Reporter Food: Shark (and
More) at Twisted Tavern
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 29, 2016)
Ferndale, MI – On Wednesday night I ate shark.
For me that is a pretty fancy thing, and I think something worth sharing. It’s not generally something I see offered and to be honest I did not even catch that it was on the menu at Twisted Tavern at first. I was there for a comforting bowl of Twisted macaroni (baked with a bread crumb topping and spiral noodles) and a wedge salad (also a simple comfort – a wedge of lettuce served with crumbles of fresh high-quality bacon, tomatoes and blue cheese).
But when the owner came out to chat with myself and a fellow writer, he brought with him a plate of bite-sized morsels and asked us to give it a try.
“What is it?” I asked.
He smiled and said “fish.”
The morsels did not have a strong fish flavor. Nor was it flaky like most fish. Definitely tender. It was served in bite-sized pieces, blackened mainly with pepper, and served with a cusabi sauce. It’s similar to wasabi, but better (in my opinion). This sauce was spicy for a moment, but then seemed to cool down and leave more of a creamy taste.
When Mark, the owner, told us it was mako shark we were delighted. Neither of us had shark before and it’s pretty exciting to try new things. I originally posted about it on Facebook, but thought, nah, more people should know about this. What fun would it be for others to go out on a date or with friends and be able to try something that is pretty unique, but also accessible?
I should say a few things about Twisted Tavern. First off, they are a sponsor of oc115. The other writer and I went on own accord to debrief about stories and we bought our meals, but the shark was a complimentary surprise.
As far as the restaurant and bar goes, it’s classy. Nice dark wooden tables, purple walls with wooden features, dim lights with a wall of liquor bottles illuminated towards the back and amazing windows along the front and side. The bustle of Woodward Avenue makes for amazing scenery and in warm weather the windows open creating the feel of an outdoor café.
Back in the day the building used to be Perry Drug store. Mark McConnell bought it in 1999 and turned it into Boogie Fever. About two years ago he wanted to create a place for fine food, so he divided the space into Twisted Tavern (for food) and Twist (for dancing and events). Within the next couple weeks, Twist will be changing into Red Door so that it can be more of a distinct entity from the restaurant, and less confusing for people trying to explain it when having events or meeting people there.
The menu has been a series of experiments and a chance for Mark and his team to continuously try new things. Shark is a recent addition that he says has been a popular choice. “Some people think they could never try that, but then you get people who like to try new things. And people who really know fish, know that shark is like a really good steak.”
I’m not sure if I would get it again, just because there are so many interesting items on the menu. Plus that wedge salad was the best I’ve ever had so it may be hard to stray from that. But it would be something fun to order with a group of people to share. That way everyone can feel adventurous!
Other than the comfort foods that I love, menu choices include short rib grilled cheese, chicken lemongrass pot stickers with sweet chile sauce, duck legs, twisted tacos and flatbreads. Twisted Tavern just announced that they’ve brought in Executive Chef William Quas, who worked for Boogie Fever in the past.
Learn more at http://thetwistedtavern.com.