San Angelo’s Inn at the Art Center is a one-of-a-kind bed and breakfast that all locals should use as a staycation this spring and summer.
Located within The Chicken Farm Art Center, the aptly named Inn at The Art Center is where you can get away and escape the usual hustle-and-bustle of town without going far at all — and yet you will feel like you’ve been transported someplace very different.
My wife and I enjoyed this exact staycation back in June of ’23, coming in on a Friday night, and staying through Saturday early afternoon.
We capitalized on both the Friday night live music concert series, as well as the First Saturday art-and-craft market. Pairing these amazing events with spectacular food at the adjacent (circa 1999) Roots at The Silo House Restaurant is a must. Chef Ishma Parker and Angela Pitre create exquisite culinary delights you need to try as soon as you can.
The Inn has several room styles and themes to pick from. We selected the Santa Fe room, which truly has an authentic New Mexico vibe going.
Having stayed in Santa Fe with my wife before, we could truly judge this room for what it was shooting for. The color, the artwork, the decor, and the design, all showcased a genuine Santa Fe feel.
See this video clip of our room.
The AC was quiet and kept the room cool but let us sleep soundly. The TV has streaming with all the major apps included.
You do not have a in-room fridge or microwave, but you have something better. Just two doors down from us is the “nook” a large, shared kitchen space with all the necessities. They even have some staple food items available at no charge like cold drinks, coffee grounds and a coffee maker, frozen breakfast foods, oatmeal, dry cereal cups, and yogurt available on a first-come, first-served basis in the pantry, fridge, and freezer.
Juston Oakes, Inn co-owner and operations director was a super-cool host. He assured us we had all the directions and information we needed to get settled-in and have a good stay. Super kind guy with top-notch hospitality.
The live music concert on Friday is open to all local musicians. A regular group showed up and played for a good while, so we chose to pull out some drinks we brought (BYOB is permitted) and watched them play away while sitting calmly on a bench swing. This concert has the potential to grow to higher levels that can showcase all the local musical talent we have in this town, and I hope it does.
The First Saturday Art and Craft Market is an artist’s dream space/event. Every type of art is here. Ceramics, ironworkers, painters, sculptors, stained glass, and more.
Multiple fixed studios exist to give a dedicated workspace for the serious artist to practice their craft and then showcase it onsite come the first Saturday of each month.
The scope of the artwork shown here is truly impressive. I am admittedly not a very artsy person, but I can’t help but be impressed by the fact that people are capable of making such beauty from their minds and hands alone.
Music and art are what you’re going to get in spades while you stay here at the Inn, I assure you. But you’re in for some culinary artwork and decadence as well.
Grab dinner and Saturday brunch at Roots at The Silo House Restaurant to experience this key aspect of your stay.
My wife and I started our stay off with dinner shortly after checking into our room. Dinner is served from 5-9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Kevin, our server, took great care of us during our meal. The menu changes almost weekly, so what we got may not be available by the time you read this, but the nice thing about frequent menu changes is that no two visits are ever the same
I ordered the 14-oz New York strip cooked “medium.” This was a really good steak for sure, but not the best I have had in town.
My wife got the pork chop. We both felt the pork chop was rather small. We both pictured something thicker, meatier, larger. Tasty, tender and flavorful — yes, just lacking in true size.
We also shared several appetizers, including the seasonal berry salad, cooked cabbage in tasso, tuna tartare with tostones, bacon mac-and-cheese, and jalapeno blue-cornbread served in a cast-iron skillet.
All of these items were great picks, but the jalapeno blue-cornbread was out-of-this-world good! The best my wife and I had ever had.
This could easily be dessert if topped with vanilla bean ice cream… (hint, hint Chefs.)
They also have a good wine list of various red, white, rosé, and bubbly selections to pick from.
The restaurant only seats about 45-people max. This allows for a more exclusive feel, and it never gets too loud.
Artwork from the onsite studios adorns the walls as well. Next time I promised my wife we would get dessert to see how those are, but sadly, on this occasion, we just didn’t have room left for anything else.
See this short video of our spread.
The next morning after getting a great night’s sleep, we meandered into the restaurant for brunch served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
We got in early to leave time for the art-and-craft market afterward.
Sitting in the same window seat we had for dinner, Kevin was again our server.
Their brunch menu changes every weekend as well. I got the Cochinta Pibil made from Mexican-sourced blue-corn tortillas, packed full of tender citrus-achiote-rubbed wild boar, topped with queso fresco, and pickled red-onion. This was severed alongside Mexican rice and creamy refried beans.
This was a truly delicious dish across the board. The blue-corn tortillas were a huge surprise as I was not expecting this but rather yellow corn. Blue-corn tortillas are my favorite! My wife got the Turkey-Swiss Monte Cristo sandwich with fresh fruit. She said it was “truly one very good Monte Cristo.” Both of us showed our clean-plate-club status without hesitation after these menu picks.
So whether you live in town, or a bit further out, make sure to set plans this summer for a weekend at The Inn at The Chicken Farm Art Center.
The spirit of true local artist and artistry has been alive here since 1971 when the location arose from the idea of Roger Allen and two of his best friends who slowly converted a large 1940s chicken farm into the art studios and apartments you see today. This will be a fun, simple, local vacation that pleases the eyes, the mind, and the stomach. Enjoy!
