The Twisted Fork Diner

I went to the Twisted Fork for their «best wings in the city» — and they were good, but they were $ 9/​pound on special! It seemed like a pretty light pound too…
The regular menu is much smaller than it used to be, as are the portions. My dinner companion got the shepard’s pie (I think it was $ 16), and it could have easily passed for an appetizer — it was tiny! The burgers also seem much smaller than they used to be.
As always the service/​kitchen was terribly slow — this is definitely not the place to go if you are in a hurry.

I like visiting the Twisted Fork for breakfast because so few people know that they have a great brunch menu. Although lighting is low in this restaurant/​bar, big storefront windows let the light in during breakfast hours.
Like most of the fare here, breakfast meals are traditional diner-​type selections with a bit of a twist. Exotic cheeses or unique syrup flavours add to the meals here and make the Fork a neat place to visit for a different kind of breakfast. Everyone in my party enjoyed their meal.
Whenever a staff member leaves Twisted Fork, a new fork is put up to hang from the ceiling to remember them by. A neat idea, but I have to admit, I’m always afraid of a fork falling on my head.

I’ve visited Twisted Fork twice now and am just waiting for it to leave it’s mark in my mind. I like the idea — modern, fresh, local fare. But in the two visits I’ve had, I’m yet to fall in love.
We booked a reservation just a few hours before going in but the only slots they had available were 8PM or 5:45PM. We picked 5:45PM and walked into an almost empty restaurant, so I wasn’t too impressed with their reservation services.
Parking along Whyte Ave can be tricky. We were lucky to get a metered spot right outside but other than that, your options are quite limited if you’re looking to park for free.
The restaurant itself is nice and clean, but plain — there are lots of big screen TVs up at the front of the restaurant around the bar and I found them kind of distracting (I never thought they’d be going for the sports bar atmosphere). On top of that, they were playing some sort of Top 40 pop radio station that was super loud and kind of messed with the ecelectic atmosphere.
The is smaller but varied menu features a lot of greener options — lots of whole wheat grains and veggies. For a restaurant that described itself as having menu items with a surprising «twist» in them, I didn’t really see anything unusual or interesting about their choices. My boyfriend had a burger and I went for their whole wheat salmon florentine penne. I found the pasta to be well seasoned, not overcooked and fresh, but unfortunately forgettable. The burger my boyfriend had was nice looking but only «slightly above average» in his words.
The waitress we had was nice but not too knowledgable, and we ended up waiting almost 45 minutes for our entrees (despite the fact that the restaurant didn’t get much busier as the night carried on). I left feeling full, but not truly satisifed or estatic over the evening.
All in all, Twisted Fork is going in the right direction, but they aren’t quite there yet. If they keep their kitchen moving smoothly and start integrating some new ideas, maybe they’ll be on their way.

Modern French cuisine. I’ve had both brunch and lunch here with a friend who works at the UofA. Menus are creative without being too far out there.
Brunch was exceptional — the cook knew how to use eggs properly in an omelette, one of the fluffiest I’ve ever had and ingredients were very fresh.
Lunch was very good, but not as impressive as brunch.
Service was accommodating and knowledgeable both times, but brunch service was excellent — server had good rapport.
Pricing was very reasonable, given the quality of the food ($ 10-​$ 20). Dinner is also decently priced ($ 20-​$ 35).
One issue is their hours are not set — they open and close as the owner feels like, it seems. There are no hours posted at the restaurant itself. Website information is also not accurate for hours, etc as of the time of this posting.
I personally dislike the trend of having long bench seats where you are basically sitting cheek to jowl with strangers, but I’m willing to put up with it for the quality of the food.

I actually went here on the opening night of this diner and I really liked it.
The drinks were all good and the service was totally on top of everything (you would hope so, it being opening night).
I really liked the ambiance of this diner. There are a ton of booths and lots of room for sitting in groups. Like the last reviewer, I tried the sweet potato fries as well and they were AMAZING! Definitely a rival to Dadio’s famous ones.

Twisted Fork was the chosen destination for a business meeting, as it tends to be quiet in the mid-​afternoon. The lighting is dim, and the interior weaves around until you can get a clear view of the kitchen. There is a variety of drink and food specials which change daily, and a main menu that has a lot of variety anf reasonable prices. There are burgers, sandwiches, flat breads, snacks and appetizers, and several main entrees.
One of my party ordered a balsamic flat bread, which came coated in cheese and tomatoes, drizzled with balsamic vinegar. I did not taste it, as I don’t care for goat cheese, but she thought it was great and the other member of my party dug in as well.
I shared a plate of sweet potato fries with the other member of my group. I like sweet potatoes, but an often disappointed with sweet potato fries which are often served overly greasy or mushy. These ones were perfect. Not greasy at all, they had a good crunch to them and were served with a delicious mayonnaise-​based dipping sauce. My only complaint is that I did not get to eat enough of them, as most of them got gulped down as I was making a presentation.
I will definitely return to try a meal on my own. And if I bring anyone with me, I will make sure not to talk too much so that I can enjoy more of the food!

The Twisted Fork diner is a cool space that has the feel of a student hot spot, not just cause of the chalkboard with drink and food specials each day of the week and student discounts, but they have free wireless Internet and a sports bar feel, good for shaking off exam stress; and itâs located on Whyte Ave at 112, within a few blocks of the university.
The menu is really creative, and very reasonably priced. I was attracted to the fresh roasted vegetables. On their fall menu, they incorporate a lot of colourful squash, roasted red pepper, mushroom, eggplant, balsamic and maple. Theyâve got a mint salsa thatâs great and their potato-​corn pancakes are delicious. I also like their pulled pork. The menuâs cute: very clean and neatly typed, and posted on a clip board.
This is soul food, for sure, and the service is friendly. Itâs a great place to have a reasonably priced meal, surf the âNet or do some work on your wireless laptop while having a beer. Itâs 30 per cent of food items when you show your university ONE card.