There is something seriously rotten in the state of Georgia when a Mexican't joint can't stay in business in the metro Atlanta, ... Mar, Mar Coastal, MarBar, whatever it was called, was the specimen that failed in this location previously. It was not good... Even on their revamped re-opening. At least they had the decency to shut it down before incurring even more losses and embarrassment.
So, what do you do with an empty space that even the most popular fake Latin cuisine that is loved by millions in this town can't fill the seats... You open a southern soul food resto with a twist! I have been meaning to make my way over here for some time now but every time I make the turn on Howard St., the damn cocktails and oysters at Kimball always pulls me in. I always say, "I'll get one cocktail and 6 oysters then go across the street for my main meal." ...I never made it, 13 times.
So, I put on the blinders and headed straight for this spot on a friday night... This should be a good gauge if this place will be in biz for the long run. It was kinda dead while Kimball was slamming. I'm already having second thoughts... Damn it, just go inside and get a drink at the bar and remember they have fried chicken. Done and done. The interior hasn't changed much from the previous concept, hopefully they put the money into the kitchen. Let's hope the pouch doesn't regret it...
Amuse-bouche. Nice little watermelon, mint, cherry tomato, cheese tasting. It was decent.
Deep Fried Duck, sweet potato waffles, honey picante glaze. So, after a few shots of flavored moonshine offered by the very nice and attentive bartender... I was on the fence between this fried duck and shrimp and crab fritter thinger. It's hard for me to say no to fried duck but every time I get suckered into it, I get fucked with rubbery soggy pieces of old duck. I'm always thinking about Chinese roast duck which is fucking amazing... Crispy, tender, fat rendered perfectly and melted into the flesh, sick flavors and just goddamn dericious. Too bad this is what came out... Hacked up pieces of duck parts thrown on top of a waffle. You seriously can not be serious you charge for this? The super cool bartender didn't know how it was prepared and after speaking with the kitchen the explanation wasn't much clearer. The skin was browned nicely from the initial frying but when it's been sitting out forever, it doesn't take a genius to do a flash fry to order because you know that skin will be soggy as shit. There weren't much flesh, just mostly skin and fat. I just don't know how duck and waffles in this format can even remotely work... Maybe it's their twisted version of chicken and waffles. The only thing twisted was my pouch in knots from this plate of confusion. Look at it, it's like a hyena regurgitated what it ate an hour ago on a plate.
Southern Marinated Fried Chicken, three cheese orecchiette, collard green roll, sweet potato apple chutney. I was actually pleasantly surprised when this came out... A real nice plump portion of fried cheekan. The thin crust was also a nice surprise. I don't care for ultra thick crust on fried chicken because it seems like they're trying to hide something or give the illusion it's bigger than it is. Thin crispy crust is my preference. The crackling skin was real nice. The thigh meat was juicy and tender inside. This was a very respectable fried chicken. The flavor and seasoning was there but it could go a bit heavier for maximum effect. The wing section was tasty as well but the giant breast piece was a bit dry like all white meat. Not that it was bad, it was just a little bit tough and stringy. I thought the chicken was marinated in a standard salt brine but they said it wasn't... It was marinated in their secret sauce, whatever, tasted like a salt brine to me. Overall, it's a good fried chicken. The collard roll was cute, rolled up like an eggroll filled with nothing except itself. It's weird at first chewing on a hunk of rolled collard but it wasn't that bad. The chutney on the other hand was pretty boring. The mac and cheese hidden under the hunks of protein was decent, a bit dry but still acceptable. The strange orange liquid surrounding the plate was some tasteless chili oil or something.. Just bizarre.
Chef's Chicken Salad Sandwich, radicchio, tomato, sprouts, house fries.The thin sliced fried taters were pretty good, it had a nice seasoning to it. The scoop of minced chicken salad nestled inside a giant radicchio leaf was kinda kooky. Am I suppose to tuck it in and read it a bedtime story before I eat it? The chicken salad was nothing to write home about. I kinda prefer Publix chicken salad over this. The two pieces of toasted white bread seemed a little out of balance since they're twisting this sando out. Cheap sliced white bread isn't a twist, it's low rent... Unless, it's with hot chicken. The funny thing is the bottom piece of toast was almost burnt, out of sight out of mind until you eat it. The ketchup on the spoon gimmick is so dated. I wouldn't be surprised if some mook put the spoon in his mouth thinking it was some twisted amuse-bouche tasting. This version of a classic chicken salad sando was literally twisted... It's so odd. This lackluster sando was a bit too wacky for me.
Bananas Foster Banana Pudding. Biscoff cookies soaked in rum-ish liquid. This was not a pudding and the bananas were too green and toothy. Not a fan, I don't think many would be... It's ugly and doesn't taste good. Maybe that's the twist.
The menu is not really a play or twist on southern/soul food... It's more like a mish mash of things the owners like to eat personally and putting dishes that people might like on the menu hoping it will sell. It's actually a really boring menu, nothing on here really stands out. Burger, scallops, filet mignon, grouper, etc. are so generic and ubiquitous that can be found on any menu around town. I don't know who their target audience is but it seems like they are trying too hard to please every taste with no real focus on southern cuisine. The sloppy, undefined and unrefined menu ain't making me rush back here. They could have a good idea here but they need to focus on what they really want to serve. They're nice people and the service is good but I hope they can refocus and create something different that this part of town has become to be known for... Or else they will share the same fate as the previous concept(s). Y'all can leave the fried chicken alone because that was tasty and untwisted... But not good enough to keep me away from the cocktails and oysters across the street. Oh, snap.
314 E Howard Ave
Decatur, GA 30030
404-373-2725
http://www.twistedsoulkitchenandbar.com/
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