Texas Celebrity Travel News, January

Dallas:

Wentworth Miller fans glued to the TV screen for the latest episodes of “Prison Break” will notice one of the most refined retreats in The Big D featured in a scene from their favorite FOX show. A day’s filming took place on the grounds outside of the Hotel St. Germain, a three-story, upscale Uptown utopia embellished with authentic French antiques. Beneath the sparkle of a crystal chandelier, guests can partake of award-winning cuisine from Limoge china dinnerware in the Willing Dining Room, dubbed “The ultimate dining experience” by DFW Lifestyle Magazine, before retiring to one of seven suites, each offering the warm glow of a fireplace and the luxury of a Jacuzzi or soaking tub.

Katy native Renee Zellweger returned to her Texas roots over the Christmas holidays. The star of the just-released “Miss Potter” sampled the culinary creations served at Nick & Sam’s, a swank steakhouse which opened its doors to Dallas denizens in 1999. The Academy Award recipient had a number of delectable dishes to choose from as she read the restaurant’s menu, which features 26 ounce Prime Aged Porterhouse steak, Filet mignon, Maple Thyme Glazed Pork Chop, Ahi Tuna Filet and Atlantic Salmon.

There’s no place like home for the holidays, even if you are an A-list celebrity. Dallas native Luke Wilson returned to the Big D over Christmas, where the actor, who is currently filming the upcoming comedy “Barry Munday,” was seen at Trece, a 175-seat eatery featuring Tex-Mex cuisine concocted by Chef Amador Mora. Over 120 types of tequila flows for patrons of the Knox-Henderson neighborhood restaurant, including such house specialties as the Cha-Cha Rita, a combo of tequila, fresh lime juice, banana brandy, blackberry brandy and rum floater, and the Salty Chihuahua, a mix of tequila with fresh lemonade.

A chorus of “Happy Birthday” echoed inside Al Biernat’s steakhouse recently for “I Wanna Be Bad” singer Willa Ford, who turned 26 on January 22. A dining haven for Hollywood’s elite, the Dallas restaurant is a favorite with the former “Dancing With the Stars” competitor, who was also spotted back in November at the eatery enjoying a romantic repast with her fiancé, Dallas Stars player Mike Modano.

Marfa

When the period drama “There Will Be Blood” hits theaters in limited release on November 21, 2007, movie buffs may recognize the arid landscape which helped to propel the 1955 epic “Giant” into cinematic history. In the summer of 2006, Oscar-winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis filmed several scenes in the city of Marfa, the county seat of Paisano County which is equally well-known for the mysterious Marfa lights, a phenomenon which has been a hotly debated topic amongst UFO enthusiasts for years. Film fans looking to bask in the glow of old Hollywood during their visit to Marfa can book a room at The Hotel Paisano, where the George Stevens-directed flick is continuously screened. Guests of the landmark hotel can check out displays of movie memorabilia before retiring to the same suites where James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson rested their heads after a day of filming.

San Antonio

Congratulations to actress Lara Flynn Boyle, who wed San Antonio resident Donald Ray Thomas on December 18, 2006. After saying “I do” to the man she fell in love with over the summer, the newlyweds spent their first night together as husband and wife in the penthouse suite of a nearby boutique retreat. There are a number of intimate Alamo City inns to tempt Texas lovebirds, including the prestigious Menger Hotel, a 19th century sanctuary reportedly haunted by the spectral form of Teddy Roosevelt; the Emily Morgan Hotel, a 177-room Gothic Revival masterpiece named in honor of the woman who inspired the state’s most beloved tune, “The Yellow Rose of Texas,” and The Bullis House Inn, a three-story mansion with a refined facade embellished with Corinthian columns which hearken back to an age of gentility.

Gainesville

Former “Saturday Night Live” comedian Chris Kattan popped the question to model Sunshine Tutt on Christmas Eve 2006. The funnyman who immortalized the character of “Mango” proposed to his mate in the Gainesville home of his future bride’s grandparents. Boasting a population of over 15,000 residents, the city of Gainesville is known for the Frank Buck Zoo, which has been home for over half a century to an array of exotic animals from Australia, Africa and both North and South America.