First Look: Twist
06-May-2006
Twist has been open for two months now, so I thought it was time to give it a try. I’m not sure where all of the principals hail from, but at least one has roots at The Frontier Room. R and I arrived at the tail end of Happy Hour. Their specialty, infused vodka cocktails, are all $5 and there are several $2 appetizers.
We sat in the front bar, which was relatively quiet. The back bar, which we took a look at on the way out, was filled with a boisterous private party. On most nights that would be the bar to select, though. Located on the west side of the building and loaded with large windows along the entire wall, the views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains are amazing. Even if, as in last night, you might actually need your sunglasses while enjoying your cocktails!
R started with a Cutini and I had a Pineapple concoction – the exact name escapes me. I ordered my drink at the bar and asked the bartender to add a bit extra lime, since although I love pineapple it tends to make drinks a bit too sweet for me.
R’s Cutini was great – very refreshing. Our only complaint was that the cucumber had seen better days – actually I believe it was fresh but had been cut with a serrated knife when prepared for the garnish, which left it torn and hanging limply on the side of the glass. My pineapple cocktail was good – the extra lime mellowed out the sweetness but it still was on the verge of being too much. I don’t think I’d ever order two of these in a row.
The food did not fair quite as well, although it seemed to have potential. We ordered crab cakes and Thai Chicken Wings. The crab cakes were fine but nothing special. Although it is possible that I’m a bit jaded due to my great experience on Tuesday. I know for sure, however, that the chicken wings were disappointing. About the best thing I can say about them is that they were spicy. But also goopy with nothing "Thai" about them except the heat in the sauce. I suggested to R that perhaps they were actually Thai chickens – okay probably not! :-)
Anyway, to their credit, our server seemed genuinely interested in our feedback saying that since they were so new they really wanted to find out what customers thought and use that feedback for improvements. Time will tell if that’s true or not.
I have heard that this place is quite the scene later in the evening and that may or may not be your style. But, for a place to sip a cocktail while enjoying the view I don’t think there are too many places that can hold a candle to this location so you may want to check it out just from that perspective.
Twist
2313 1st Ave
Belltown, Seattle
206.448.9478
Happy Hour: Tuesday – Friday, 4:00 – 7:00
Culinary Fool 
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