Stephanie Wright Hession
Thursday, August 14, 2008
On Webster Street, near Texas Street, a large mural, depicts the outlying area's natural wonders. (Lacy Atkins / The Chronicle)
Texas Street, Fairfield This town, the Solano County seat, feels like a multicultural Mayberry RFD, thanks to the diversity of its residents and the small-town ambience. Downtown, single-level storefronts offer pupusas - soft Salvadoran tortillas stuffed with meat, beans and cheese - and intricate henna designs applied by hand. Texas Street also contains some delightful surprises: Turn a corner onto Webster Street and discover a beautiful mural illustrating natural, local scenes of valleys, trees, Mount Diablo and wildlife. Forty miles north of San Francisco, this street is worth the drive for those looking to move at a slower pace, if only for a day.
1. Bugambilias Restaurant
739 Texas St.: The main reason to eat at this super-casual, friendly Salvadoran and Mexican restaurant is to taste its delicious pupusas. A soft, thick, handmade tortilla shaped like a small pancake and stuffed with a combination of pork rind or shredded chicken, refried beans or cheese, it's accompanied with a petite, cole slaw-style salad and red sauce. Vegetarian versions include ones with cheese, beans and cheese or cheese and zucchini. Two pupusas easily make a meal and at $1.75 to $2 each, they're a bargain. (707) 421-8545.
2. "The Natural Beauty of Solano Country" mural
Webster Street (at Texas Street): Depicting a springtime scene, this vividly colored mural - painted by Cathy McClelland along with artists Ken Chew, Bob Murray, Eileen Gay, Lee Wilder Snider, Laura Napier and Gayle Fraser - focuses on three Solano County habitats: the wetlands, Green Valley Falls and the oak-studded foothills. Wonderfully detailed, it features a red-winged blackbird in the reeds, a deer and her spotted fawn grazing among a field of California poppies and Sky Lupine, a bobcat and more. It's part of the Fairfield Mural Project, a community service project of the Fairfield-Suisun Rotary Club.
3. Stately Strides
801 Texas St.: This boutique, with its plum-colored walls and comfy pair of red sofas, stocks women's shoes, handbags and belts, with an emphasis on shoes. From chartreuse green Pierre Dumas leather slides to classic white pumps to rhinestone strappy sandals to gold boots, there's lots of fashionable footwear here. (707) 425-1130.
4. Touch of India
800 Texas St.: This clothing and jewelry store sells gorgeous fabrics, a variety of brightly hued, salwar kameez (three-piece outfits for women), beaded shoes, embroidered handbags and lots of sparkling necklace and jewelry sets, all from India. They also create custom-made outfits and do henna designs. (707) 688-0713.
5. Pepper Belly's Comedy and Variety Theatre
849 Texas St.: Comedy clubs aren't easy to find these days and sometimes you just need to laugh. In a supper-club setting, featuring contemporary decor and muted lighting, patrons watch performances by emerging and established comedians. Fruity specialty drinks, nachos, chicken wings, burgers and salads round out the menu. (707) 422-7469. www.pepperbellys.com.
6. Cornerstone Quilt Shoppe
1001 Texas St., suite A: This homey shop sells everything needed to quilt, including fabrics, threads, patterns and batting. It also offers an array of workshops, such as the Shepherd's Fold Quilt Workshop, 6 to 9 p.m. today, for $35 plus book purchase. (707) 438-2969. www.cornerstonequiltshoppe.com.
7. Rosanna's European Delights
1119 Texas St.: With its scrumptious slices of cake named Pink Champagne and Swedish Princess, who wouldn't want to stop at this European-style bakery? It also bakes up Black Forest and other classic European cakes, petite cheesecakes, wedding cakes and breakfast pastries including buttery, flaky croissants. (707) 422-2253.
PARKING
Free, two-hour street parking on Texas Street, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and all day Sunday. Free parking in city lots adjacent to Texas Street.
GETTING THERE
Take Interstate 680 North toward Sacramento. After crossing the Benicia-Martinez Bridge, merge on to I-80 East to Fairfield. Take the West Texas exit, turn right on West Texas Street and continue to the downtown area.
See the complete story at SFGate.com.
