This is the perfect place for a Friday Funday! Â I had the Juan de Fuca Tacos and my sister had the Twisted Cork Burger. Both were made with super fresh ingredients and each had a unique twist to them - delicious! I'd also highly recommend the Templeton Mule from their Libations Menu. Â Our server was super nice and genuine; he even came to wish us a good day as we got into our car. Also - although we opted to sit inside and beat the heat, there is a great little patio area.
Review Source:I was a little concerned when I pulled up that there were no other cars in the parking lot but my company was set on trying this little gem. Â I ordered the salmon and beef sliders, the salmon slider was phenomenal, the beef was ok. Â My friend ordered the fish tacos and could not stop raving about them. Â Please know before you go that this restaurant is a "organic" friendly place... the only sweetener they have is Truvia and all of their sodas are stevia sweetened. Â Cute ambiance as well. Â Great little find.
Review Source:This was a 4.5 star experience for me. So close to five!
I think I saw Twisted as having the best burger in Nebraska according to some Food TV network thing. I saw that on a wall poster in Blanc Burger in Kansas City. Comical, as Blanc could not make it in burger-crazy Omaha. Anyway, I had to try it.
I immediately like TC, as they tell you where most of their ingredients come from. The nuts, pork, beef, etc. All the farms are printed on their menu. Your food has a name. That's cool. Be advised that good ingredients or known origin cost more money. Expect to pay a couple of buck more per entree here when comparing, say, a standard burger to their $13 burger from Hollenbeck Farm in Elmwood, NE. That's fair.
I started with Mulligatawny soup.This was a hybrid curry/coconut soup, with a good medium spice level. I loved it. It was a little rustic and chunky in texture with flakes of coconut and not being a fully emulsified coconut milk and broth combo. The flavors are fine, just don't expect a silky texture.
On to the famous burger. It was served on a perfect toasted bun, which was smaller than the patty diameter. Nobody should ever ask "where's the beef?" It was really tasty and tender... with the slaw and pickled onion providing crunch/tang and the cheese providing creaminess and the brioche a little sweetness. There is a balance to this burger... a harmony. It is not the full-on seasoned grease bomb you get at Stellas or the perfect diner burger you get at Dinkers. This is a bit more thought out.
The kettle chips were delicious and the Apple Bleu slaw was so good I could just eat a plate of that stuff alone.
Add a 471 Double IPA from Breckenridge Brewing and you have one hell of flavorful meal!
My service as a solo diner seated at the bar was great.
There are so many fun, simple, casual bistros where I live, but in Omaha they seem to be a rarity. Â This restaurant serves good, fresh, and yes even healthy food! Â Even the burgers!
They have expanded and now have two rooms. Â
The waiter was hip, young, cool and did a fine job. Â We ordered two locally-brewed IPA's at 9.2% alcohol. Â Yum! Â The corn and potato and cumin soup was filling and good. Â Then on to the Twisted Cork burger. Â Organic grass-fed beef, interesting sauce, pickled red onions, potato chips, a slaw, and a potato-bread bun. Â Wow. Â Really good.
Best food I've ever had in Omaha. Â Gotta keep searching for modern cuisine, it DOES exist in Omaha!!!
I'm a bit floored that so many of the reviews for this restaurant are so glowing. Â Maybe my experience was not the norm. Â It wasn't a bad experience, but certainly nowhere near exceptional.
A co-worker and I went here for dinner during a recent visit to Omaha. Â I spied the Honolulu Salad on the menu and immediately decided I had to have it. It is described on the menu as, "grilled wild jumbo shrimp, lime-jalapeno vinaigrette, mango, avocado, tomato, crisp prosciutto, Maytag bleu cheese, macadamia nuts, mixed greens." Sounds delish, right? It was actually just barely ok. The greens were fresh and lovely, but the salad dressing, despite a bit of bite from the jalapeno, was otherwise relatively flavorless. There were three over-cooked rubbery shrimp on my salad that were NOT grilled as described on the menu, a negligible amount of bleu cheese, slimy room temperature thawed frozen mango, a couple of slices of avocado and no tomato at all. The one thing on the salad that helped a bit to amp up the flavor was the macadamia nuts which were a nice touch on an otherwise lackluster salad. The salad was over-priced at $19. For that price, I would expect a pretty outstanding salad, but what I received definitely missed the target.
