When proud St. Louisans say “our city has it all,” they may be referring to its wide array of restaurants.
A grilled cheese and tomato soup joint? One just opened in O’Fallon, Mo.
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A restaurant with its origins in toast? Coming soon to South City.
How about an Alaskan-themed bistro–with dinner theater? Behind sked, but on its way to Maplewood.
So why not a place with one of America’s favorite dressings/condiments—Ranch dressing—as its theme? It’s happening here, too. Soon. In a neighborhood near you.
The sudden closure of Sassy JAC’s in Soulard opened up a 50-seat corner spot at 1730 S. Eighth (at Soulard), just the right size for twisted RAnCh, a restaurant where, according to its website, every item incorporates the “fastest growing condiment and best selling salad dressing…at some point during the preparation phase.” Or as the slogan says, “Always Fresh, Always Delicious, and Always Twisted with Ranch.”
This is not just a place that’s chockablock with different kinds of salads and chicken wings, mind you…ironically, the menu doesn’t even include wings. But the menu is extensive:
- 11 appetizers (including homemade t-ravs served with Ranch marinara)
- 2 soups (including a wild mushroom served with a Ranch “crustini”)
- 13 sandwiches and wraps (including a Philly Ranch Cheesesteak),
- 4 flatbreads (all made with a Ranch-seasoned crust)
- 5 entrees (including Chicken Bloomin Lasagna with a Parmesan Ranch sauce)
- 7 side dishes (including hand-cut fries seasoned with a special Ranch blend)
- plus a kid’s menu (including Ranched Mac & Cheese).
If all this fails to impress, there are 18 (that’s one-eight) different homemade Ranch dressings available–including Spicy Mustard, Durkee, and Thai–for dipping, dabbing, scooping, or slathering.
Co-owner Jim Hayden had been mulling over restaurant concepts for years, but when he and his partner Chad Allen began tinkering with the versatility of the universally-appealing dressing, they thought it a legitimate angle, and after a year-and-a-half of menu development, it’s becoming a reality. Hayden knows of no similarly-themed restaurants–nor do we.
After a largely cosmetic facelift to the brick-walled space, the partners expect twisted RAnCh to open in early June.
When we mentioned that the restaurant’s unusual spelling may drive our copy editor to drink Wish-Bone Light, Hayden explained that the capital letters are the first letters of his three kid’s names.
twisted RAnCh
1730 S. Eighth (at Soulard)
Sun – Thur: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Fri – Sat: 11 a.m. – 1 a.m.
On Facebook: Twisted RAnCh
On Twitter: @TwistedRanchSTL
