chefs table
FRESH CUISINE BY DEGREES
The Slanted Porch in Fallon highlights local food.
WRITTEN BY SANDRA MACIAS
PHOTOS BY SHEA EVANS
Tracing his culinary career from then to now, Steve Hernandez says, beaming: “I am the luckiest guy to have all this.”
Our interview is in his hoop house, steps from The Slanted Porch, his Fallon restaurant. We talk at a little table, brightened with a bouquet of baby carrots, their feathery tops cascading over the water-pitcher vase. All around us, rows of vegetables flourish in the earthy, humid, fecund environment.
“This is my office,” Hernandez says of his roomy, 30-by-48-foot hoop house, which he built himself.
The setting speaks volumes about Hernandez, who considers himself “half farmer and half chef,” and about his restaurant, which celebrates locally grown food, organic (whenever possible) and farm fresh.
“In the summer, 75 percent of the food on your plate (here) is local,” he says.
Sourcing from nearby farms and ranches practicing sustainable agriculture and animal husbandry, the restaurant offers fresh products, including Sand Hill Dairy farmstead cheese; cage-free eggs from 3B Egg Co. (owned by three young Nevada brothers); and produce from Workman Farms and Hernandez’s own hoop house. The chef’s father, Joe Hernandez, owner of H5 Ranch in Fallon, raises his beef.
A Restaurant of His Own
In 2001, Hernandez returned to Fallon where he grew up. He left to earn a degree from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and get experience as a chef in the city and Reno. Once home, he wanted a place of his own. He found a 1908 vintage house and restored it, and opened The Slanted Porch there in 2008. The original hickory floors are refinished, and bricks from the original foundation encase supporting beams. Art by local artists decorates the olive-green walls, and soundproofing ceiling tiles soften rush-hour chatter.
The restaurant, which enjoys a strong local following, serves lunch daily (except Sunday) and dinner on Fridays and Saturdays. On any visit you might spot city officials, families with kids and grandparents, rhyolite miners, dusty cowboys, farmers in clean overalls, a young tattooed couple — all enjoying the homey interior or pleasant outdoor patios.
Fresh Favorites
Hernandez isn’t into fussy foams or plate architecture. His focus is on from-scratch, freshly food using quality ingredients. The lunch menu offers sandwiches, salads, and a daily soup. Burgers — the meat freshly ground in the kitchen — reign, especially the cheeseburger and the jalapeño ranch burger. Sandwiches with turkey breast also are popular, Hernandez says, adding, “We go through 20 pounds of turkey breast every other day.”
The grilled flat-iron steak salad always is a bestseller. Another excellent choice is the spinach salad, a concerto of hoop house spinach, creamy hard-boiled eggs, and bacon for salty satisfaction. A fan of avocado slices and a signature poppy-seed vinaigrette are the crowning touches.
A verbal list of specials comes with your menu. Count yourself lucky if your day’s special is prime rib melt or lamb burgers: “People come in just for that,” Hernandez says. Another not-to-be-missed special is the fragrant, summer-kissed heirloom tomato salad.
Dinner entrées include steaks, a surf-and-turf classic, shrimp scampi, and a burger. Dinner specials add more decisions: perhaps a Porterhouse pork chop accompanied with a strawberry-rhubarb compote or fresh halibut wrapped in olive tapenade. Perhaps glazed, farm-raised quail, nesting in Fallon smashed potatoes with hoop house spinach and pancetta demi-glace — a savory mouthful, both in word and deliciousness.
Folks go wild over baby turnips, a special appetizer. Sautéed, tops and all, in olive oil and garlic (or Korean chili), they pack a sweet-peppery flavor. You know you’ve arrived when Fallon turns out for turnips, chef Hernandez jokes.
Deep Roots
The grandson of Mexican migrant farmers, Hernandez attributes his love of vegetable cultivation and cooking to his grandmother. Speaking of her fondly, he remembers her at her wood stove, stirring and simmering, and in her garden, digging and planting.
With his hoop house and his successful restaurant, he says, “I’ve come full circle.”
Sandra Macias, a Reno food writer for countless years, has interviewed chefs in their restaurants, kitchens, and offices. A hoop house interview was a first. It turned out to be a perfect spot to talk with a down-to-earth chef about his food and restaurant.
A Rural Culinary Roundup
Tractors & Truffles shows off Fallon’s market basket.
Fall in Fallon brings Tractors & Truffles, the area’s premium culinary fair. The annual all-day event, Sept. 13, celebrates Fallon’s thriving agricultural community. It includes farm and winery tours, music, and a farm-to-table feast.
As he does yearly, Steve Hernandez, chef-owner of The Slanted Porch and founder of the festival, has invited out-of-town culinary compadres, chef Ryan Scott and chef Mark Davis, to join him in the festivities. Scott will be the guest chef, preparing a dinner made totally of locally sourced products.
For details, click on http://www.Visitfallonnevada.com/tractorsandtruffles
The Slanted Porch
310 S. Taylor St., Fallon
775-423-4489, http://www.Slantedporch.com
Open for lunch 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Mon. – Sat. and dinner 5 – 9 p.m. Fri. and Sat. Closed Sun.
Reservations accepted.
Recipes
Fallon Beet Salad with White Balsamic Vinaigrette
(The Slanted Porch’s healthy, tasty signature salad courtesy of chef-owner Steve Hernandez. Serves 4 – 6)
6 medium beets
6 handfuls freshly picked spring mix
½ cup crumbled Sandhill Dairy queso fresco
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
Shaved red onion, as needed
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Drizzle beets with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast in a foil-covered, ovenproof dish until easily pierced with a knife, about 45 minutes.
Cool beets slightly to handle. Peel and quarter beets and refrigerate until cool. (They can be prepared one day in advance.)
To assemble salad, toss mixed greens in white balsamic vinaigrette (recipe follows). Top salad greens with shaved red onion, toasted pine nuts, crumbled queso fresco, and quartered beets. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
White Balsamic Vinaigrette
½ cup white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons sugar
½ shallot, minced
1½ cups light-bodied oil (canola, grapeseed, etc.)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Combine shallots and vinegar in a bowl; let sit five minutes. Add mustard and sugar, and gently whisk to combine. Slowly add oil in a steady stream while constantly whisking to emulsify dressing. Season with salt and pepper.
