Twist Food Truck: the plot twist in the local food truck scene that nobody saw coming…

I haven’t lived in Fort Wayne for very long by my own standards. I’m just coming up on two years and I still get very lost in this weird, wild city. But, I’ve been here long enough to know that 1) we love our food trucks and 2) we love a good smashburger. I thought I knew where I’d be heading every single time I wanted a good smash–in enters Twist Food Truck–the plot twist that redirects my ultimate smashburger destination. Don’t get mad. No hate, no shade: just an observation of where the yummy is at. Stick with me on this, please. 

Anthony Bourdain famously has words on burgers–in fact, he has ten commandments. I have so much love and respect for Bourdain. Who am I to disagree with anything he’s ever said? The man was a pioneer. But I won’t lie to you: I don’t agree with all ten of his burger commandments. I’ll be the first to admit that when gastropubs started up with the bougie burgers, I was amongst the first to fully buy into the hype. A behemoth burger with Tropical Punch Pop Rocks and caramel mayo? Sign me up, friend! I think our hearts and tummies have room enough for all sorts of burgers from basic to bougie and super-sized to smashed. All burgers deserve love. As a girl living in the ‘07, you know where I’m going to go any time I want a specialty smashburger–whether it’s topped with peanut butter and jalapenos, smokey gouda cheese, or shrooms and swiss–there’s only one place for a deliciously fancy little smashburg. 

But what about when I want to listen to the sacred words of Saint Bourdain just a little more closely? I’m sorry. Don’t hate me. Don’t come for me. There’s only one place I want to go and it’s Twist Food Truck. Their brand is taking the basics and elevating through little twists. (Maybe you already know this if you ever had the pleasure of enjoying their previous business: Twisted Pantry. I missed out, but I’ve heard exceptional things about their big, fat cookies–especially the s’mores.) When it comes to their double smashburger: they know what’s up. There’s nothing quite like it. It’s unparalleled. My heart tends to lie more with the foods that are a little more complicated–a little bit extra. You know I love a peanut butter burger. But damn, Twist Food Truck has fully got me with the excellence via simplicity of their burger. I think I’ll be jonesing for a second burger for a long time to come. It’s so basic. American cheese–because we know that’s how Bourdain would want it–white onions, dill pickle chips, and their special “Twist” sauce. Simple. Delicious. Those beef patties though: freaking buckled my knees upon first bite. Sooooo thinly smashed. The flavor that they achieve on those crispy outer edges of the patties–sensational. It is truly one of the most superb smashburgers I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying. You’ve got a girl who loves excess finally embracing the possibility that maybe less is more. A double smashburger that can change your outlook on life? Who would be dumb enough to pass up the opportunity to try something so earth-shatteringly-scrumptious? Not you, I’m sure–and certainly not me. I’ll be counting down the days to my next Twist Food Truck double smashburger. 

As for the hotdog: it’s good. I’m sure nobody is surprised there. It has literally identical toppings to the burger–so the flavor profile is obviously very similar. They split their dogs, which I get logistically. For me, I’m klutzy, and it made it a little bit of a complicated nom because there’s a lot happening on this dog. Would I still order it? Probably. I think my heart lies more strongly with the burger, but the dog is a solid choice for anyone with 1) a bigger mouth than I have 2) better hand-eye coordination and 3) a preference for dogs over ‘burgs. 

