Featured In UNIQUE INNS
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CHEF: Mark Linback WITH THE HOTEL SINCE: April, 2008 STARTED IN THE KITCHEN: : I started at my mother’s knee. She was a great cook and passed on the love of good food to me. I took up baking in my early teens and she gave me the run of the place – as long as I promised to clean up afterwards! I’ve worked in restaurants since I was 15. |
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TRAINING/EXPERIENCE: I took food and restaurant management courses at the community college level in San Diego and then completed the two-year course at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco in the early 1980s. I worked at three San Francisco restaurants, including the Pan Pacific/Portman Hotel, before becoming the executive chef at the newly restored Union Hotel in Benecia. Though not as nicely done, the Union and the historic town of Benecia have a similar feel to the Tallman and Blue Wing in Upper Lake. My last two positions at Sonoma Mission Inn and the Mayacamas Ranch in Calistoga really enhanced my appreciation of fine wines and great food pairings. |
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FAVORITE INGREDIENT: In the picture above, I’m standing beside the herb garden we have planted behind the restaurant. I love to infuse our dishes with fresh herbs from the garden – and I’d say my favorite is tarragon. It’s a great all-around additive that enhances just about anything. FOOD PHILOSOPHY: My philosophy fits pretty well with the Blue Wing, which focuses on high quality in an informal country-style saloon atmosphere. I like the challenge involved in making the familiar exceptional. I also like to introduce creative seasonal specialties using local ingredients – like the summer watermelon salad recipe below. INSPIRATION: Currently I’m inspired by how fast the Slow Food Movement is taking off here and around the world. It’s about time we get out of the McDonald’s Drive Up lines and start enjoying our own kitchens, shopping for fresh local and organic products, and putting together healthy meals that encourage relaxed social interaction around the table. ANYTHING ELSE? I’ve really enjoyed my time here at the Tallman/Blue Wing and I hope to make it my professional home for a long time. I inherited a great group of dedicated line cooks and we’re starting to really hum as a team. I also like the emerging wine country aspect of Lake County – it’s like Napa and Sonoma 30 years ago. Our wine list is composed exclusively of great local wines and we feature one winemaker monthly at a special event. Pairing our food to these local wines adds a nice dimension to the job. |
WATERMELON SALAD
(portion for two)
12 oz. seedless watermelon, cut into ¾’ cubes
6 oz. English cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into ¾’ cubes
1 oz. red onion, shaved thin
zest and juice of one lime
3-4 large mint leaves, sliced thinly
salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
1 T honey
2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
Combine all ingredients except honey and feta and place in a colander set over a mixing bowl. Let stand for 30 minutes, saving the juice. Transfer the juice to a saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced by 2/3. Whisk in the honey and let cool. When cool, add to the watermelon along with the feta cheese.
PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM SANDWICH
1 large portobello mushroom
1/2 C balsamic vinegar
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 sprigs rosemary, stemmed and chopped
generous pinches of salt and black pepper
1 pasilla chile, peeled and seeded
1 red bell pepper, peeled and seeded
4 to 5 oz. ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced 3/8” thick
1 ciabatta roll or similar artisan style roll, sliced in half
1 tsp pesto
1 T mayonnaise
Carefully slice off the stem of the mushroom. With a spoon, scrape the gills out and wipe with a damp paper towel. In a bowl, combine the vinegar, oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Add the mushroom and let marinate for twenty minutes or more. Drain the mushroom, place in a baking dish and roast in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. The mushroom should be still a little firm but not hard. Slice the roll and grill or toast in a toaster oven until lightly browned. Mix the pesto and mayonnaise, season to taste and spread on both sides of the roll. To assemble: place the pasilla chile on the roll, trimming if necessary, and top with the red bell pepper, the mozzarella slices and finally the portobello. Sandwich can be baked until the mozzarella begins to melt if desired, cut in half before serving.
