Twisted Noodle offers flavorful fare

The new restaurant Twisted Noodle aims to put a new spin on classic Thai dishes. Yet in its quest to stand out, the restaurant neglects several key components in creating an enjoyable dining experience.

Quirky name aside, Twisted Noodle is fundamentally your typical Thai restaurant. Staples like pad thai, larb and satay dominate the menu. The restaurant's offerings are diverse, but not particularly creative in and of themselves.

Twisted Noodle should be praised, however, for its assertive use of fiery spice across the menu, in a beef salad and a variety of curries, for instance. These items compare favorably to those at other Thai restaurants in the area. An iced tea with sweetened condensed milk makes for an especially mouth-cooling treat.

But, not all dishes were runaway hits. For example, the pad thai is cloaked in an uncommonly rich tomato sauce. Whether the sauce is one of the restaurant's trademark twists is uncertain. Nevertheless, Twisted Noodle's highs are worth seeking out for a spicy Thai fix.

On the other hand, the restaurant's shortcomings are numerous, especially on the service front. Diners were forced to get up and procure menus for themselves. Refills on water, fresh plates in between courses and clean silverware were also not on the agenda for the restaurant's too few waitresses. Dishes were delivered at seemingly random times, sometimes with inconsistent portions. One order of chicken satay was delivered with six skewers, another with four-and the peanut sauce and cucumber salad that accompanied one order was absent with the other. Requests for these items went, perhaps predictably, unheeded.

The abundant crowds that descend on Twisted Noodle on weekend evenings are perhaps the restaurant's greatest crux-understaffing and a general sense of disorganization are only heightened by the crush of nightly diners. All in all, Twisted Noodle is not necessarily a notable restaurant but one that deserves an exploratory visit.