Restaurant Review: Twisted
Heading into Kansas City, my wife and I decided to find an affordable restaurant that was not your normal nationally “local” restaurant. One that would allow my wife to eat a sensible meal and a place that had food items I would enjoy. Based on these requirements, my wife went to the interwebz and found Twisted.
Tucked away in a strip mall in Shawnee, Kansas, Twisted bills itself as a “neighborhood spot for FRESH Tacos, Wraps and Sandwiches” and advertising their food as “fresh, fast, flawless,” and they deliver on those promises. The exterior of the restaurant is nothing remarkable, but what do you expect in a mini mall? Entering, a customer is not surprised or overwhelmed by the décor. There are tables by the front window and along the left wall the right side of the building is occupied by the food preparation area. The employees were young and seemed to give the restaurant a certain sprit. I got the impression that Twisted isn’t a bad place to work. Happy employees tend to produce better results and the food at Twisted reflects that positive trend.
The menu plasters the right hand wall and is easy to read and visually appealing. If done well, I find that having pictures of some of the dishes in a restaurant is helpful. Twisted gets this and their menu ensured that I was interested in their fare and made me want to taste their offerings.
It seems like a few years ago wraps were a trend. People started to discover that Mexican cuisine was onto something when they put delicious ingredients into a tortilla. I saw many national restaurants add wraps to their menus. Twisted has embraced the healthy aspect of the wrap but has done it in such a way that even a double bacon cheese burger lover like me was interested. Twisted charges $6.75 for a wrap and a side item and their wrap selection includes a Chicken Gyro, Buffalo Chicken, BBQ Chicken, Spicy Thai Veggie – the list goes on, not to mention the choice of tortillas. My wife had the Thai Chicken wrap and was extremely happy with it and the extras like Twisted’s Spicy Thai Slaw and Pico De Gallo and Sriracha Honey Aioli. Not only did her wrap look great, but it was the right mix of flavor with just enough heat to remind you that it was a Thai Chicken wrap, not just a Thai lady-boy Chicken Wrap.
Being a creature of habit, I went for the Ultimate BBQ Bacon Shredded Cheddar Burger. The burger came at a cost of $7.50 and included a side as well. For sides, Twisted offers assorted chips, a fresh fruit cup or German potato salad. I have mixed emotions about the burger. The meat was high quality and fresh as advertised, but the combo of shredded cheese and BBQ sauce caused the burger to be wetter than it should have been. Normally I have no problem with a sloppy burger, but this one didn’t have the appeal that larger greasier, ‘sloppy’ burgers have. Bacon IS Gods’ candy, but for this sandwich it fell short and needed to be crunchier and less chewy and only added to the goo that the shredded cheese and BBQ sauce had formed.
Don’t get me wrong, I ate my entire burger, but with some minor tweaks, that good burger could have been outstanding. Less sauce, a slice of cheese instead of shredded and crispy bacon would have made that burger best in show.
While we were at the restaurant, we ran into some friends from Leavenworth who informed us that the fish tacos were some of the best they had ever had. Twisted has a kids menu with dishes including a side and a drink for $4.25. The quality of ingredients was not affected by the low prices and outstanding service. Will I go back to Twisted? In a heart-beat! Would I recommend it to my friends? I just did!
If you are near Kansas City and want some fresh fast and affordable food, head to 22030 W. 66th St. Shawnee KS. 66226, Monday to Thursday 11:00am ‘til 8:00pm, Friday and Saturday 11:00am ‘til 9:00pm and Sunday 11:00am until 3:00pm. Or check out their outstanding menu out on their website.
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