Leechburg's Twisted Thistle breathes delicious life into former hotel

Background

Well before she breathed new life into the ground floor of a decrepit hotel in Leechburg and brought forth the Twisted Thistle, owner Linda Alworth had a penchant for repurposing the old and forgotten. She had turned old barns into beautiful homes and former stone walls into scenic walkways.

But the hotel at 127 Market St., more than a century old, pushed Alworth to her limits.

With much patience and persistence, Alworth created a captivating place in which to dine or simply grab a drink. Between the woodwork, the exposed-brick walls, the subtle lighting touches, there's so much character at the Twisted Thistle, which opened in July 2012 — and Alworth envisioned it when most others saw a neglected building, one that has existed in some form or another since at least 1902.

“I knew there was potential just from the way it looked,” said Alworth, who grew up in North Washington Township and owns Lingrow Farm in Gilpin. “I'd go in there and sit and look around, and I noticed that the plaster was coming off the walls. I saw the nice brick walls, and I thought that the first thing we'd do is strip the plaster off and expose the brick.”

Alworth, whose farm is an alluring destination for weddings, opened her first restaurant for partially selfish reasons: She wanted a catering operation at the farm. But she also wanted to see a property with so much history and charm become a piston in the engine that pushes Leechburg forward.

“People would come up to me and say, ‘Why would you do this in Leechburg?'” Alworth said. “And I'd say, ‘Why not?'”

Atmosphere

The spaciousness of the Twisted Thistle is apparent to patrons before they even reach the entrance, as English pub-style windows and brownstone stretches from one end of the building's front to the other.

And what becomes equally clear is that no section of the restaurant, from the bar to the dining area to the sizeable hotel lobby, was ignored when Alworth worked her revitalization magic.

Wood — some of it from Alworth's farmland — stone and brick blend in a harmonious way throughout the dining room and the bar, which sit on opposite sides of a wide lobby with a majestic mahogany staircase. High tin roofs add another nice historical touch.

And many of the lights fixtures in the Twisted Thistle feature bulbs with soft orange or yellow-hued filaments, as if Thomas Edison himself provided the hardware.

“I love to create memories for people,” Alworth said. “It gives me so much pleasure when people come in here and say how beautiful it is and how relaxed they are.”

Menu

The Twisted Thistle's menu reflects Alworth's affinity for local resources. Options change from week to week and season to season. Freshness is a priority.

Lingrow Farm and Freedom Farm in Butler provide much of the food for the restaurant, but Alworth noted that myriad other Western Pennsylvania sources contribute ingredients.

The mind behind the fine-dining menu belongs to chef Michael “Buzz” Olshansky, who arrived at the Twisted Thistle after stops at Typhoon in Shadyside, Cooper Station in Sarver and 1844 Restaurant in Leechburg.

Olshansky's appreciation for Asian cuisine shows in a few of the menu items. There are the dragon noodles, a spicy dish that can be prepared with only vegetables ($12), chicken ($14) or shrimp ($16). There's a beef-wrap appetizer ($10) that includes small cuts of steak combined with red leaf lettuce, scallions, cucumber and a tangy red-pepper paste. And there's a green curry seafood entrée ($21) that includes shrimp, scallops, Lingrow-raised veggies and rice.

Alworth's personal favorites are the crab cakes ($23), which come with panko, mushrooms and a vegetable medley; the dragon noodles; and the filet mignon ($25), which comes with gorgonzola, mushrooms, smashed red potatoes, Brussels sprouts and beets.

While Alworth will sometimes suggest Olshansky turn a popular special item — the smoky, slow-cooked short ribs ($29), for example — into a menu staple, she tends to give her chef space and creative control over the menu.

“I trust him 100 percent,” she said. “I keep my nose out of it. I feel that when you're dealing with someone creative, you just let them go with it.”

For those who still have room to spare after eating the Twisted Thistles' hearty entree helpings, Edit Herman has a solution. Herman's cakes, pies and other sweets likely contend with those found at any of Pittsburgh's finest restaurants.

Bill West is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at wwest@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BWest_Trib.