Twisted Fork, a concept the owners describe as “upscale diner food,” is opening downtown on Friday.
Amanda Sandner, who co-owns the business with her husband, Jered Sandner, said an Oct. 6 opening is planned for 400 E. Jefferson, the restaurant space inside the historic St. Nicholas Apartments. The space has been vacant since Nu-Voh closed in the spring of 2022.
A “friends and family” soft opening was held last weekend, and Sandner said there was great feedback from people who attended. “The burgers are a bit hit, with the mac and cheese a close second,” she said. “We ran a limited menu for that event, but we’ll have the full menu beginning Friday for our official opening.”
In addition to offering half-a-dozen varieties of the couple’s popular mac n’ cheese, Sandner said the menu will include classic diner foods such as smashburgers, meatloaf, horseshoes and pork tenderloins, along with steak, fish and chicken dishes.
The couple’s culinary journey began with winning a mac-and-cheese competition held at George Rank’s, then holding pop-up events at the bar on South Sixth Street. “We started cooking there in 2021,” said Sandner. “The bar’s kitchen never reopened after COVID, so we started working out of there.”
The Sandners had initially planned to transition to a food truck as the next stage for Twisted Fork. “We purchased a food truck and we’ve been renovating that, but then we came across this opportunity with the empty Nu-Voh space,” said Sandner, who said they still plan to keep the food truck and use it for appearances at festivals and other special events.
Sander said the space didn’t require much in the way of renovations, and the couple even kept the iconic “blue bar” from the former Nu-Voh restaurant.
“We’re fully staffed at this point and have really good tenure on our team,” said Sandner. “We’re just excited and ready to go.”
Kitchen hours will be 4-10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, and the bar will stay open until 1 a.m.
