A Look Back on the Annual Harvest Feast at Twisted Willow

By Mary Boyle

Twisted Willow's Chef Dan Wiken and team pulled off another fabulous Harvest Feast last weekend.  A six course dinner could be a nightmare in all sorts of ways, but the restaurant ran smoothly, with courses that were just the right size arriving in a comfortable stream, interspersed with paired drinks, if you chose, between.

This year's menu featured two plates with game: pheasant and rabbit.  Although I'm not a huge fan of wild game dishes, the pheasant was delicious, and the highlight of my meal. All around, the whole meal was seasoned for the season, from the delicately light crab & lobster cake to the tart-sweet tang of the roasted plums, which paired beautifully with Port's own Amazing Ice Cream Co.'s cinnamon ice cream. 

If you're not a big drinker, as I am not, I recommend sharing a pairing with a partner.  By far, my very favorite drink ended up being the palette cleanser; a lemongrass tea with honey and ginger spritz that I plan to try and replicate at home, but the Harvest Margarita was really interesting — almost like drinking an iced pumpkin pie.

Much of the produce in the meal came from the restaurant's farm in Grafton, but the fruit came from Appleland in Fredonia, which is about as local as it gets.  Not only did the meal taste good and support local growers and businesses, but 10% of the profits went to the Ozaukee Family Sharing Food Pantry, which made it just that much better.

Twisted Willow, which is located at 308 N. Franklin Street in Port Washington, has a variety of themed dinners throughout the year, aside from their regular restaurant hours.  Keep up to date on their website, http://www.twistedwillowrestaurant.com/, or on their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TwistedWillowRestaurant/