Service was a bit slow considering that the restaurant wasn't very busy, but water was refilled fairly quickly and our waitress was pleasant if not a bit perfunctory in the performance of her duties. Â
This is not a restaurant I would go out of my way to visit again, but it wasn't so bad that I'd never be willing to try it again.
9 months later and we tried to return for lunch on a Friday. Â There's a major construction project on Pacific Street so we called ahead to make sure they were seating for lunch. Â They were, and more--the woman ("R") was rude about it. Â When I asked if the construction would mean we'd have to pull in from a different direction or anything like that, she insulted my intelligence. Â The end.
Review Source:Had a good lunch here last Saturday. Â They have a selection of iced teas, if you like sweet tea try the plantation tea, if you prefer unsweetened they have both green and black iced tea. Â All were strong enough, and made with good tea. Â I had the Sockeye Salmon & Greens salad and my husband tried the Twisted Cork Burger. Â I really enjoyed my salad, the salmon was done to your taste, and the salad was very well dressed. Â The burger was good, but did not blow my husband away. Â Plenty moist, and done well, with nicely melted cheese, but it just wasn't amazing. Â I really liked the interior of the restaurant, but thought it was very loud with the high ceilings and open plan for only having 2/3 the tables full. Â Overall I would like to go back again, but might try it for dinner next time because their tasting menu looks good.
Review Source:What has happened to the Twisted Cork Bistro? The food was outstanding but what really made this place was the great staff. They had a couple of really odd guys in the kitchen who could work magic with food. They were incredible. The kitchen staff has now changed and so has the quality and taste of the food. The food is Ok but not special. The waiters and waitresses always made me feel like family and remembered me. Now, most of the great people who were friends are gone. The new section is cold and dark. It's really sad, this was a great place.
Review Source:Yum! Stopped at this place on a road trip (found it based on yelp) and it was good! We wanted a quick but good meal.
We sat in the pub and had a few beers and some food. I had the seattle burger and my mom had the salmon tacos. Both were very good. Well cooked, and properly seasoned. The salmon tacos had a really yummy bacon mayo on it, and the blue corn shell was perfect; not too thick or thin like some hard shell tacos are. The seattle burger was flavored which coffee, which I was hesitant about at first but I am glad I ordered it. The goat cheese and rosemary was a great compliment.
 The decor was nice, very clean/modern but with a cozy feel.
The staff was friendly and helpful.
Fabulous food northwest flair definitely one of the great restaurants in omaha especially when you consider that none of these restaurants in omaha seem to have wine from the northwest.
If you're interested in quality ingredients from local vendors put together in great recipes this is the place to be.
Don't forget to ask for a good wine recommendation to go with your menu selection .
I've been going to Twisted Cork, mainly for lunch, since "discovering" the restaurant a couple of years ago. Â Â The food is always fresh and of consistently high quality, and the atmosphere welcoming. Â Â
The owners do a great job of keeping the menu appealing and diverse, adding new dishes while maintaining old favorites (and cheerfully accommodating off-menu requests). Â The wait staff is friendly and attentive. Â I have also noticed new faces recently on the staff and miss some of the faces we used to see, but the quality of the service is still very good. Â I like the addition of the tavern, as it makes the space more open (and makes it easier to get a table during lunch). Â
The salmon and burgers (twisted cork and Seattle) are can't miss items. Â Fresh and prepared well every time. Â I love this place and definitely recommend it.
