Twisted Fork, a concept the owners describe as “upscale diner food,” is opening a brick-and-mortar location downtown next month.
Amanda Sandner, who co-owns the business with her husband, Jered Sandner, said a Sept. 30 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.
“The vibe and décor are perfect for our concept, so the space is pretty much ready to go,” said Amanda Sandner. “We’re very fortunate. We’re just waiting on the signage and our liquor license.”
She noted that since many people were fond of the “blue bar” in the former Nu-Voh, the couple decided to “leave that exactly as that is; a lot of people enjoyed that space.”
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.
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.
Kitchen hours will be 4-10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, and the bar still stay open until 1 a.m.
