Press
- A shout-out to Twist
- By Megan Labrise
- Woodstock Times
- Published 3/12/2009
Please don't go to Twist. I'm having a hard enough time getting a table there on weekends.
Twist (4290 Albany Post Road, Hyde Park) is the unlikely spot for the best casual American seasonal cuisine in Dutchess County. The bustling, colorful restaurant is a former pizza place in a Route 9 strip mall. Its neighbors include a campaign headquarters and a nail salon.
That doesn't seem to bother those in the know, who consistently line up on Fridays and Saturdays, waiting for their perfect duck breasts dressed with red-onion marmalade, Swiss chard and bacon-wrapped fingerling potatoes. Or maybe their 20-ounce cowboy steaks with white-truffle mashed potatoes, baby Brussels sprouts and ancho chili butter. Their fresh pear crisps topped by house-made rosemary ice cream and espresso with bright curlicues of lemon zest...
A weekend wait affords the perfect opportunity for culinary daydreams. There are plenty of sights to drink in. Twist's open-kitchen layout provides literal dinner theater for those fortunate enough to snag a seat at the chef's counter, or those waiting for a table. Chef's whites swirl as entrees glide from pan to plate; plate-laden servers swoop and do-si-do in tight aisles. It's a veritable bistro ballet. Smells and sounds augment the sensual experience: smoking grilled bread, wafting cilantro, sizzling liquids, the soft clunks of plates placed before eager diners: oohs, ahhs and wows.
The laid-back layout almost makes you feel like you're dining in your friend's kitchen. You know, that friend who graduated first in his or her class at the Culinary Institute of America, like founding chef Benjamin Mauk. Mauk has been on sabbatical for several months, and the toque has been taken up by chef de cuisine Chris Royster. He and brother Adam Royster are a young, energetic and consistent kitchen twosome, well-trained by Mauk.
- Ginger Cocktails
- By Jennifer Leba
- Hudson Valley Magazine
- Published 2/13/2009
- Trip Advisor Ratings & Reviews
- Testimonials and ratings written by our very own customers.
- Enjoy great casual dining at 'Twist'
- By Theresa J. Marquez
- The Poughkeepsie Journal
- Published 11/27/2008