I usually never do a review for anything, but this time around I felt like it was the right thing to do. Â I used to be a regular at the Twisted Cork Bistro, mainly for lunches, but I have also had several dinners in there. Â I had been going there for well over two years and enjoyed the food and the staff. Â Always a fun experience and some of the servers at lunch used to crack me up. Â You walked away feeling pretty darn good. Â But over the past several months things have changed. Â Food has taken a nose dive in quality and consistency. Â For example, I used to love the salmon fish tacos, for some reason the kitchen is now overcooking the salmon. Â Thank goodness for the miso glaze and the bacon mayo or they would be inedible. Â The bang bang chicken now seems to be served with chicken pieces and parts. Â The reuben sandwich, which started out really good, has recently went through phases from salty to bland to chewy to fatty. Â Again there is no consistency. Â And the recent dinners have, well honestly not been very good. Â The steaks have gone way downhill and I feel like I am getting a mystery cut. Â And in my wife's case, they either overcook it or undercook the steak. Â Speaking of overcooked, the last dinner I had in there, the tuna was overcooked! Â Overcooking tuna is a big no-no. Â Overall dinners seem to be sloppy and inconsistent. Â I did find out from a couple servers that the kitchen staff is all pretty new as most of the people who had been there for a while are now gone. Â That explains a lot. Â But it seems like someone forgot to train these people or someone is not watching what is happening.
Now to the staff. Â I am not sure what has happened here, but there are a lot of new servers and to be completely honest, they are not as personable or as fun as the ones who have been there for a long time. Â In fact, I am not sure where some of the older ones are now. Â Maybe they have left or they are not working as many hours or are on different days and I keep missing them. Â I do miss the fun from them. Â Or maybe it is the over focus on the tavern expansion, which is great for the owners I guess, but not for me. Â I am there for the food and the wine. Â I do not think of the Twisted Cork as the bar or tavern or whatever to go get a drink. Â There are plenty of places in Omaha for that. Good luck to them on the tavern, but my suggestion is not to lose focus on what brought people in, which was the interesting and good food along with the personal touch from the staff. Â I feel both of those are only a shell of what they used to be.
My sister and I decided to go to the Twisted Cork on a Saturday afternoon and I'm pretty sure we were the first customers for the day haha. Â It was super nice out, so we decided to eat out on the patio. (just a side note - no dogs allowed even on the patio!)
I got the Juan de Fuca tacos (aka the salmon tacos) that everyone seems to be raving about and I don't know if it was over-hyped or something, but I just found them to be okay to be honest. Â And I LOVE salmon, so it was kind of disappointing.
It only comes with TWO small tacos with a side of white rice. Â And they were served in hardshells, which I don't like at all (more of a soft taco person). Â And it was about $11, I think. Â Not worth it in my opinion.
My sister got the Bang Bang Chicken salad. YUUUM. Â It had pieces of chicken with greens, almonds, carrots, bits of ramen, etc. Â The dressing was very tasty! Highly recommend for someone who wants to have a healthy option, but still have it taste good!
Oh, and our waitress was super nice and friendly. Great service!
Overall, I'd come back, but not for the salmon tacos.
Yum.
I was pleasantly surprised by my recent trip to Twisted Cork Bistro. We arrived on a Thursday afternoon to a busy lunch crowd and had to wait about 20 minutes for a table. It was worth it though, as the food was delicious and fairly priced. Also, they have a decent beer offering to wash down the food with.
My boyfriend and I split the Twisted Cork Burger and the Juan de Fuca Tacos, both of which we were pleased with. The burger was extremely flavorful and paired nicely with the slaw and chips on the side. As for the Tacos, I've never had salmon tacos (a tragedy, I know) so I was excited to try these. They didn't disappoint as the avocado aioli, bacon, and pico de gallo complimented the salmon and was all wrapped up in a satisfying crunch.
I wish I could say more about my experience here, but the service, atmosphere, and food came as a welcome surprise to my idea of the Omaha restaurant scene. The next time I'm in town, I'll be back.
Salmon tacos were very good. Husband had the burger with chips. I tried a bite and it was very flavorful. Â The place is rather small. The service on a slower Saturday afternoon could have been better. Our server ended up chatting with some people at another table, and it took a while to finally get our food. All in all, we will return for an afternoon lunch if we are in the neighborhood.
Review Source:Like a previous poster, I have nothing bad to say about TCB. Â The food was good, but I felt a little pricey for what you got.
