The Roaming BoomersWalkers American Grill & Tapas Bar in Billings, Montana
Dining Review: Walkers American Grill & Tapas Bar in Billings, Montana
Luxury baby boomer travelers love to experience exemplary local cuisine, and one of the great missions of our website is to scout out wonderful dining destinations for our readers as they too explore the world.
We just finished a glorious visit to Yellowstone National Park, and found ourselves unwinding in Billings, Montana, one of the great gateways to Yellowstone, before we made our journey back home to Arizona.
As we quickly learned, and are pleased to report back to you, Walkers American Grill & Tapas Bar should be at the top of your list when visiting Billings.
Located in the historic center of Billings, Walkers American Grill & Tapas Bar describes themselves as “Urban Montana”, where you’re likely to find folks attired in everything from jeans and cowboy boots, to tuxedos. The restaurant features Mediterranean influenced American cuisine, with a focus on locally-sourced ingredients.
First impressions were high as we walked in the door and found a modern, yet comfortable setting. Even though it was Sunday night, the place was hopping with scores of locals enjoying Sunday Night Jazz in the bar area, and we also found the restaurant full of folks clearly enjoying themselves as they noshed on the restaurant’s scrumptious cuisine.
If we had blindly been transported to this restaurant, we would have guessed that we were in some hip Chicago eatery, and would never have guessed Montana.
The Walkers menu is divided into small plates, medium plates and pastas, and entrées. We have learned in our travels that many times small plates/appetizers often steal the show, so we decided to share a number of small plates before we decided on our main entrée.
Our first choice was Bacon Wrapped Dates (spanish chorizo & gorgonzola). You know, while very popular in the Middle East for thousands of years, the date is fairly unknown to the American palette. We found them to be sweet, delicious, healthy, and oh so good wrapped in bacon.
While many would say that anything is good wrapped in bacon, this small plate delightfully took our taste buds to wondrous places they have never been. YUM!
Did you know that morel mushrooms were found in Montana? We didn’t. As midwesterners, we all grew up anxiously awaiting these illusive delicacies that would pop up in the woods after the spring thaw.
Well, evidently Montanans observe the same spring ritual as the place was abuzz about the fact that they had just received the spring’s first batch of local morels.
Next choice for us? Morel Mushrooms (puff pastry, shallots, sherry reduction). Holy Jump Up and Down Batman, that was good!
Ok. Let’s calm down and get on to our next delectable. Yellowstone Grass-fed Beef Carpaccio (worcestershire salt, black pepper oil, pecorino cheese, chive dust).
Hmmm. Look at that. Very tasty, indeed!
And, for the last of our small plates, Seared Beef Soft Tacos (tomato-cucumber salsa, jalapeño puree, avocado créme fraiche).
These should be renamed Million Dollar Tacos, in our humble opinion.
Phew! As you might imagine, our bellies were starting to get full, so we opted for a pasta dish under the medium plates section on their menu.
Little did we know that this was no medium sized offering, but a heaping bowl of Walkers Famous Bourbon Street Linguine (andouille sausage, shrimp, roasted chicken, sweet pepper).
We couldn’t polish the whole thing off, but we sure enjoyed trying. Wow, just the right amount of spicy goodness. I’m writing this article at lunch time, and I sure wish they could beam me up a piping-hot bowl.
Oof! Very full bellies now. But, there’s no getting away from a fine dining establishment without a little something sweet to top off the dinner.
Feast your eyes on Walkers Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp (french vanilla ice cream, makers mark caramel sauce).
We’ll take that with a double-decaf expresso please! Oh! So good!
Well, I told you in the beginning that this was going to be good, and it most certainly was.
If you find yourself in Billings, Montana, for heaven’s sake, get a reservation at Walkers American Grill & Tapas Bar. You’ll be glad you did. We promise!
Link: Walkers American Grill & Tapas Bar
Disclosure: our wonderful dining experience was provided by the kind folks at Walkers American Grill & Tapas Bar. Thanks!
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2 Comments on “Walkers American Grill & Tapas Bar in Billings, Montana”
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While living in Billings, MT, Walker’s Grill was our choice for any special occasion. The Bourbon Street pasta was always my go to meal. You also never knew what the spice level was going to be…it was always anticipated to shine! OMG…I loved that dish and I miss this great spot to gather with friends over food and drinks. What a great place, superb food and best ever atmosphere and service. Thanks for the memories!