Alpine, TX: Gateway to Big Bend Country

The Maverick Inn is probably the nicest hotel in Alpine. Despite the town's proximity to Big Bend National Park and the Davis Mountains, and the presence of Sul Ross State University, Alpine really is lacking for clean and comfortable high quality overnight accommodations. There are quite a few places to stay in town, but many are older, and not well maintained.

Fortunately, The Maverick Inn is one of the exceptions. Housed in a historic adobe motor court directly across Holland Avenue (US 90) from the Sul Ross State University campus, The Maverick Inn does not look like much from the street as you drive by. But as you pull into the driveway, you discover a charming, lovingly restored historic roadside motel consisting of half a dozen adobe buildings surrounding landscaped courtyards and the parking lot.

Rooms at The Maverick Inn are very well appointed, and contain some luxuries that are not normally expected in a small rural town, especially one as remote as Alpine. The hotel's owners gave a lot of attention to the room's furnishings, which feature some locally crafted furniture. Everything is decorated in a contemporary western theme, but done in a way that's not the least bit cliché. Rooms feature Saltillo tile floors, glassware imported from Mexico, armoires equipped with televisions, coffee makers, and mini-refrigerators and microwaves, ceiling fans, cable television (some rooms have small LCD flat panel TVs), and very comfortable bedding. In fact, the bed is one of the best attributes about staying at The Maverick Inn. The beds start with extremely comfortable pillow-top mattress sets. The mattress is then topped with high quality soft Egyptian cotton sheets, a cotton blanket, a very nice comforter (helpful for those cool mountain nights Alpine experiences almost year-round), and four wonderfully plush pillows. This is the type of bed you'd expect to find in a five star hotel in a major city; and truth be told, I've experienced nights in some truly horrible beds in such places. The Maverick Inn is worth the premium it charges above the other hotels in Alpine based on the bed alone in my opinion. It's that good.

One of the other things I love about The Maverick Inn is its charm. No two rooms are alike, and when you make a reservation, you do not just reserve a type of room; you reserve an actual room number. Rooms vary quite a bit in size and layout, with the rooms labeled on the hotel's website as "Deluxe" generally being larger. But no matter the room, you'll still have similar furnishings.

Other amenities at The Maverick Inn include a complimentary continental breakfast each morning served in the hotel's office/lobby area, complimentary wi-fi Internet (this works much better in certain rooms that have line of sight to the hotel office), and a lovely patio and pool area.

There are a few things to be aware of when considering a stay here, though. The hotel, like nearly every other place in Alpine, is very close to the railroad tracks. Alpine sits along an extremely busy Union Pacific railroad line, and trains seem to pass by several times an hour, all day and all night. I've never had any problem sleeping while staying at the Maverick, and have found that the hotel's thick adobe exterior walls help to block a lot of the train noise. However, if you do find the train disturbing, the front desk usually has complimentary ear plugs available. Also, bathrooms at the Maverick tend to be very small, and there are not bathtubs; instead, there are only walk-in showers. Depending on the room, there is some variance in the shower size, and if you need a wider shower, you might want to inquire when making a reservation as to which rooms have the larger baths. Also, many of the rooms have no countertop space in the bathroom, so storing toiletries during your stay may require keeping them on the desk in the bedroom. Finally, there are no phones in the rooms, and due to Alpine's remote location and the adobe construction of the hotel, your mobile phone may have very limited reception inside your room. To me these are relatively minor inconveniences, and if I need to talk on the phone, I've found my phone works very well on the patio by the hotel's pool (as does my computer's wi-fi antenna), which is a wonderful place to enjoy a cool mountain evening as the sun sets. But some guests may find the bathrooms and lack of phones more of an issue.

Even with some minor areas for improvement, The Maverick Inn is my only choice for lodging when traveling to Alpine for work. The rooms are always exceptionally clean, the beds are fabulous, the staff is friendly, and it's a nice break from the national chain hotels I usually stay in each week while on business trips. You can learn more about the hotel at their website, themaverickinn.com.

Reata, named for the ranch in the 1956 epic movie Giant (which was filmed in the area), opened in 1995. The restaurant is arguably the nicest in town, and is the closest you'll find to true fine dining in Alpine. The front part of the restaurant is located in an old house right in the middle of downtown Alpine, and the dining rooms fill several of the rooms of the house. This gives the restaurant's exterior the appearance of being an old West Texas ranch house, which fits right in with the cowboy theme of the interior décor and the menu.