I had the Twisted Cork Burger which was recommended. Â The ingredients were good and I especially enjoyed the apple slaw. Â Portion size was very lunch like. Â Not big, but not small enough that birds wouldn't have gotten full. Â
It's near a fire station and when I ordered the sirens went off. Â I thought I had won a super prize, but unfortunately it was just a fire somewhere. Â Oh well.
Awful. Really Awful. Â
I went on date night with my boyfriend a couple weekends ago, and maybe we went to a different place than the rest of the people that have reviewed this place. Â I saw that this place had some good reviews and we were going to go out West anyways, so we decided to try it. Â I only give the one star for the cozy feel of the restaurant, our nice server, and the good beer list.
My boyfriend got the Steak Oscar. Â He ordered it medium, and it was definitely more on the medium-rare side. Â It was flavorless, and the meat had a strange texture. Â
I got the house special, Cioppino. Â Being originally from the Northwest and also with family in the Bay Area (SF), I was really excited that this place was supposed to be a Hawaiian/Seattle theme place. Â The menu doesn't really reflect that, except for the Cioppino. Â I LOVE cioppino. Â It's supposed to be this yummy, spicy, robust, savory, and steaming hot seafood soup/stew with a crusty baguette or crostini to sop up that goodness. Â What I got at Twisted Cork was a sad, lukewarm seafood medley consisting of one rubbery scallop, a few mussels, a few dry shrimp, and an EXTREMELY overcooked piece of salmon resting on top of a chunky tomato sauce more appropriate to be poured over some pasta and a few pieces of untoasted ciabatta bread. Â I only ate it because I was starving. Â Â
Both dishes were around $25 a piece. Â Not only is that overpriced for the quality of food we received, but even if they were $10, I wouldn't order those dishes again. Â In fact, I will not be visiting this restaurant again. Â Such a disappointment. Â Being from out of town, I've actually really enjoyed most of the restaurants I've been to in Omaha, but DEFINITELY NOT this one.
P.S. Â On the other hand, I get my eyebrows done (she is the only threader I know of in town) w/Yon in the same building, and she's AMAZING!
I honestly can't think of anything wrong with my experience at Twisted Cork. Â But for some reason, a 5 star rating just doesn't seem right. Â The service was great and the beer selection and prices were definitely a huge plus. Â For dinner I got the Seattle cioppino because, well, cioppino is probably one of the best things ever invented. Â If you're not familiar with the dish, it originated in San Francisco, CA and, I guess you could call it a tomato/fennel based seafood stew. Â This one has salmon (that's what made it "Seattle" I suppose) instead of crab, mussles, shrimp, a huge scallop and avocado garnishing. Â I thought it was good. Â The flavor profile contributed by the fennel was noticeable...which was great for me because I am a big fan of the stuff. Â Some of my other friends got the seared ahi appetizer and the fish looked fresh. Â In fact it looked exactly like seared ahi I got at the Common Market in Seattle...whether or not it was even close to as good as that one was, I can only guess but my friends really seemed to enjoy it.
One thing I noticed as a little curious, being from Hawaii, were the "Hawaiian" things on the menu. Â I'm not so sure that including macadamia nuts or mango in a dish makes it "hawaiian". Â It's sort of like putting pineapple on a pizza and calling it hawaiian. Â One major plus, however, was that I noticed they had Aloha Maid Guava juice on the menu. Â Let me just say that first, Guava juice is awesome. Â When I used to bartend, it was something I'd drink every single day. Â In Hawaii, Aloha Maid juices aren't typically the type of quality of juices that you'd find at most restaurants. Â Despite it's branding, I don't even think Aloha Maid is made in Hawaii. Â Regardless, the stuff is tasty and isn't a bad introduction to Guava if you've never had it.
One last thing that really caught my eye was that they had affogato. Affogatto = gelato w/espresso. Â If you can imagine how awesome that usually is, then yeah. Â And although I didn't order it at Twisted Cork, I can only imagine it's as delicious as everything else was. Â Definitely recommended!
Oh and this is Twisted CORK not FORK.
