Looking for the perfect lunch or dinner spot, don’t miss a meal at Twisted Fern located on Snowcreek Drive by The Market. Twisted Fern’s innovative and playful menu has something for everyone plus a full bar and a solid wine menu. Their outdoor patio is quiet and shaded by large trees, perfect for catching up. We sat down with Adam Ross, owner and chef at Twisted Fern, to learn his history in the kitchen.
Twisted Fern’s chef and owner Adam Ross grew up around good food. Living in western New York, the chef and restaurateur was surrounded by hunters and foragers. His mother owned and ran a bakery. Family dinners with his German grandmother were a big part of his cooking education, which continued as he worked in kitchens as a teen and then attended cooking school at Johnson & Wales University–Denver.
In his house, “There was always something cooking. It always smelled like food,” he says.
After more than a decade of working in kitchens around Park City, including a stint as executive chef at Bistro 412, Ross has opened his own restaurant, along with his wife, Meisha. Twisted Fern, the name of which is based off a seasonal spring ingredient Ross loves, fiddlehead ferns, offers “scratch cooking,” meaning almost everything you eat is made from scratch in-house.
Chicken fried portabella with green peppercorn gravy, cauliflower grits, grilled asparagus, pickled carrot
How would you describe your style of cooking and how it fits into the restaurant you created?
I want it to be casual — focused on the food but in a comfortable environment. I make the pasta in-house, do all the pickling and even make the lemonade, sauces and dressings.
After a day on the slopes, you don’t have to go home before coming here. Come as you are, but still get an amazing culinary experience.
You once worked in Wales, and you take a European approach as the basis of your cooking. How does that translate into the menu?
I like to keep things simple and not over-complicate things. I follow the K.I.S.S. motto: Keep it simple, stupid. You can elevate peasant food, like beef bourguignon, to fine dining by braising it for 48 hours and serving it with wild mushrooms, young carrots, and Burgundy au jus.
How does your menu change within the seasons?
In the winter, I do a lot more braising and curing. Look for dishes with squash, root vegetables, heartier grains and things like escarole and kohlrabi.
What are your favorite new food trends right now?
I like using ingredients before you read about them. Combining salmon with oats, for example, and I have been using a lot of ancient grains. You don’t have to invent something new; you can just reinterpret and find a fun way to make something different.
What do you love about having your own place?
All the mistakes are mine, and success is my direct correlation. I like to be involved in the entire operation, and being hands-on with everything, including the drinks and seating.
What have you found most challenging?
The paperwork, and there is a lot to think about from so many dimensions.
What are your favorite Park City places to frequent when you aren’t cooking?
I appreciate what Shabu and Tupelo are doing. Shabu was my first date with my wife, but now we have a child so our go-to has become the chicken flautas at Baja Cantina.
What is your day-off dinner?
I like breakfast. My favorite breakfast is your typical 1920s bacon, eggs, pancake and a biscuit.
The delusional donkey with Dented Brick Roofraiser vodka, ginger beer, blueberry-cardamom bitters, lime, and mint
Head on over to Twisted Fern for a scrumptious lunch or dinner. Did we mention they have killer craft cocktails too? Showcasing local distillers and breweries, Twisted Fern can whip you up a thirst quenching drink to pair with your meal.
Twisted Fern
Open for lunch and dinner 11:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Closed Wednesdays
1300 Snow Creek Dr., Suite RS
435.731.8238 | www.twistedfern.com
