The hotly anticipated Twisted Fork restaurant recently opened at 1191 Steamboat Pkwy., #1400 in South Reno's Damonte Ranch area. It's an unlikely location for an upscale restaurant where dinner entrees run in the $20-30 range. It's across from the R.C. Willey furniture store, near Veterans Parkway.
Not to seem like a party pooper, but my weekend visit left me wondering why there has been so much buzz about Twisted Fork. Someone at the nearby US Bank branch told me that Bully's Sports Bar used to be located there. The Twisted Fork's renovated interior is nice enough, in an understated way —earth tones, attractive tables and booths, a cool view of the mountains if you are seated on the main level near the windows.
My husband and I were seated at a booth on the upper level. It was rather dark there and a high partition closed us off from everyone below.
My husband enjoyed his Twisted Burger ($11) which he ordered with bacon and avocado (75 cents each). It was served on a pretzel bun and also featured tomato, arugula and red onion. Other toppings such as cheese, mushrooms, pickles and mayo would have been optional. Burgers and sandwiches at Twisted Fork come with a choice of French fries, sweet potato fries, house-made chips, house salad or soup. He asked for French fries and found them tasty.
As for me, I happily devoured a side of really good tomato-basil soup. My sandwich, though, was a disappointment. The Twisted BLTA (also $11) featured plenty of avocado, which I liked. The onion aioli on the sandwich was interesting, not overpowering, but I would have preferred light mayo. The meats on my sandwich didn't work at all. The Twisted BLTA included braised pork belly, something I'm seeing on a lot of trendy menus these days. The pork belly on my sandwich had a miniscule amount of meat, attached to large clumps of fat. It reminded me of the fat blob you would find in a can of Campbell's Pork and Beans. Or as Stimpy (of "Ren and Stimpy" fame) would call it, "The Queen Bean."
The bacon on my sandwich was sparse and overcooked to the point of being tough. Like that Elvis song, "A little less conversation, a little more action please," I kept thinking, "A little less Twisted BLTA, a lot more soup please."
Service at Twisted Fork was all right, not remarkable. The atmosphere was all right, too. A basketball game was playing on the TV and background pop music was soft.
I was surprised by the number of families dining there with young children. Twisted Fork doesn't have a kiddie menu and nothing on the menu would have appealed to my daughter or son when they were little.
I'm happy to see new businesses, especially restaurants, landing in South Reno. It's nice to have choices without driving to Downtown or Midtown Reno. I just think that Twisted Fork needs to work out some kinks and focus more on well-prepared comfort foods. According to their Facebook page, they've just added some burgers to the dinner menu, to satisfy customer demand. On a return visit, I might try their pot pie or chicken parmesan.
For more information about Twisted Fork, call (775) 853-6033 or visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Twisted-Fork/137327889749082 .
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