Modern and inventive, unique dive makes its name on Line

TWINE, Tea and Wine on Line

1513 Line Ave., Shreveport Phone: 754-4024

Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday; (Close between 2-5 p.m.) Saturday, 4-10 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Happy Hour: 4-7 p.m.

Prices: Inexpensive to moderate

Attire: Casual

Owner Rick Rose and Chef Ana Kraszewski have set their restaurant Twine on a one-of-a-kind path that makes it unique on the Shreveport dining landscape.

“Some or our best memories are times around the table. Dining is tribal at its core; cultures gather to share a meal and converse,” Rose said. “It’s so maternal and nurturing. That’s the spirit conveyed at Twine.”

When Rose was formulating the concept for the restaurant, he envisioned a tea room/wine bar, and the name represents that idea: “T” for “tea” and “wine,” hence the name “Twine.” Showing the love of wine at Twine, one will notice a sign in the community library at the back of the cafe that reads, “A meal without wine is called breakfast.”

The space is small but does not feel cramped, and the ambience is one of an artsy, bohemian nature with an area at the back that offers couches and bookcases for a little reading with your lunch or dinner. The books represent a community library where you can take or contribute as you see t.

Twine always has amazing and appropriate musical backdrops, offering live music on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights.

A native of Wisconsin, Rose has brought his great love and knowledge of cheese to Twine. Cheese and meat boards are a big draw on the Twine menu, which features selections by Wisconsin Master Cheesemakers as well as award-winning sausages, hot sticks and jerky from LeRoy Meats. They offer a cheese and meat board, a cheese board and a meat board. In addition, the Meze Platter offers hummus, tzatziki, stuffed vegetarian grape leaves, Mediterranean olives and pita. On our last visit, we tried an impressive cheese and meat board that included smoked gouda, habanero beef sticks, summer sausage, aged cheddar, candied pecans and Parmesan crostinis. It was served with a kumquat and cranberry chutney. This was a taste sensation not to be missed.

We recently were fortunate enough to try some of their newly created curd cheese burgers, perfectly prepared and seasoned Angus beef topped with white and yellow cheese curd own in from Wisconsin.

Do not miss the Mango Guacamole Tower with Louisiana seafood as it is a triumph of culinary artistry. This delightful creation offers fresh mango, avocado, tomatoes, red onions, jalapeno, cilantro, parsley and craw sh or shrimp. It is indeed a towering achievement.

Cheese being a special love of Rose’s, he really shows it off in the eight-cheese blend on the wonderful Sgt. Pepper on the grilled cheese menu. This is one of my favorites, and it is served grilled on jalapeno cornbread. Get this accompanied with a cup of Twine’s unbeatable tomato basil soup, and you will be addicted. Also on the grilled cheese menu is the truly innovative Bluebird – turkey and bleu cheese on a blueberry bagel.

For those of us who love spicy, try the locally sourced TNT Hot Tamales. Choose three from spicy pork, taco-seasoned and spinach and cheese. All three are winners and come served with Texas tortilla chips and an unbeatable handcrafted roasted tomato salsa. A perfect libation with these would be a Twine house special, the Texitini, a margarita served shaken not stirred, martini style.

House specialties include steamed mussels served with toasted Gambino’s of New Orleans French bread for soaking. Another outstanding seafood selection is the smoked salmon on a bed of spinach with a housemade walnut balsamic dressing. We also enjoyed a grilled red sh that was delicate and grilled to perfection.

At lunch, we recommend the NOLA Roast Beef Au Jus, tender and avorful brisket with Swiss cheese on a bun with natural sauce.

For those inclined to lighter fare, lunch wraps include avocado, tomato and sprouts; smoked pork belly and Kimchi; hummus, Kalamata olives, tomato and cucumber; and grilled chicken, Romaine, cheese and ranch. All wraps are served with Kosher dill pickle. The Trio Sampler offers your choice of three small scoops of any of the aforementioned spreads with your choice of crostini, romaine heart or crudité.

At both lunch and dinner, one can get a tortilla pizza (personal size) or atbread pizzas of a larger size. You can choose from a wide array of creative toppings, a favorite being the artichoke, spinach and chicken.

In the dining market today, pairing is fast becoming a prized art form – knowing exactly what wine or beer to recommend with what dish. Rose and his team have certainly mastered that art. Their choice was impeccable in picking a match for the Curd Burgers, which was paired with an amazing Blue Moon Chardonnay beer. The wine recommended with the red sh, a Slovakian Pinot Grigio, could not have been more complementary. Bravo.

For dessert, one should not miss the extraordinary Marmalade Crème Brulee. Also unique is the Chocolate Bang Bang, a real delicacy with an unexpected touch of cayenne pepper. Also, they serve wonderful homemade ice creams including strawberry pepper, red wine and lavendar.

For an eclectic ambience, creative cuisine and an impressive selection of wines and beer, you should make Twine your next lunch or dinner destination. Easy and free parking is available in the adjacent parking garage.