With ‘family’ feel, new Garden City brewery opens with ‘speed-scratch’ food, live music

With news trickling in about restaurants shuttering, you’d have to be nuts to open a new food-and-drink establishment right now. Or twisted, maybe?

“A little bit of both, I think,” Ed Danti quips.

Either way, Garden City’s newest brewery has it covered. Twisted District Brew Co. just debuted at 3840 W. Chinden Blvd. At over 3,500 square feet, it’s a potential destination for noshing on Idaho-sourced meats, sipping craft beers, even enjoying live music — while seated at socially distanced tables.

“We’re really trying to stay local, stay true, stay Garden City,” Danti says. “... We want it to feel like family here.”

Danti and his girlfriend, co-owner Greta Mohr, started planning the brewery over a year and a half ago, he says. Despite the coronavirus pandemic’s impact, launching Dec. 18 seemed like a reasonable thing to do. “Sometimes,” Danti says, “when you get so far into something, you wait for the perfect time — well, when is the perfect time?”

Besides, thirsty customers are showing up. Twisted District, which opens at 11 a.m. daily, joins an array of breweries and wineries that attract Boise drinkers to Garden City. It joins the neighborhood vibe with industrial-chic decor, a 57-foot segmented bar and a roll-up garage door.

Brewer Bud Mohr, Greta’s son, has delivered a German-style pilsner, West Coast IPA, doppelbock — and a porter split into house and coffee-vanilla versions. More styles are on the way. Twisted District’s four five-barrel tanks fit into a 150-square-foot area and are capable of producing 40 kegs about every two weeks, Danti says. “The way that we brew beer is a little bit different,” he adds. “A lot of it is proprietary, so I can’t go into a lot of details. Everybody seems to be responding positively to the beer, so we’re very grateful for that.”

Drinks from local Meriwether Cider Co. and Split Rail Winery also flow from Twisted District’s 14 taps.

Hot dogs on menu

Twisted District encourages beer pairings with food. Danti grew up in a family that owned Italian restaurants in Sacramento, California, he says. He and Greta Mohr worked together on the Twisted District menu, which specializes in gourmet hot dogs ($6.95-$11.95 served with chips, or with a side salad for an extra $1.95).

Love game meat? Bite into an elk jalapeno-and-cheddar sausage served with mango habanero relish. Or a smoked buffalo bratwurst.

Traditionalists might lean toward the Double R Ranch beef dog drowned in beer-spiked macaroni and cheese. Or go full-on carnivore with a 1/3-pound barbecue brisket sandwich with horseradish cheddar and house slaw ($15.95).

The menu also offers soups and salads. “We have great vegetarian options,” Danti adds. “We have a chili that we serve both on our hot dog and in a bowl — exactly the same except without the brisket in it. We actually can make any of our dogs with a vegetarian dog. We have local vegan cheese.”

Want to share with a friend? Try charcuterie, an artisan cheese board, deviled eggs — or a huge, hot, Bavarian pretzel with brown ale mustard and beer-spiked queso dip.

Orders are prepared quickly in a small “speed-scratch” kitchen powered by a high-end combination oven — no fryer, griddle or grill. It’s a healthier cooking method, Danti says.

“We’ve got nothing but rave reviews on the food,” he says, “so we’re really happy about that.”

Got kids? Twisted District can do grilled cheese or mac-and-cheese. Minors are allowed into the brewery until an hour before closing.

Twisted District also is supporting local musicians. A solo performer or duo is part of the entertainment plan a couple of nights each week. Local singer Wilson Roberts played there Dec. 19. Tom Taylor is scheduled Jan. 2.

Music also is likely at a planned New Year’s Eve celebration. With a fixed price per couple, that would include food, music and a bottle of champagne, Danti says. Watch social media for details. Reservations would be required.

“We have to control the amount of people in here,” Danti explains. “We have a big enough space where our tables are very well-spaced.”

With COVID-19 on the minds of potential patrons, the next few months will be challenging. But Twisted District will make a go of it — a proud new part of Garden City.

“We appreciate our support here,” Danti says.

This story was originally published December 24, 2020 at 5:00 AM.