Reata advertises its food as "legendary Texas cuisine," and the moniker fits. The staff will tell you they serve modern cowboy cuisine, which basically amounts to a menu of steak, chicken, pork, and Mexican entrées, with a noticeably Southwestern influence. Everything I've ever had at Reata was excellent. Some of my personal favorites are the pan-seared pepper crusted tenderloin with port wine sauce, chicken fried steak, barbecue shrimp enchiladas, and chile rellenos. All are served with at least one side vegetable, and a basket of assorted biscuits and corn muffins. For appetizers, both the tortilla soup and jalapeño and cilantro soup are both excellent choices. Consider yourself warned, though, the portions here are quite large. However, if you are able to save room for dessert (and I suggest that you do!), the chocolate bread pudding tamale is a divine indulgence. It's a white chocolate bread pudding, filled with nuts and chocolate chips, rolled and baked inside a tamale wrapper. It's then topped with a chocolate bourbon sauce and served hot with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream. Although it's appropriately sized for two or three people, it's so good, I've been known to eat it all by myself. As far as I'm concerned, it's difficult to find a dessert better than this one anywhere.

Reata is open for lunch and dinner. The lunch menu features some of the dinner entrées in lunch portions, as well as a selection of lunch salads and sandwiches. One of the best lunch options is the saddle pack combo, which lets you choose two items from a list of salads, soups, and sandwiches, allowing you to sample more than one item off the menu. Prices at Reata are expensive for the area; dinner entrées average $15-25, but prices at lunch are cheaper. The restaurant also has one of the few full bars you'll find in Alpine. However, because of the local regulations on the sale of alcoholic beverages, you will have to buy a membership to drink, as the Reata's bar is technically a private club. This is different from other restaurants in town that only serve beer, which are exempt from the private club regulation.

If you're looking for a nice dinner, with great food, a wonderful atmosphere, and very good service, it's hard to go wrong with Reata. And, if you'd like to browse their menu before visiting, it is available online on the restaurant's website. The owners also operates a second Reata with an almost identical menu in Fort Worth.

These days when you hear "fusion" used to describe a restaurant, it's often a place that's run by someone who's decided that two totally different cuisines (say, Cuban and Japanese), should be served out of the same kitchen in the same restaurant, with sometimes less than stellar results. That's kind of the idea here at Texas Fusion too, except that the results are quite good. The restaurant combines several of the cuisines Texas is well known for – notably, Tex Mex and barbecue – and does an admirable job with all of them.

Atmosphere wise, Texas Fusion leaves a lot to desire. The décor is functional, and that's about it. Don't expect much in terms of ambiance, or else you'll very disappointed. But as with other restaurants in town, the emphasis is on the food.

The menu features a good selection of Tex Mex favorites (enchiladas, burritos, tacos, chile rellenos, and the like), barbecue, hamburgers, and chicken fried steak. Everything I've ever had was good; the barbecue sandwiches are top notch, the burgers are probably the best in town, and the Tex Mex dishes are all well done. My favorites are the cheeseburger with bacon, the pulled pork sandwich, the chile rellenos, and the chicken enchiladas. If you're very hungry, they have a Mexican combination plate with enchiladas, tacos, tostadas, and a chile relleno, served with Spanish rice and refried beans, that's HUGE. There's almost always a daily special that's not on the regular menu, which is usually Mexican. Often this is a type of enchilada that's not regularly served, or it may be a regular menu item offered at a special reduced price for the day. And even if you're not ordering off the Tex Mex menu, complimentary chips and salsa are brought to the table before you order.

At lunchtime, my advice to is to go early and arrive before 12:00 noon for easy seating. Texas Fusion is one of the most popular lunch places in Alpine, and it fills up quickly. Evenings are slower, with the larger of the two dining areas frequently closed off in the evening unless it's needed. Prices are very reasonable here, especially for the quantity and quality of the food. And unlike some of the other local restaurants, Texas Fusion does accept credit and debit cards.

Ask anyone in Alpine where to go eat good Tex Mex, and it's a sure bet that they'll recommend La Casita. Located on a residential street off any of the main highways that run through town (you will probably need directions to find it the first time), La Casita is almost exactly what its name translates into English as. Quite literally it is "the little house." The restaurant is in an old house, which has been expanded several times, and dining here feels somewhat like dining in someone's home. The dining room is small, and during lunch, crowded. There's no formality of a hostess seating you; you simply walk in, find an open table, and sit down. And if there's not an open table, just hang around and wait until one opens up. Or, you might even get lucky and be offered a seat at one of the tables occupied by a friendly local resident. La Casita is one of a number of places in town that exude a laid back West Texas vibe, from the informality of seating yourself at an open table, to the friendly locals you'll find in the dining room, to the formica topped tables and mismatched chairs. Chances are your dining room at home is more formal than La Casita's, but hey, nobody eats here for the atmosphere. They come for the food.

