We recently made a return trip to The Twisted Tail, 509 S. Second St., after hearing that the Bourbon House with the Southern-themed menu had gotten itself a new chef and menu.
With its bluesy music and rock ’n’ roll-inspired roadhouse décor, we probably would have enjoyed ourselves without sampling the arsenal of libations that were available. But we couldn’t resist, especially with more than 80 bourbons at our disposal, not to mention the peach cobbler moonshine. The latter was decadently sweet and powerful and succeeded in putting us in a good mood.
Grilling is definitely the forte at The Twisted Tail, and many of our favorites were the grilled sides and small-plate items. The corn on the cob ($5) was perfection — buttery and juicy with a spicy sweet red-pepper marmalade that brightened up the already- fantastic dish. The oyster mushrooms ($7) had a pleasantly light flavor and texture and the shishito peppers had a slight kick without being too bold.
The only dish that survived the menu changes was the crawfish mac ’n’ cheese ($9), which we remembered enjoying the last time, so we sampled some of the new dishes on the block. The only bump in the road early on was the big eye tuna tartare ($12), which was not seasoned nearly enough to be interesting. On the other hand, the heirloom tomato salad was vibrant and fresh in its simple but abundant presentation. The crab cakes were absolutely brilliant, with a lovely crunch on the outside and excellently light on the inside.
Two of the best we had at The Twisted Tail were the cornbread ($5), which was delightfully hot and sweet, and the shrimp and grits ($18), which overflowed with rich down-home, bacon-infused flavor. The diver scallops ($19) were great enough by themselves, but something wasn’t quite right with the baked beans on the side, as they had a slightly underdone texture and none of the familiar comforts one expects with baked beans.
You really can’t skip dessert when you eat Southern food because that would be torture. The peach cobbler was great but it came with a bacon ice cream that we had a hard time wrapping our heads around. There was nothing wrong with it, except it didn’t seem to enhance the peach cobbler and made us wish for some simple vanilla ice instead. Then there were the beignets, which were the best incarnation of the dish we can ever remember having. They had the irresistible combination of massive size, perfect temperature and fluffy texture, creating a perfect ball of heaven that was taken over the top by a rich caramel dipping sauce. We’ve had beignets all over town and, trust us, it gets no better than The Twisted Tail’s take on the classic dessert.
With some new talent in the kitchen, the Southern charm of The Twisted Tail, much like the alcohol content in the drinks, has only gotten stronger.