Good service, good food, good time. Â A cozy bistro (32 seats) in a business plaza off of Pacific Ave. Â
Fully natural and organic. Â Nice selection of wine from the Northwest. Â Mostly seafood on the menu with a chicken and meat entree available. Â We had the Filet Mignon, which while small, was extremely tasty and the Seafood Duet consisting of shrimp and scallops which were prepared well and not overcooked. Â The duet was served with jasmine rice and a mango/coconut curry sauce (very nice). Â
Be sure to make reservations. Â We saw people try and walk in who had to be turned away.
I've visited Twisted Cork Bistro four times and each merited 5 stars. Service is top notch, the atmosphere is cozy, and the food/wine divine.
First time we went with another couple, upon their recommendation. Outstanding, fresh ingredients. I had the steak and a delightful pinot noir. Wines were very reasonably priced. Next two visits were lunch, featuring the salmon sliders and chowder (oh. my. gosh) and the salmon tacos. My husband had the famous burger, also tasty.
My last visit was a girls night out, and I had the chicken. So fresh, so yummy. Just the right amount of seasoning and sauce. I would've licked the plate if I could.
Can't wait to go back!
I love their corn chowder! It's delicious and perfectly seasoned everytime! Â As for their buger that was featured on the Food Network, it was good but I've had better. Â Their salmon burgers are great, they definitely don't skimp out on giving you decent sized fillets. Â
As for the theme of the food/restaurant, I would have to agree with one of the reviewers, that its a tad confusing. Hawaiin and Seattle fusion? Whatever the case the food is delish, but if you're thinking it's Pacific NW cuisine, think again.
I need to come back and sample more stuff. It probably isn't the smartest idea to come for dinner because it is on the pricey side... but given the freshness of th ingredients and how they are cooked to perfection, the price is right. As much as I like the plating, the long plate for the steak and shrimp course made it a little awkward when I tried to rest my knife somewhere along the edge. I wonder what others thought about that.
Review Source:The vibe was nice, the service was WONDERFUl, and the salad with mango and shrimp in it was an explosion of flavor!
The restaurant seemed to be one part Hawaiian, one part Seattle, and one part Wine Bistro. Hmmm....I'm a California girl, so I can't say I completely understand or support their choice to serve wine exclusively from the NW, but hey, at least they're consistent.
We also had the burger, which was pleasant, but not spectacular. I know, I'm a hater. :)
In all, a funky little place to try. And make reservations because in true Bistro style, it's small!
So far, this is my favorite lunch spot in Omaha. The burger and the salmon tacos are excellent, all the flavors balanced and distinct. I have tried all the soups and can recommend them all.
Service is efficient, knowledgeable, polite, and friendly. Nice selection of beers, even have a hard cider available.
This is my must stop place every time I travel to Omaha.
Great service and the food is extremely fresh. I love the fact that they have natural organic products (including beer, wine and sodas with real sugar).
The soups are delicious and the salads always crisp and fresh.
The burgers and the salmon tacos are a must.
Try this place, you won't regret it!
What a surprise to find such a neat restaurant tuck away in a strip of stores next to the hotel I was staying in. Â I had yellowfin tuna seared and raw inside with a pineapple salsa over a bed of greens with a wasabi sauce. Â Yummy is all I can say. A decent glass of wine served in a reidel wine glass. Â My friend ate a lovely smelling and tasting scallop and shrimp curry with jasmine rice. Â Excellent restaurant with very friendly owner/wife combo there to serve.
Review Source:Always fantastic food. Â Small bistro with big flavors. Nationally famous for their award winning burger - but don't stop off there. Â
This should be a regular addition to your Omaha Foodie List!
(And prices are great; considering the fresh ingredients and recipes!)
Now, how about that second location downtown??
In between the great reviews here and the emphasis on fresh, sustainably grown/harvested food, a philosophy I always love to support, I've been wanting to try this place for months, and we finally managed a trip for lunch yesterday.
The ambiance was very nice, and like many of the other reviewers here, the owner stopped by for a chat and actually took our order himself.