And what good food it is. La Casita is traditional Tex Mex, cooked with a noticeably northern Mexico influence. The menu is full of all the favorites you'd expect – enchiladas, tacos, burritos, and more – typically served with a side of homemade Spanish rice and refried beans. It's hard to go wrong, as everything I've had off La Casita's menu has been very good. If you're really hungry, the Mexican plate is top notch, but so enormous it takes two plates to serve it all. It's a rather simple combination of three cheese enchiladas, two crispy shredded beef tacos, rice, beans, and a garnish of lettuce and tomato. It's really enough food to split between two diners. Other great choices include the green chicken enchiladas (green not because the meat is bad, but because they are topped with a delicious verde tomatillo sauce), beef enchiladas, beef burritos, tostadas, guadalajaras (flat tacos topped with the restaurant's incredible guacamole), and fajitas. There are also several off-menu items and specials sometimes available; be sure to ask your waitress about these. And, for menudo lovers (personally I'm not a fan), the soup is served every Sunday as a lunch special.

As is traditional with Mexican restaurants in Texas, and now much of the rest of the country, diners are served complimentary baskets of tortilla chips and homemade salsa while they wait for their food. The salsa, like just about everything else at La Casita, is homemade, and quite delicious. Diners from other parts of the country who are used to a more mild form of Mexican food should be warned though; La Casita's salsa is a little on the spicy side. As a native Texan who grew up eating this food, I think it's divine, but I know coworkers from other parts of the country who've eaten here have commented to me that the food was a little too spicy for their tastebuds. Also, expect to be pleasantly surprised if you've mostly eaten Mexican food in national chain restaurants. The food here is very fresh and made from scratch, and as such, has a much more traditional flavor to it than the mass-produced commercialized Mexican food you'll find in most chains.

You'll also find a decent selection of bottled cervezas (beers), with a great selection of Mexican imports. An ice-cold Mexican cerveza is the perfect compliment to the spicy food here.

One warning about dining at La Casita – they do not accept credit cards. That's right, it's either cash or a local check to pay for your meal. The good news is that there are several easy to find ATMs in the middle of town next to the two or three local banks. And, prices at La Casita are so reasonable (expect to pay less than $10 for most entrées) that you want need a large wad of cash to eat here. But as the handwritten sign on the door says, they don't accept plastic. There's also a possibility you'll encounter an employee or two who does not speak much English, but that's all part of the charm of dining here.

There are some great choices for dining in the area, ranging from truly fine dining to quaint, homey places that serve great, basic food. La Casita is one of them, and if you're in the mood for Mexican food while visiting the Big Bend and Davis Mountains region, it's one of the best places to get it.

La Trattoria is a welcome surprise in Alpine. Unlike most restaurants in town, La Trattoria does not serve Mexican food, or steaks, or burgers. Instead, it's a combination espresso bar and Italian café, offering a variety of Italian favorites.

La Trattoria moved recently from their original location to a much larger space several blocks east on Holland Avenue. The old space had very little indoor seating, but the new location, just down the hill from the Sul Ross State University campus, offers ample dining room space. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and has a drive-thru window available for espresso and coffee drinks, and Italian sodas.

The food at La Trattoria is very good. The lunch menu includes a variety of panini, sandwiches, and amazing salads. While not a traditional Italian dish, the pinechick salad (chicken salad with pineapple) is outstanding, and is available as a sandwich on homemade focaccia or on top of fresh salad greens. Other great lunch choices include a variety of pastas that allow you to pick your favorite pasta and sauce and pair the two up. Pastas and salads are served with delicious homemade bread, while sandwiches and panini are served with chips. On Fridays a lunch buffet is available that includes pastas, salad, bread, and a dessert.

The dinner menu expands to include more pasta choices, as well as several entrées. I highly recommend the mushroom encrusted stuffed chicken, a chicken breast stuffed with mushrooms and parmigiano. It's a delicious entrée, and is served with a salad, vegetables, pasta, and homemade bread. Several nightly specials are also available on a rotating basis, and pizza is available several nights a week.

