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Tastings at 28 Springs in Siloam Springs.

January 17, 2014 8 Comments
28 Springs restaurant Siloam Springs AR Belgium Beer Tasting (c)nwafoodie AD

Have you ever been to a tasting event at a restaurant?

Have you ever wondered what goes on at a tasting?

Have you ever assumed that a tasting was just a sampling of the menu?

Yes, a tasting can be as simple as a menu sampling.

YET…

If you are lucky…

A tasting can be a memorable experience that exposes you to a deeper understanding of a particular genre of food, which is then perfectly pared for a multi-course experience. You go away from the event ready to come back for more and/or filled with the desire to continue learning as much as you can.

That, my friends, is the kind of tasting you want to go to.

28 Springs in Siloam Springs is dedicated to that type of full-bodied tasting experience.

This year is a special one for me as a brand ambassador for both 28 Springs and her sister restaurant, James at the Mill in Johnson. As a brand ambassador, that means as new items are added to the menu and tastings or other events are announced, I will get a sneak peak early so I can give you a heads-up.

Heads-up #1:

Hurry! Next Monday the 20th from 6pm-8pm is a Belgium Beer Tasting at 28 Springs.  This is a four course and beer pairing for $40 per person.  Spaces are limited and there are only a few seats left.  Call 479-524-2828 and make a reservation.

Heads-up #2:

Last chance! Next Tuesday the 21st is the final night of the Belgium Beer Tasting event. Same time.  Same number.

Heads-up #3:

Plan ahead! New tasting events occur monthly. Tastings are held on the second and fourth Monday/Tuesday each month and details about these events are posted on their website and facebook page.

To whet your appetite on what a tasting at 28 Spring is like, let me take you on a virtual tour on the current tasting, the Belgium Beer Tasting event.

Chef James was insistent on getting the bar and tasting tables in the lounge area just right.  Whether your tasting spot is at the bar or at an adjoining table facing the bar, your focal point is that magnificent bar.

28 Springs restaurant Siloam Springs AR Belgium Beer Tasting neat bar shot with Casey (c)nwafoodie
28 Springs restaurant Siloam Springs AR Belgium Beer Tasting beer on tap (c)nwafoodie AD

 

28 Springs restaurant Siloam Springs AR Belgium Beer Tasting bar tonic (c)nwafoodie AD
Casey manages the bar and is a walking encyclopedia of Belgium Beer knowledge.  I personally have never met a Belgium beer that I haven’t loved and this tasting took it to the next level.  Did you know that they have a Belgium beer on tap that is 16.2% alcohol volume?  That is higher than wine folks.  Serious stuff since the Belgium’s take their beer making very seriously.  Casey took us through each course and explained exactly what we were drinking and why he picked that particular beer to go with each course.
28 Springs restaurant Siloam Springs AR Belgium Beer Tasting Casey (c)nwafoodie AD
The first course tasting was a Belgian endive filled with salmon mousse.  I love this and wished I could have snagged other diners plates while they weren’t looking.  This dish was a smoked wild Alaskan salmon with fresh dill, pickled lemon, and cumber and served with Dupont Posca Rustica Belguim beer.
28 Springs restaurant Siloam Springs AR Belgium Beer Tasting salmon mousse(c)nwafoodie AD
28 Springs restaurant Siloam Springs AR Belgium Beer Tasting Dupont Posca Rustica (c)nwafoodie AD
Perhaps now is a good time to mention a very important point.  For each tasting event, Chef James, Casey, and Chef Dorothy brainstorm the menu and come up with the perfect paring for the entire event.  These tastings are their creative avenue and together they design the dishes they think best tell the tasting story.  Chef Dorothy took us through each course and explained exactly what we were eating and why she picked that particular dish to go with the beer.
28 Springs restaurant Siloam Springs AR Belgium Beer Tasting Chef Dorothy (c)nwafoodie AD

The second course was a steamed mussel in white wine, Belgium fries, and aioli with parsley.  I personally do not eat mussels so I had to let that dish go.  The fries were my happy place. Oh, that and the St. Bernardus Tripel Belgium Beer, my absolutely favorite beer of the night.  Since the mussels were a miss with us, Dennis and I took the time to attack the pretzel bread with ground mustard butter.  That pretzel bread, my friends, should have their own category on the food pyramid.

Seriously, I am not kidding.

28 Springs restaurant Siloam Springs AR Belgium Beer Tasting fries (c)nwafoodie AD
28 Springs restaurant Siloam Springs AR Belgium Beer Tasting St Bernardus Tripel (c)nwafoodie AD

 

Third course was served and courted me as an enticing stuffed beef scaloppini.  Beef, pork and bacon sausage, flank steak, potato fondants, caramelized onioins, roasted Arkansas black apples, and mustard.  All served with Oude Gueuze Tilquin A L’Ancienne Belgium beer.  I personally do not eat pork, so I scraped out the pork inside and enjoyed the flank part of the beef.  At this point the beer (don’t worry, it wasn’t a full glass of each) was making me really happy, so I was not too concerned with what we couldn’t eat.  There were plenty of other tasty aspects the courses that kept me quite satisfied.