My husband got the Salmon Slider with tomato soup instead of corn chowder. The soup was great, with a very pleasant Southwestern zing, and the salmon was perfect and moist.
I had the duet, with one Salmon Slider and one Twisted Cork burger. The burger is a beef-pork blend, nicely seasoned, and it came out a true medium-rare as requested, and very juicy. The side was an excellent, tender coleslaw with a nice, light sauce - very tasty, and I say that as someone who usually hates coleslaw.
We got a Ghiradelli truffle cookie for dessert - yummy, but not as outstanding as the rest of the meal. The Chocolate Moose Cafe still reigns supreme in the Omaha area for desserts.
Pricey for Omaha relative to the amount of food you get, but well worth the splurge!
Wow... this was a REALLY good spot for lunch. I was driving through Nebraska and had a bit of time to kill before my flight out of Omaha so stopped in at this unassuming place. Â The result was nothing I would have expected for Omaha. Â It's a fairly small restaurant... maybe 15 tables in a single room. Â The place feels very homey but with a definite elegance to it. Â Incredible ambiance.
As far as the menu, everything looked good... I hope that I can return sometime in the near future to try some of the other options. Â But I opted for a dish that was a combination of two of their dishes so I could sample as much of the menu in a single plate as possible. Â It was the 'slider' combo which has a small beef burger with a small salmon sandwich served with sides of cole slaw and chips. Â In writing this I understand that this sounds completely underwhelming. Â But this was in no way your average burger, chips and cole slaw. Â Everything is prepared with the highest quality ingredients and served perfectly. Â Fabulous garnishes and cheeses and sauces used in the preparation made this a REALLY incredible lunch. Â I think I read that the owner is from Seattle and has the salmon flown in from the fish market in Seattle. Â The quality of the ingredients was unmistakable.
Service was good, warm and unobtrusive. The owner came by and checked in on me between visits from the waitress. Â And the owner sat and chatted with other tables throughout my visit.
If I could give this place more than 5 stars I would. Â I can't think of a single complaint and just given my expectations for Omaha, this was a complete and unexpectedly good experience!
Just had lunch at the T C B ... LOVE it there. My husband and I arrived a little late for lunch, but were lucky to score two seats at the window bar. I had been there once before, and had been longing to go back ever since.
I ordered the wild salmon brioche sandwich with corn chowder and slaw. The salmon was moist and tender, the bread lightly sweet and oh so soft. The sandwich also had a simple mayo with shreds of wonderful basil! Every bite was a treat! The slaw is so simple and flavorful! Hint of onion ... a bit of sweetness and tart apple with the light vinegar dressing and crumbles of blue cheese ... (Can you tell I LOVED it!) I shamelessly have tried to replicate it at home to no avail ... I will just continue to go back! The chowder was also full of flavor and the two colors of corn I can only assume were cut fresh from the cob. I paired it with the owners suggestion with a generous glass of Pinot ... It was a GREAT lunch!
I GREATLY appreciate the attention to detail and passion for great food and wine. The owner was actually our waiter ... he felt like a  friend and took the time to talk to us ... one could tell he loves what he does ... it shows!  I cannot wait to return!
I really enjoyed my first time at TC and can't belive I hadn't heard of it before. Â My first thought after looking at the menu is that this is the kind of place I could easily fall in love with. Â Local business using locally obtained food with a committment to natural foods all while excluding the use of preservatives... these things make my heart go pitter patter. Â
I actually didn't even make it inside Twisted Cork and therefore can't comment at all on the interior. Â It was such an absolutely nice day I just couldn't force myself to check it out... next time.
We split the Steak Sandwich, Lavosch Pizza and I had a Ginger Ale. Â Everything was absolutely delicious. Â Simple enough that you can taste all the ingredients and appreciate them for what they are individually as well as how they compliment each-other. Â I honestly haven't eaten anywhere else in recent memory that I couldn't wait to rush back to at the soonest opportunity.