I have not had breakfast at La Trattoria, but have heard it is good. I have stopped by in the mornings for a quick coffee drink to go. This is the only place in Alpine you'll find an espresso bar, and they do a very good job with their espresso and coffee beverages. There are also a variety of flavors of Italian sodas available if you'd like a cold drink to go. And finally, what would an Italian café be without dessert? A variety of desserts, including cheesecake and tiramisu, is available at lunch and dinner.

You can view the menu at La Trattoria, and get updates on the restaurant's current operating hours (they tend to vary seasonally) on the La Trattoria Café website.

Alpine, Texas has the distinction of being the biggest town in the biggest county in the second biggest state (and before Alaska was granted statehood, the biggest state). It's located in far West Texas, in an area that's rather remote, and very easily overlooked simply because it's so far from and of the state's major cities. Yet this overlooked corner of Texas offers some of the state's best natural beauty, tallest mountains, and the state's largest national park, Big Bend.

Alpine is the county seat of Brewster County, one of the largest counties in the nation. In fact, Brewster County is so big that its area of just under 6,000 square miles is larger than that of three individual states – Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Delaware – and it's bigger than the combined area of Rhode Island and Delaware. Yet with all that land, Brewster County has fewer than 9,000 residents, and over half of those live in the county's lone incorporated city, Alpine.

Getting to Alpine

The closest commercial airports to the area are in Midland, Del Rio, and El Paso. Of these, El Paso is the largest, with the most air service, but is also farthest away. Midland's airport offers service from Southwest, American Eagle, and Continental Express, and is just over a two hour drive away. Del Rio's airport has a very limited number of flights on Continental Connection to Houston, where connections are available through Continental's hub. Del Rio and El Paso's airports are both about a four hour drive from Alpine.

You can also get to Alpine by train. Amtrak's Sunset Limited stops in the city six times a week (three times in each direction) on its runs between New Orleans and Los Angeles. The Amtrak station is located in the center of Alpine, within an easy walking distance of several hotels and restaurants. However, car rentals are not readily available in Alpine, which greatly reduces the usefulness of arriving in the area by train.

Climate

Alpine is one of the highest towns in Texas in elevation. At 4,475 feet, and surrounded by mountains, Alpine enjoys some of the mildest summers in the state. High temperatures in Alpine in July and August are often in the upper 80s and lower 90s at a time when much of West Texas is experiencing daytime highs above 100°F. And, as soon as the sun sets in the evenings, the temperature tends to drop very quickly to the upper 60s or lower. These mild (for Texas summer) temperatures, combined with the area's low humidity, and cool evenings, make the area a very pleasant destination in the summer. Winter temperatures are also fairly moderate, with occasional snowfall.

Things to Do

Alpine is a good, central location to stay when visiting the region. To the south is Big Bend National Park, and to the north you'll find the scenic Davis Mountains. To the west is Marfa, a town with a thriving arts community and its famous mystery lights. And to the east is the town of Marathon, also considered a gateway to Big Bend.

The biggest attraction of this region is its natural beauty. The Davis Mountains are the second highest range of mountains in Texas. The mountains tend to generate their own weather patterns, and as a result, the region receives far more rain than most of the rest of West Texas, leaving the mountain areas much greener than the surrounding desert. There's a lot of wildlife in the area, several of the best state parks in Texas (Davis Mountains and Balmorhea are both particularly good, and there's also the more rustic and undeveloped Big Bend Ranch), historic sites like the Fort Davis National Historic Site, and for astronomy buffs, the McDonald Observatory and its evening star viewing parties. If you enjoy camping, campsites are available at all of the state parks, Big Bend, and several other wilderness management areas.

You'll also find some interesting shopping in Alpine, Marfa, and Fort Davis. All of these towns are relatively untouched by big chain stores like Wal-Mart, and have thriving local businesses. Alpine and Marfa both have art galleries featuring the work of local artists. There are also a variety of stores selling Mexican imports such as furniture and housewares at very reasonable prices.

Alpine is also a town that loves a good festival. Throughout the year there are festivals and outdoor events to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, the local arts community, and the rodeo. There's also a summer outdoor theatre series presented by the theatre department at Sul Ross State University.

Finally, for foodies, there's a surprising abundance of great restaurants in the area. Alpine, Marfa, and Marathon offer some true fine dining experiences, but you'll also find a variety of excellent choices that are completely unpretentious serving some of the best Tex Mex, barbecue, and steaks you'll find anywhere at very affordable prices in spartan dining rooms.