The Blue Wing Saloon Restaurant is one of many Lake County businesses that already aligns with the Way to Wellville Challenge. The sister business to the Tallman Hotel in Upper Lake, the Blue Wing provides lunch, dinner and cocktails seven days a week, with live music on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays. It caters to hotel guests, Lake County residents, Highway 20 travelers, and tourists year-round.
The Blue Wing Saloon has a long history, having first opened in the 1880s as a stage coach shop. It re-opened in June 2005 after two years of careful reconstruction by owners Lynne and Bernie Butcher, and is getting ready to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of its current incarnation.
Part of that celebration includes a new menu unveiled in May. Inspired by a national trend in healthier eating and numerous requests from customers for more vegetarian options, Executive Chef Mark Linback and Front of House and Bar Manager Nick Bruce-Boehler decided to pilot a slightly new approach to their menu. They added several new salads and entrees, including an orange-glazed chicken salad, a Mediterranean plate, and a lean bison burger sourced from nearby J-Bar-S Ranch.
“It’s a challenge to balance comfort food with healthier, lighter fare, so we try to have a little of everything,” explains Linback. They kept classics like their popular bacon-wrapped meatloaf, but now offer the option of a smaller portion. Noting that “smaller portions have smaller price tags,” Bruce-Boehler says their new menu is friendly on the wallet as well as the waistline.
There’s more to health than a calorie count, says Linback, who emphasizes the social and emotional component of eating with friends and family. “Many of our appetizers and desserts are designed to share, and everything is made in-house,” he says. “Your social health improves when you slow down and take the time to eat good food with friends.”
The new menu items are designed to delight the eater — healthy food doesn’t have to be tasteless or unsatisfying, they say. Linback is particularly happy with the pork tenderloin and curried lentils (“it has such vibrant flavors”) and the roast half chicken with a honey and rosemary glaze. The new menu also includes a favorite throwback: tofu and black bean tacos, served when they opened 10 years ago.
“We give out comment cards with every check, and we spend a lot of time reacting to feedback,” says Linback. “This new menu is a trial for us, but so far it has been very positively received.”
“Our motto has always been comfort food with a twist,” adds Bruce-Boehler. “Mark’s culinary genius has shown us that comfort food can be healthy, too.”
The Blue Wing Saloon Restaurant is located at 9550 Main St. in Upper Lake, and is open Monday to Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m./4 to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m./4 to 9 p.m.