28 Springs restaurant Siloam Springs AR Belgium Beer Tasting Ceri and meat (c)nwafoodie AD
The last and final course was dessert in the form of chocolate tart and ice cream.  Filled with askinoisie chocolate, yeasted rye crust, almond lace cookie, roasted cherry rye whiskey ice cream with Guiness cream anglaise and served with (yet some more!) Gouden Carolus Cuvee De Van De Kaiser Belgium Beer.
28 Springs restaurant Siloam Springs AR Belgium Beer Tasting dessert (c)nwafoodie AD
The two hour tasting event was timed perfectly enough that we could sample our drinks and savor our dinner pairings.  Since I went on a Tuesday night, the Sons of Otis Malone band set up and began their soulful mix of light bluegrass mix with a tinge of Jason Mraz feel.  Okay, I am not a music kind of gal so I may have that description all wrong. I would choose to go to a tasting on a Tuesday night over a Monday night just to hear them playing in the background.
28 Springs restaurant Siloam Springs AR Belgium Beer Tasting the band (c)nwafoodie AD
28 Springs restaurant Siloam Springs AR Belgium Beer Tasting Beth (c)nwafoodie AD

The Belgium Beer Tasting event was a complete full-bodied tasting experience.

I hope you take the opportunity to try this or another tasting event at 28 Springs.  I plan on going back soon with the family and just hanging out for a nice lunch or evening meal.  Siloam Springs is about as far from my home in Bella Vista as Fayetteville is.

Thank you Northwest Arkansas, we found another gem in our backyard.

28 Springs restaurant Siloam Springs AR Belgium Beer Tasting restaurant (c)nwafoodie AD
28 Springs restaurant Siloam Springs AR Belgium Beer Tasting restaurant outside (c)nwafoodie AD
It also warms my heart that so many of you have already gushed on about how much you already love 28 Springs.
You are true foodies.
Eat well, my friends. Eat well.

Lyndi

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  1. Matt Dromi says

    January 18, 2014 at 12:17 am

    I'm so happy about this post — I love 28 and Casey and Dorothy, but I have really missed out on the tastings! I'm looking at my calendar right now to find a match. Thanks again!

    Reply
    • lyndi says

      January 18, 2014 at 2:35 pm

      That is exactly how I feel, that I "have really missed out on the tastings" prior to this one. I cannot wait to hear what is next. I heard that one tasting was all about BUTTER. Butter!

      Glad you enjoyed the post, thank you.

      Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    January 18, 2014 at 4:33 am

    Love what you all are doing! Adds to the ascetics of our beautiful town. Wish my partner/spouse was into this kind of thing! Casey and Dorothy are the best!

    Reply
    • lyndi says

      January 18, 2014 at 2:37 pm

      Siloam Springs has so much potential! That little downtown is gorgeous and really has a lot of gems such as Main Street Cafe, Fratelli's Pizza, Pour Johns, and their is so much charm.

      Reply
  3. Debbie Arnold says

    January 19, 2014 at 1:36 pm

    You know how much I love this place! I'm pretty sure we made it during the first week they were open and have been back frequently. I wish we could make the tastings — unfortunately the timing just doesn't work into our to and from schedule yet — maybe soon. Your photos are gorgeous! I love the way you captured the featured foods but also our sweet friends. I think we must get together here for lunch soon. I miss getting to see you!

    Reply
    • lyndi says

      January 19, 2014 at 3:28 pm

      Miss you, too! Maybe one of those times that you stay for a long weekend and you can make a Monday night tasting? Let me know and Dennis and I will join you!

      Thank you for the photo compliments. I am really working hard to improve my photos because it is really fun to capture a moment.

      Reply
  4. Deborah Brauser says

    January 19, 2014 at 7:13 pm

    Everything sounds delicious, especially the roasted cherry rye whiskey ice cream. Yum! And your pictures are wonderful.

    Reply
    • lyndi says

      January 19, 2014 at 7:41 pm

      Thank you very much!

      Reply

hellooooo!

author image of thejoyofeatingwell blogHi, friend.

My name is Lyndi Fultz and I live in Northwest Arkansas in the beautiful Ozarks.

In this blog you’ll learn how to make simple and healthy meals. I also share the benefits of finding the joy in everyday living.

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“Just like becoming an expert in wine–you learn by drinking it, the best you can afford–you learn about great food by finding the best there is, whether simply or luxurious. Then you savor it, analyze it, and discuss it with your companions, and you compare it with other experiences.” – Julia Child

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