Subscribe
Sports
The chain gone, La Plata franchise lives in Twin Kiss
Around town
Friday, July 10, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photos by EMILY BARNES
Suneeta Sigdel, left, and assistant manager Priti Khanal hold soft serve ice cream cones at the ice cream window of Twin Kiss.
|
E-Mail This Article
Twin Kiss was once a national chain, and it claims to be the first to make soft serve twist ice cream. "In the days of yore," the back of the carryout menu reads, "people used to eat soft serve ice cream one flavor at a time. But Twin Kiss has changed all that."
Thank you Twin Kiss. Because what would a life amount to without a hybrid ice cream cone?
The La Plata establishment, open since 1959, has outlived the chain, and is certainly among the oldest restaurants in Charles County.
A roadside sign on U.S. 301 beckons with homemade root beer (worth a try), the aforementioned soft serve ice cream and ribs and barbecue. A large parking lot surrounds the small, square building, and umbrellas were recently set up at some of the round picnic tables around a pavilion.
Inside, an L-shaped dining area bends around the kitchen, where food is fried and sandwiches are prepared. There's a separate window for soft serve ice cream; rumor has it that lines for it are long on some Friday and Saturday nights.
While some effort has been made to conjure Twin Kiss' 1950s roots, one is not exactly overwhelmed with nostalgia. The wall has posters of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, The Beatles and James Dean standing by a horse. The floor is a checkered pattern of red and white, and the booths, well, seem pretty old.
Still, if nostalgia is what you seek, take a look at the menu, and prepare for an experience akin to the early days of fast food — back in the days of yore, which is many years before your reviewer was born.
Here is a place, nonetheless, to order a burger topped with ketchup, mayo, vegetables and a cheese slice. Get it with a side of golden fries topped with melted cheese (a blend). Then go overboard with a medium soft serve cone. (And perhaps avoid making this a weekly habit.)
A hot dog here goes for $1.99. Picture a ball park hot dog with a little more flavor and a bun that is toasted, not crumbling. Burgers ($5.99), in turn, are preshaped but fairly large, and go to show that Twin Kiss has mastered the art, shall we say, of toasting hamburger and hot dog buns. Options range from an onion ring hamburger ($3.25) to a bacon "Big Joe," as in a half-pound cheeseburger.
Orders are taken at the counter. A server will ask what you want on your dog (even if it is just mustard or ketchup) or burger (for which the expression to learn is "everything"). Your food and drink order will arrive at the counter on a tray.
Sandwiches, like a tuna salad ($2.99) or turkey club ($4.50), come with a choice of bread: white or white.
Subs, meantime, are prepared on two long, separated pieces of (yes, perfectly toasted) white bread reminiscent of New England-style hot dog buns. A six-inch steak and cheese ($4.99) was authentic, and not unlike the variety offered at the other Southern Maryland junk food joints dotting the landscape. If you say "everything" for this one, watch out for hot peppers.
Fifteen combo meals, with small fries and a medium soda, range from $6 to $10 and include everything from chicken nuggets (you're on your own there) and pulled pork (maybe next time). For seafood, Twin Kiss has a fish sandwich, crab cake and a house special of shrimp and fries ($8.99).
Frankly, at the old-fashioned Twin Kiss — which offers countless items to feel guilty about — I'm an ice cream guy. Here, a medium cone ($2.25) could pass for a large, although the prices are about the same.
I keep it simple with vanilla or a twist, but Twin Kiss offers a "flavor burst" (cotton candy, for instance) for an extra 50 cents.
Additionally, there are cups of ice cream, sundaes, milkshakes, dipped cones and specials served in one size (a pretty large plastic container), such as Snickers sundae and hot fudge cake.
Twin Kiss. 7415 Crain Highway, La Plata. Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Entrée prices: $2-$10. Credit cards: V, MC. Carryout: 301-934-4025
