It happens just about every time people gather. Someone sets a bowl of spinach dip on the table and guests reach for whatever bread, crackers or vegetables end up arrayed around it.
The reaction is almost hypnotic: dip, bite, talk, dip, bite, talk …
With the spinach bacon dip at Blue Wing Saloon, however, that rhythmic, robotic motion grinds to a sudden stop. Conversation also stills for a moment as the realization of what they have just experienced hits.
This may be just a dip by name, but it is far more intense and more engaging.
“It’s got all the good things,” said Blue Wing chef Mark Linback.
To a base of cream cheese, Linback adds some garlic, onion and other accessories. But the key ingredients are spinach, artichoke and smoky bacon.
Yeah, yeah — it’s been done. Except the flavors are pronounced, and they rush at your palate with unrestrained passion. The bitter snap, the rumbling earthiness, the tart arrow all come to the fore, shouting the presence of greens, garlic and everything else.
Even as this cacophony occupies your attention, you recognize the rich, acrid, yet almost sweet notes of good bacon. Suddenly, the bellows of flavor settle into something more composed, yet still powerful.
“Everyone tries to skimp on the fat, but that’s where the flavor is,” Linback points out. “The bacon just melts into the mix.”
This particular recipe was featured on Blue Wing’s menu a decade ago. Management brought it back recently as a way to celebrate the restaurant’s anniversary — even though Linback considers it more of a seasonal treat.
“It’s pretty rich,” the chef pointed out. “It’s more suited for winter.”
True. But when you think about it, football season is only a few weeks away …
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
