Page 109 - Flathead Living // Spring 2015

Montana Made
MONTANA LOVED
“She’s the boss. She’s the No. 1,” Steve said of his wife. “Her warmth and hospi- tality far eclipses anything that I do. She’s the face and the heart of the business.”
Six years ago, Sandy took over bar- tending duties during the slow season and, when it came time, opted not to relinquish them. She remains the lone bartender, holding court behind the gleaming bar while effortlessly slinging drinks, including her legendary Irish cof- fee, teeming martinis and variety of fine wine and draught beer.
“When I started bartending, this won- derful phenomenon happened where peo- ple started coming in because they wanted to see me. And, truthfully, I want to see them,” Sandy said. “I have a really good time and my guests do, too.”
The menu is constantly evolving, and it recently featured hedgehog mush- rooms sautéed and served over a polenta cake, pan-roasted ruby trout atop a bed of beluga lentils (they literally look like beluga caviar) with bacon lardon garnish and organic vinaigrette, bison sliders on pretzel buns with aged white cheddar, fried onion straws and sriracha remou- lade, and Vietnamese spiders with shrimp meat, sweet potato, green onion, egg whites, garlic ginger and a red chili dip- ping sauce.
“The menu items are eclectic because they come from all the different places we have lived,” Steve said. “Travel is the key.”
The Nogals have also adhered to a strict farm-to-table philosophy, which hasn’t been difficult in Whitefish, where local produce, beef and pork are read- ily available. They buy their seafood through Flathead Fish and Seafood Co., which Steve, who for years worked at McCormick’s Fish House in Seattle, said is as fresh as it gets in the Northwest.
He also smokes his own meat, and whatever he can’t get in the Flathead Valley he procures from the Pacific Northwest.
“What I love about food is that it’s immediate. When you do it right, you get to see and be a part of it in the moment,” he said. “Everything we build is from the scratch up. People who come here are going to remember that the meal matched the mood, and they are going to remem- ber Sandy’s passion and sensitivity to the guest’s experience.”
Learn more about McGarry’s Roadhouse in Whitefish at mcgarrysroadhouse.com. FL
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SPRING 2015 | FLATHEAD LIVING 107