Twisted Grille

Address: 
501 2nd St., Hudson, 715-386-6800, thetwistedgrille.com

The Scene
Twisted Grille sits in an old bank on the main drag of a charming Wisconsin river town, anchored by a comfy copper-topped wooden bar that feels like it’s been there for years. The trilevel, open-floor restaurant is crammed into a space that anyone would tell you is too small for such a contrivance. The bar, a lounge, and a row of new high-tops anchor the first floor; the open kitchen is the main attraction on the second level; while a small stage for live music is in the aerie. There are just enough locals at the bar to keep the Cheers vibe rolling for the weekenders. Everybody knows your name.

Our Take
Billing itself as a casual restaurant that puts an exciting twist on American cuisine is not the most accurate way to describe this thoroughly charming year-old tavern (Gourmet magazine’s puzzling 2005 shout-out notwithstanding). When the Grille goes for the culinary jugular, it misses the vein, but when it keeps it simple, it scores big points.
Skip the lobster lasagna and grab any of the bar’s fun snack-inspired appetizers. Fries are great, greaseless, and full of earthy potato flavor. Calamari is well made, but comes with a pointless vanilla-infused chili dipping sauce. Chicken-beef-shrimp-vegetable skewers are a mix-and-match affair if you so desire, all skillfully turned out, although also paired pointlessly, this time with pickled ginger. The cheese curds and steamed mussels are stalwarts of the modern-day tavern business and are deftly made. On the entrée list, crisped one-pan chicken is a simple dish that comes napped with home-style gravy; the popular short ribs with a Thai glaze are tender and massive. Beef burgers are very good, but skip the veal “butter burger,” which was dry and flavorless. Service is tavern-friendly and perfectly suited to the restaurant’s casual style. The dessert menu is obvious, from crème brûlée to chocolate lava cake, but everything’s very tasty.

About Face
Last September, Gourmet magazine threw a spotlight on Twisted Grille, deeming it a food-forward restaurant to watch. But chef Dustin Vanasse subsequently departed, and he has not been replaced with someone of similar ambition. According to co-owner Erin Govrik, Vanasse’s menu, which garnered praise, was too high-style for her clientele. The foodie community is too thin a slice of the pie in places like St. Croix County to keep TG, as it had been conceptualized, afloat. Food-forward restaurants are the hardest concepts to make work in any city. It costs more to eat in them and the fare is unfamiliar—big barriers to the casual diner. TG today is better suited to be a hit in Hudson, proving Zimmern’s fourth law: “Know thy customer and ye shall ring the register all your days!”