I was exceedingly jealous of the table next door that sipped large cool glasses of white wine over lunch. Â If it wern't for the parking lot to my right, I could have easily imagined myself on vacation. Â Except for the fact that I was on a lunch break and had to rush back to work. Â Service was a little slow, but the meal more than made up for it.
Oh, yum.
We went in for lunch after seeing the World-Herald's article a little while ago. Being from Oregon, we went in hoping for something delicious and familiar and met with success.
I was hard-pressed to decide what to order because of all the tempting options, but settled on The Duet (mini burger + mini salmon sandwich) and subbed out the Kettle Chips for corn chowder. The salmon was my favorite part of the meal. I could have eaten four of five of those things, what with the lemon-mayo and basil and perfectly cooked salmon, oh my it was tasty. The burger was nicely seasoned with multiple layers of flavor. The corn chowder was very good, but I would have liked it a bit richer.
Service was friendly and attentive; our coffee cups and water glasses were refilled often--I do with they would be better about keeping their fingers away from the lip of the glasses, however.
Nice decor, comfortable setting. We are already planning to go back for the three-course meal. Must try dessert, salad and wine!
Omaha would benefit from more establishments like the Twisted Cork. Â I mean it in a most flattering way when I state that you can actually taste that which you are eating.
I generally prefer to post regarding cuisine of the weird, abhorrent or campy, but the Cork embodies none of these. Â Thus, I am inclined to play it straight.
The Twisted Cork is located in Shaker Place. Â This is an "ante-bellum" inspired strip just off I-680 that looks like it should house a country gentlemen law firm that one might be more accustomed to seeing when stopping in Benevolence, GA (pop. 322). Â And in fact, during our last dinner there, a stately, goateed, gray-haired fellow stopped in for takeout. Â All that was missing was his seersucker suit and a , "Y'alls not from 'round here, are ya now?"
The Cork occupies the space of the erstwhile Synchronicitea (they should have named it Stupiditea) and is next to nightspot "The Naughty" (they can always change it to Naughtea if they lose their liquor license). Â In between are a law firm and a dry cleaner. Â This begs the question, would Omaha be better organized with Koko the Gorilla manning the zoning office?
In any case, the space is warm. Â The red room seats maybe 25, and one has a sightline into the kitchen. Â The pace of dinner is leisurely and the owner/operator staff is friendly.
The owner couple moved to Omaha from Seattle to open Twisted Cork. Â Â The restaurant features fresh, often local and often wild/organic ingredients. Â The flavors are clean and the preperations simple. Â The ingredients take center stage here and the kitchen merely plays accompaniment.
The salads are well constructed and a diner can actually detect vegetables. Â The endive, grapefruit and avocado salad allows its ingredients to shine through, drizzled faintly (and adequately) with a light vinaigrette. Â It is a pleasant combination. Â The house salad is sprinkled with walnuts and maytag blue cheese. Â Fruit and nuts complement many of the dishes, including the fantastic cheese plate.
The soups are a strength of the kitchen. Â The corn chowder was delicious, light, and only partially pureed. The consistency was perfect and the seasoning did not overwhelm the corn. Â The tomato bisque also reflected the chef's light touch. Â Homemade croutons gave it some life and a salty kick.
The main courses did not disappoint. Â The house burger is beef-pork hybrid delicately peppered and served on a soft, sweet, buttery bun. Â The burger is satisfying, but the homemade potato chips that come alongside make this a meal. Â The sockeye salmon is cooked adroitly (i.e. they do not turn it into a hockey puck). Â It is shipped from Seattle and it is the real deal. Â Served over potatoes or rice, this is one of the better fish offerings in town. Â At lunch, I dig the bistro sandwich with tillamook cheddar and granny smith apple slices.
Almost all of the wines are Washington/Oregon offerings and there is little markup on them. Â You cannot miss with a northwest pinot noir. Â I am told the coffee is Seattle-worthy, though I cannot vouch for it personally. Â Save room for a chocolate, chocolate chip cookie.
Being small and family operated, the Cork is only opened two nights a week (more of a lunch place) and is sometimes booked for private dinners. Â If you have young kids, it is BYOH (high chair). Â These are really sweet people making great food.
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