thrillist

When it comes to restaurant origins, most are pretty straightforward -- Czech guy opens sweet beer hall, socialite opens annoying lounge -- but who'd ever expect an NYC architect would approach a Chinese transvestite club to replace their Polynesian dive bar with a West Texas restaurant? Nobody, but it happened: Marfa.

Marfa's the brainchild of an E.Vil townie who convinced the Lucky Cheng's crew to replace Waikikki Wally's with a scuffed-wall, cellar-esque barstraunt named for a West Texas artist colony -- and they accepted, because Cheng's knows once you've turned a man into a woman, turning Mai Tais into Lone Stars ain't no thing. Texas grub includes fried catfish w/ cole slaw and beans, dry rub BBQ, mac & cheese, and their own Marfa Chili, so meaty, other chilis will jealously whine "Marfa Marfa Marfa". As for tippling, there're specialty cocktails (the tequila/triple sec/lime/grenadine/Thai chili Marfarita), suds + shots specials ($6 PBR & whiskey, etc), and Texas-native hooch: Tito's vodka now, with whiskey to come from Balcones Distillery, itself slated to open in the Southern Baptist hotbed of Waco (God willing...or not).

Soon, Marfa'll begin hosting live bands in their basement, which is connected to Lucky Cheng's -- producing dizzying social possibilities that could leave the origin of your next opening a bit murky.

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