The Cover is Blown on San Angelo's Best Kept Secret

A grapevine abundant in sprouting green grapes twists itself around a trellis just out the backdoor opening up to a garden filled with rosemary, mint, dill, oregano, cucumbers and tomatoes. Not to mention the oddest looking bell peppers you have ever seen in colors like chocolate, black, purple and some even shaped like pears. This thriving garden is what is hidden in the backyard behind the Silo House Restaurant in the Chicken Farm Art Center.

Craig and Helen Keith, owners of the Silo House, along with chef Sergio Rico have planted what they hope will be the beginning of bringing fresh spices and vegetables to their customers literally right out of their own backyard.

“The goal is to eventually be able to provide all of our own spices, which we already mostly are now, all of the vegetables, or as many as we are able to grow well, and fruits to serve to our customers a fresh, tasteful meal in our restaurant,” Helen Keith explained. “Until the time comes when we do reach our goal, we keep our produce purchase local, local is always better.”

The Keiths gained ownership of the restaurant in December, and have since been taking a different approach than past owners. “There are so many people who are from here and have never in their lives been to, or sometimes even heard of, Silo House,” Helen said. “It’s been like a secret, and we are hoping to change that by opening up our lunch service.”

Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., you can go to lunch and escape into the small village town feel the Chicken Farm offers, nestled inside the cozy walls of the Silo House. The lunch menu consists of an affordable variety of soups, salads, specialty burgers, wraps and sandwiches with clever names like “The Fidel Castro” and “The Clucker”.

The unique setting also offers an intimate ambiance for reservation dinners. The fine dining experience in the evening works off of a set menu which is updated weekly on their Facebook page. “We try to accommodate as far as the menu items go for our reservation dinners,” Helen said. “If someone is allergic to something, or maybe just does not like a menu item as long as we know in advance, we can substitute.”

“We are also going to be adding wood stove pizza, hopefully before the next First Saturday,” Helen said referring to the small festival in the Chicken Farm Art Center, the first Saturday of every month. As LIVE! conducted the interview for this article, both Helen and Craig were busy preparing for that day’s festivities. Helen, manning the phones and taking reservations and Craig setting up an area outside the restaurant were lunch will be served during today’s First Saturday.

 The Keith’s will be serving up hamburgers, quiche and chicken salad, homemade by Helen. That and other homemade products are also sold inside the restaurant and are used in some of the menu items as well. Helen and Craig also whipped up eight different homemade flavors of ice cream; banana, blueberry, strawberry, peach, vanilla, mint chocolate chip, Butterfinger and chocolate chocolate chip. (Yes, you read that right it’s not a typo, not just chocolate chip, but chocolate chocolate chip.)

The Chicken Farm itself will be full of art and music related activities for anyone from zero to one hundred to enjoy, this month’s focus is ceramics. The festivities kick off at 10 a.m. and wind down around 5 o’clock this evening. The Chicken Farm Art Center and Silo House Restaurant are located at 2505 Martin Luther King Drive. To make dinner reservations at Silo House, call (325) 658-3333.