And now…the thing that I’ve really been dying to tell you about since I started pouring out words on the subject of Twist Food Truck: their wings. Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude. I don’t typically eat wings. I’m not good at it. They’re messy. They’re sticky. You have to chomp meat off of bones and it’s a whole thing. Bestie is a wing connoisseur–so I always steal a wing or two–but it’s never my go-to meal. It was always too much mess and effort for me…until now. Twist Food Truck wings are worth it all. Catch a grenade for these wings? They would never ask that of me–but you bet I would. We got the Maple Buffalo wings and to say I’m obsessed is an understatement. First, let’s get this straight: I’m asserting that these are the best wings in Fort Wayne. Period. Hands down. Frankly, I don’t want to hear about contradictory opinions. These might actually be the best wings bestie and I have ever tasted in our combined lifespan. Come for me, if you must. Throw hands if you want to catch some. These wings are where life begins and ends, as far as I’m concerned. I ate them on a sidewalk and then proceeded to suck my fingers clean, like the freaky little foodie I am–no shame. Did I eat the leftover sauce with a spoon? Fuck off with your personal questions. Also, YES I DID, and maybe I’m a little bit proud about it. We couldn’t shut up about how amazing the wings were while we were eating them. It was like: 1) bite, followed by 2) awkward semi-sexual moan, proceeded by 3) an utterance of something like, “Duuuuuude…this is the best, right? Isn’t this the best?!” The sauce is so perfectly balanced: sweet and spicy. The stickiest, most luxurious wing sauce I’ve ever encountered in my life–I would do unspeakable things for this sauce. The wings are so crispy that I started emphatically referring to them as “cwispy” while eating them–not on brand for me, but the spirit freaking moved me. Somehow, they manage to remain tender and juicy, even with their ultimate exterior crisp–the Twist Food Truck 24-hour brined and twice-fried method is obviously superior to all else. There is no better wing. The gentlemen running the truck know what they’re doing–I’d expect no less from two dudes who attended The Culinary Institute of America. My bestie is trying to budget for weekly wings. He and I will follow the Twist Food Truck anywhere, like they’re The Grateful Dead or something. Next time, I will want to try the other wing flavor: Korean BBQ. However, I’ll also need to eat the Maple Buffalo again…so, I suppose I’ll have to get two orders of wings. They even serve naked wings, which I would normally consider kind of lame and pointless, but I’m definitely naked-wing-curious: their wings are that special. 

Of course, we got a soda float. The truck offers a root beer float with Sprecher Root Beer. While not locally crafted, I am actually a big fan of Sprecher Root Beer. If I’m not drinking local: it’s my root beer of choice. As some of you already know, I love a good root beer. I’m not a soda drinker…until root beer is an option. I have a lot of opinions. So, for me to give Sprecher the green light is a pretty high compliment. I would love to see the possibility of a Sprecher Maple Root Beer float option offered in the fall–because paired with the Maple Buffalo wings, that would be soooooo choice. But…I’m just dreaming out loud with that. Ultimately, I didn’t get a root beer float today, so I have no reason to be prattling on about them other than my deep love of root beer. Instead we opted to drink local and did “A Damn Fine Soda” Float instead. By this point in the day, I had already consumed a flight of beer and told bestie that I didn’t need my own soda float and would just steal a few sips of his. Did we end up going back to the truck for a second float? I think we both know the answer to that question. I don’t need to write it into reality. The blueberry soda poured over vanilla ice cream is not just a gorgeous color, it’s a delicious sip. To go to the Twist Food Truck and not get a soda float is, frankly, silly. Don’t be a dingus who makes silly moves. Just get the soda float–we both know you’re going to enjoy the hell out of it. They don’t call it “A Damn Fine Soda” for nothing–and ice cream makes everything better.  

I understand that I’m still an outsider. I wasn’t born and raised here. I don’t have the ties to certain local establishments that Fort Wayne lifers do. For me to rock in and say that this relatively new food truck has the best basic double smashburgers and the best wings in Fort Wayne is brazen–I know. Believe me, I know. So, you must realize that I wouldn’t dare dream of saying any of this if I didn’t feel very strongly about it. Y’all, I’m hooked. I’m obsessed. I’m gobsmacked and eternally gluttonous for these noms. After a single meal, I have a deep unshakeable passion for Twist Food Truck. That says more than something–it says volumes about what they’re accomplishing on their food truck journey. It speaks to their unmatched flavors and pristine execution of Americana classics. If you’re not sold yet–did you know that they compost? Like, big time. So, you’re basically saving the planet by eating Twist Food Truck. Do the planet, and yourself, a favor and try them if you haven’t yet. Seriously–do it now before they blow up and you have to wait in a ridiculous line for hours. That’s the future I see for Twist Food Truck. They’re the darkhorse of the Fort Wayne food truck scene right now–but once the plot twist hits and people realize the caliber of food being served on that truck, there will be lines around the block, and I’ll be trying to score chicken wings in a dark alley at a markup of like 75%–but I’ll pay it, because I’m a Maple Buffalo wing junky desperate for a fix. Some might say the future I’ve described is bleak. I’m not sad about it. Any future where I’m eating Maple Buffalo chicken wings from Twist Food Truck can’t be anything but happy. So, if you ask me, as long as Twist Food Truck is churning out kick ass burgers, hot dogs, wings, and floats–the future is bright!