Twist Bar & Grill opened in January in place of Basie’s inside the Radisson Inn. While the decor and atmosphere are a definite upgrade, it needs more work to become a destination restaurant.
Don’t get me wrong. The food is good, but it doesn’t differ much from an Applebee’s or Chili’s. And I understand why: it needs to fulfill the room-service needs of its guests, who are looking for familiar fare. On several visits the place was dead; once for lunch I was the only diner.
To its credit, Twist does try to add its own twist to the Wisconsin-themed menu items. For example, the Cuban sandwich ($12) uses Carr Valley Gruyere and an unpressed ciabatta bun. Overall, the sandwich was a perfectly assembled mashup of flavors, though a bit on the salty side.
There are just five other sandwiches on the surprisingly small menu, and the Neuske’s bacon burger ($13) is one of them. It sports a super thick patty topped with Hook’s cheddar, a fried egg, Dijon aioli and an ungodly amount of sauteed onions. It’s hard to describe this any other way besides “not bad.”
The entrees–rib-eye steak, mac and cheese, grilled pork chop, wild mushroom pasta and seared salmon–also are fairly standard, which is why I didn’t feel any need to try them.
Appetizers include cheese curds, wings and pretzel rolls. I enjoyed the beer cheese soup ($4 cup, $7 bowl) for its creaminess, ample portions of Bavaria sausage and Cajun popcorn sprinkled on top.
If you’re sitting at the brightly lit bar, you can watch sports on one of eight TVs. The Twist theme is prevalent here, too. The Badger old fashioned ($9) contains Bulleit bourbon instead of the requisite brandy, though I gulped it down quite easily. Meanwhile, the Twistini ($10) is comprised of Absolut Citron, Grand Marnier and sparkling wine and is quite sweet.
Twist is open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
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See more photos in our Twist Bar & Grill Flickr album.
One last item I had was the doner kebab ($7.50), comprised of Turkish lamb and chicken sausage, slaw, chili-mayo and cucumber yogurt sauce. As you can tell by the ingredients, it was a excellent mashup of flavors and textures. On my next visit, I’ll probably order the Swedish meatballs ($6.50) or the Drunky Ducky ($8; made with maple bourbon duck sausage).
I have many fond memories of eating at the Admiralty Room to celebrate one occasion or another. It was always an elegant evening topped with a stunning view of Lake Mendota.
Entrees include seafood, steaks and chops. The striped bass was one evening’s catch of the day ($32). I thought it was a perfect contrast of tender, flaky fish complementing a crisp skin. It came with roasted tomatoes, green beans and a subtle basil emulsion.
Lots of great apps at lunch, too. I settled on the duck confit poutine ($10). The duck was immensely succulent, and there was a generous portion of cheese so that you weren’t stuck with plain fries at the end. You have to try this!
