about reata restaurant
Reata Restaurant began a few years ago simply because a hungry rancher way out in west Texas had a hankerin’ for some really great food. So Al Micallef, owner of the CF Ranch, took his stomach into his own hands and partnered with Fort Worth businessman Mike Evans to open the first Reata Restaurant in Alpine, Texas in 1995. Spanish for “rope”, Reata is named after the majestic ranch in the 1950’s epic movie “Giant” – starring James Dean, Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor – that is based on the famous novel by Edna Ferber.
Sure enough, that cowboy restaurant was such a blockbuster hit, the only problem the owners had with Reata was getting a seat! If it wasn’t some local raising a fuss and trying to work their way in, it was a Hollywood celebrity trying to rustle up a place at the dinner table. It seemed these guys had discovered a good thing, so from Alpine grew the nationally known Reata Fort Worth -- survivor of one of the most destructive tornados in the nation’s history. With lots of hard work and an enthusiastic spirit, the restaurant quickly recovered and reopened only six weeks after the tornado. However, after a high-profile hearing between Reata and the building’s former owners, Reata closed its previous location and served its last meal atop the tower on February 25, 2001.
Now over three years since a tornado eventually led to the closure of its original location high atop a downtown skyscraper, Reata Restaurant proudly offers the same award-winning western cuisine but also with more room, more staff and more heritage under its belt. With the soon to be opened Woodland Hills Restaurant you can bet your boots there’s plans to roll this chuckwagon around the country!
