If you've been on any kind of social media in the past few months, you've probably seen a video from Bring Me of a restaurant that puts ranch dressing in literally everything they serve. The restaurant is called Twisted Ranch, and it's located in St. Louis, Missouri—lucky for me since I go to WashU.
Like many others, I was pretty excited when I saw the Facebook video. I love (and I mean love) ranch. It is such staple in my diet that my favorite waitress at Ibby's knows to bring me a side of ranch with my lunch everyday. Even so, I have my limits and had some hesitations about ranch in absolutely everything on the Twisted Ranch menu. Would it be overpowering? Would all of the different flavors of ranch really blend well with each other? The only way to find out was to go to Twisted Ranch, and try it for myself.
The first attempt
On a Saturday morning, I woke up excited to get my ranch on. I had been waiting all week for this very day to come so that I could see if my deepest ranch desires had truly been fulfilled. I arrived at the restaurant around noon, only to have my dreams shot down. Although the kitchen closes at 3pm, which was 3 hours after I arrived, the restaurant already had a wait time that long and I was turned away.
The Buzzfeed video had ramped up Twisted Ranch's popularity so much that it was almost impossible to get a table on weekends. Disappointed, I left vowing to plan better for the future since honestly, it was simply amateur hour on my part.
The second attempt
This time, I showed up prepared. I arrived to Twisted Ranch at 11am on a Wednesday, right when they opened. Optimistic, I put my name down, but somehow the wait was already long. Despite my early arrival, I still had to wait for nearly an hour before I was seated.
Once my food came out though, nothing else mattered. Ordering the ranch dusted fries with a multitude of ranch dipping sauces, aka Ranch this Country Flight 13, is an absolute must. The ranches we received were Asian Zing, Avocado, BBQ, Buffalo, Caesar, Curry Yogurt, Jalapeño Popper, Parmesan Peppercorn, Roasted Garlic Ranch, Ruffalo (garlic and buffalo), Sriracha Ranch, Sunny in Fetadelphia, and the original Twisted Ranch—they were all unique and delicious.
For my main course I ordered a Chicken Ranch Gyro which had grilled chicken, feta cheese, red onion, tomato, cucumber, and a greek ranch sauce, all served in a grilled pita. I was curious how the greek ranch would size up as a Tzatziki sauce replacement, and it did not let me down. The dish was a western spin on a Greek classic, and it was so good that I finished it all in under 10 minutes.
My concerns about the ranch being overpowering or getting old from eating so much of it were out of mind immediately. Every food item sported a hint of ranch, but it wasn't too much at all. Everything was a polite nod to the beauty that is ranch dressing, while still letting the actual dish take the main stage.
Final thoughts
So is it worth it? If you love ranch, it's for sure worth the wait (and multiple visits). Show up patient, with a backup plan in case you get turned away, and of course hungry. The concept of an all ranch restaurant was a stroke of pure genius, and if the wait times are any indication, the people of St. Louis would seem to agree.
What this small restaurant on Soulard lacks in size, is made up for with the casual atmosphere, friendly staff, and western decor. It's cool and hip, and the menu offers a ton of different food options from gyros, to burgers, to cocktails. Overall, Twisted Ranch offers ranch lovers a one-of-a-kind dining experience that they'll never forget.