Many new restaurants participate in Inlander Restaurant Week each year and in 2024 Lumberbeard Brewing is one of them, after debuting its kitchen this past October.
For Restaurant Week, Lumberbeard (25 E. Third Ave.) outfitted its $35 three-course menu with pub classics to pair with its lineup of craft brews.
To start, we ordered the pretzel bites, which come with creamy jalapeño beer cheese and tangy stone-ground beer mustard sauce. The small bites had a salty, crispy exterior that covered the soft pretzel interior.
Additionally, we ordered the Mediterranean wedge salad, which was packed with flavor from the fresh cucumber feta dressing, greek olives, onions and oven-dried tomatoes. The iceberg lettuce was crisp, adding a nice layer of texture to the first course.
For the second course, I ordered the glazed pork belly mac and beer cheese – minus the pork belly to be vegetarian. It was a creamy, classic mac and cheese, and the candied jalapeños on top created a slightly sweet and spicy bite that elevated the beer cheese flavors. My friend, meanwhile, ordered the dill pickle chicken wings, served with a creamy dill dipping sauce. The crispness of the wings was enhanced by a bed of house-made potato chips underneath.
To finish off the meal, we ordered both of the desserts on Lumberbeard Brewing’s menu (the third option is an 8-ounce pour of any beer on tap), the first being the Campfire Snack chocolate mousse. With a mallow cream underneath the mousse that's made with their Campfire Snack imperial stout, the dish was topped with chocolate sauce and graham cracker crumbs, creating a decadent and rich twist on the classic s’more.
Lumberbeard's maple cinnamon bread pudding had a balanced sweetness and soft texture. It's made with the brewery's barrel-aged Maple Goodness beer, which adds a deep maple flavor to the dish, topped with a spiced whipped cream, maple-caramel drizzle and honey granules.
Lumberbeard Brewing is serving their Restaurant Week menu on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 3 to 8 pm and Friday and Saturday from 3 to 9 pm through Saturday, March 2. ♦
