Food Shark – Marfa, TX

Posted by chappy | Jan 14, 2009 · Filed under Abroad, Reviews

worth the wait!

We stopped by Food Shark at lunch time on new years eve and this funky renovated food truck was hoppin with tourists and townsfolk alike..

My companion and I both ordered from the daily specials menu.. I got the ancho beef chili with salad and a blue sky orange creme soda.. she got the roasted chicken sandwhich with brie and basil pesto on a ciabatta bun with salad and blue sky ginger ale…

We had to wait about 20-30 minutes for the food.. which actually seemed rather quick considering the amount of people (~40) there and the fact that there was 1 dude at the register and 1 lady preparing the food..

Ancho Beef Chili

The Food: delicious!
The chili was so spot-on.. i would expect it to win a chili cookoff .. it was hearty, savory.. a little spicy.. just perfect.

Keep in mind, we are talking about chili-country.. legend has it, the first recorded recipe for chili con carne surfaced about an hour south of Marfa in the early 1600’s..

1618 – According to an old Southwestern American Indian legend and tale (several modern writer have documented – or maybe just “passed along”) it is said that the first recipe for chili con carne was put on paper in the 17th century by a beautiful nun, Sister Mary of Agreda of Spain. She was mysteriously known to the Indians of the Southwest United States as “La Dama de Azul,” the lady in blue. Sister Mary would go into trances with her body lifeless for days. When she awoke from these trances, she said her spirit had been to a faraway land where she preached Christianity to savages and counseled them to seek out Spanish missionaries.
It is certain that Sister Mary never physically left Spain, yet Spanish missionaries and King Philip IV of Spain believed that she was the ghostly “La Dama de Azul” or “lady in blue” of Indian Legend. It is said that sister Mary wrote down the recipe for chili which called for venison or antelope meat, onions, tomatoes, and chile peppers. No accounts of this were ever recorded, so who knows?[source]

Terlingua Chili Cookoff

Every November, the best of the best descend upon the big ben area for the Terlingua International Chili Cookoff - the first and biggest chili contest in the world.

Suffice to say, in these parts, you must come correct with your chili or risk being shamed out of town..

The chicken sandwhich was also amazing. The flavors of the brie, pesto, and perfectly roasted chicken came together perfectly on a ciabatta bun and created a fireworks in your mouth..

This is gourmet food out of a truck folks! its a must try place if you’re ever in Marfa..