When I originally reviewed Twisted Rooster this past August, I was hopeful that the restaurant would be able to turn itself around. It was too much like a chain, and was anything but “twisted.”

So when I went back for my first visit since then, I knew I had to at least try something else and give it a fair shot. I’m certainly glad I did.

I went along with another co-partner of Grand Rapids Grub, Christopher Epplett. We sat ourselves at the bar to begin with, and then made our way to a sunlit table towards the back of the restaurant.

Skipping right for the main dish, I went ahead and ordered the BBQ Chicken & Gouda Quesadilla ($8). The quesadilla was full of chicken, gouda cheese, smoked caramelized onion, grilled pineapple and corn. It seemed like a perfect summer dish — after all, it was over 90 degrees outside.

And that it was.

Served on a huge slice of pineapple, the quesadillas seemed to be a rush of different flavors and spices hitting me all at once. It was refreshing, yet still had a bit of a kick necessary. The pineapple — though there was a lot of it — wasn’t overpowering. It was fresh and was a perfect sweet addition to the meal. The corn added a bit of texture, and the whole dish seemed to come together rather well. My only complaint was how messy it was. It’s probably the first time I used a fork and knife to eat a quesadilla, though that certainly didn’t take away from the experience.

I also ordered a side of the mac and cheese. Rich and creamy, I’m sure this is one of the unhealthiest things on the menu. There wasn’t a ton of cheese — just enough to satisfy my palate.

Chris’ dish, however, wasn’t as satisfying. His Blackened Chicken Sandwich ($8) consisted of cajun grilled chicken, Boursin cheese, mixed greens, tomatoes and hot buffalo sauce. The chicken was grilled perfectly, though the cajun spices and buffalo sauce wasn’t spicy enough. The size of the sandwich caught me by surprise — a good portion of chicken protruded from each side of the bun. However, looks can be deceiving. The patty was unusually thin, so it was probably the same amount of meat as most chicken sandwiches.

We ended the night with a ice cream stuffed brownie — strawberry cheesecake ice cream sandwiched in between two massive brownies. It was good, but certainly was something I could’ve made better at home. The brownies were lukewarm, and the chocolate sauce seemed to be standard Hershey’s.

Twisted Rooster offers some refreshing dishes, but still needs to learn how to throw in twists into some of its menu items — it needs to try to push the palate more. Despite that, Twisted Rooster is no longer on my “stay away from” list. Instead, it’s a pleasant middle ground for me, and I’d be happy to visit again.