Pat’s Pick
Pat's Pick
Pat's Pick
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'S WONDERFUL, 'S MARFALOUS Until this year, folks who found themselves in Marfa at mealtime had a choice of tacos or tacos (oh, wait—you could also get a burger). This summer, the options increased exponentially, which is to say that there is now a fine-dining option in this Big Bend-area town of 2,525. Maiya's is a stunner, with an urbane look that has utterly transformed the downstairs of the 1931 Brite Building. Sage-green accents subtly brighten the walls, and sconces and sleek ceiling fixtures reflect the building's art deco heritage. The young husband-and-wife team of Maiya Keck and Joey Benton, eight-year residents of Marfa, opened the place in April as the fulfillment of a dream. Keck, who is the chef, brings her love of Mediterranean-influenced cooking to simple, rustic dishes like Italian sausage roasted with onions and grapes. Her baked chicken in a savory Italian agro-dolce sauce plays off the sweet and sour flavors of raisins and balsamic vinegar. Crème brûlée brings a French element to the mix. Despite their well-documented suspicion of anything newfangled, Marfans have embraced the restaurant wholeheartedly. And as for travelers who happen upon it, they're as tickled as they are astonished.
PATRICIA SHARPE
Bookshelf
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Garden of Eatin' Dreamed of traveling the globe? Martha Rose Shulman has a deal for you. The former Texan will take you around the world in 288 pages, and you don't even have to pack a bag. But you do have to pick up a copy of your tour guide's latest release, The Foodlover's Atlas of the World (Firefly Books, $35). Part history lesson, part cookbook, the richly illustrated book ranges from the southern Spanish province of Andalusia (where gazpacho was invented) to Zimbabwe (where sun-dried caterpillars and beer are a tasty seasonal snack). Shulman, the author of a previous series of cookbooks, including Mexican Light and Mediterranean Light, covers the map in this gastronomic adventure, illuminating the origin of culinary traditions and making you hungry. Once she has tempted you with appetizer discourses on geographic and ethnic influences on national palates, she offers a smorgasbord of regional recipes. You'll start with dishes such as scallion pancakes from Korea and chicken-and-pork Saigon soup from Vietnam, then move on to broiled swordfish with dill sauce from Turkey and spicy jerk chicken from the Caribbean. On tap for dessert is pavlova, a fruit-filled meringue from Down Under.
STACY HOLLISTER
Lamb-and-Prune Tagine
This sweetly spiced tagine is typical of the Moroccan love of sweet and savory flavors in the same dish.
Shipping News
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ELITE MEAT Texas caterer Tom Perini was thrilled enough when he was asked to throw a barbecue for Russian president Vladimir Putin in Crawford last year. He never dreamed that ten months later he would be touring Moscow and St. Petersburg, teaching Russian chefs how to cook beef. "For President Putin's visit, we fixed tenderloin, catfish, and pecan pie," says Perini, who owns the Perini Ranch Steakhouse in Buffalo Gap. "Afterward, he came out with a translator and told us it was the best beef he had ever had." One thing led to another, and in September the Texas Beef Council sent Perini to Russia to give seminars to 150 chefs. Both the Russians and the Texan experienced a bit of culture shock. "They're not used to well-marbled beef like we have," says Perini, "and they cook meat well-done." When he grilled a ribeye medium-rare, they were incredulous, he says, "But I told them, 'Just try it.'" The Russians were won over. For his part, Perini enjoyed the restaurants he visited. "They have duck and pâtés down to a science," he says, "and the caviar—I thought I had died and gone to heaven." But he can't help being a chauvinist: "I think some Texas beef would really round out their menu." To order a Perini Ranch Steakhouse smoked tenderloin, go to periniranch.com or call 800-367-1721.
PATRICIA SHARPE
My Library
