At OnMilwaukee, we believe in lifting up all voices and using our platform to support others’ dreams.  And that's what we hope to do for Dominic the Food Reviewer. When I first met Dominic almost two years ago, I was impressed by his passion, his curiosity and his interest in improving his writing. Over time,  I’ve not only enjoyed getting to know him better, but he has taught me as much as I have him. My hope is that you’ll not only enjoy reading Dominic’s reviews, but also glean understanding and joy from seeing the world of food through his eyes.   – Lori Fredrich, Dining Editor

For this week's review I visited Twisted Plants, 4905 S. Packard Ave. in Cudahy where I got the chance to chat with Brandon Hawthorne, one of the owners.

Twisted Plants' story began in 2016, when Brandon’s wife Arielle, was diagnosed with lymphoma. Hawthorne wanted to switch to a plant based vegan diet for her health. Struggling to find enough healthy and good tasting plant-based foods in the area, the Hawthornes decided, after she defeated cancer, to open up their own plant-based food truck in 2019. After having good success with the food truck, they decided to open a brick and mortar location in May of 2020. 

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Twisted Plants staff is primarily made up of the Hawthorne's family and close friends. The decor has a really cool and hip vibe to it. The walls are covered with classic party movies with a cannabis theme.

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There is seating inside and outside and though the building is not very big, the tables are well separated. The majority of the menu items are named after cannabis-themed movies, adding to the fun concept of the restaurant. 

All the sandwiches looked amazing and I am hoping to one day try them all. Hawthorne told me that the most popular burgers are their  Up in Smoke Burger, Superbad Burger and the Pineapple Express Burger. For all of their plant based burgers they use Beyond Burgers.

For my appetizers I tried the cauliflower bites ($11) and their mozzarella sticks ($8). The cheese in the sticks were incredibly creamy and melted right in my mouth. I thought the mozzarella sticks were much better than any traditional mozzarella stick I have ever had.

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The cauliflower bites, which included half sweet chili and half lemon pepper, were both very sweet on the inside and had a great crispy crunch on the outside.

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I gave the Superbad burger a try. It had grilled onions, jalapeños, chipotle ranch, plant based patty, and queso ($12.50). The patty has the burger texture along with grill marks of a traditional burger. I loved all the toppings too, especially the queso. The bun was super soft and fresh. I could get a slight hint of spice inside the burger. The burger patty surpassed all my expectations.

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With my Superbad burger, I got a side of waffle fries. They were very well seasoned and cooked perfectly.

My teacher got the Pineapple Express burger ($13.50). I got to try a couple bites and could not believe how juicy and flavorful the burger was. Though I am not used to eating vegan food, all the ingredients tasted incredibly fresh and worked so well together. 

For a refreshing drink after my meal I had the strawberry shake. All their milk shakes are from Scratch ice cream (vegan) with almond milk used in their flavored shakes. There were many different options to choose from and I thought mine was delicious, with a nice hint of almonds.

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I would highly recommend this awesome vegan restaurant for anyone who keeps vegan or is typically a meat eater. The high quality ingredients and incredible flavors makes this a must try. Their story is one you can really get behind and Hawthorne was very generous and kind.  You may be hesitant to try plant based foods and burgers, but just like me, you will be very pleased with your choice.