Welcome To Midtown (I Guess)
During a past weekend, I made a stop at Wolf River Brisket Co.'s (or "Company") new Crosstown location for lunch. Although the restaurant chain has locations in Germantown (or is it Collierville?) and Olive Branch, I was glad to have one of their restaurants within walking (as in a trail) distance from my house. Taking advantage of that, I treated myself to some brisket that I assumed would be great if not amazing. Unfortunately, my expectations never came to fruition at Wolf River Brisket Company.
With "brisket" in the restaurant's name, I obviously had to go with an entrée appropriate with that so I got the Sliced Brisket plate. In appearance, the combination of lean and "fatty" slices looked good and appetizing but the appeal ends there. In terms of taste, the brisket was lacking in smoke flavor (although it wasn't completely without it) and seemed more like mere roast beef. While the vinegar-strong barbecue sauce added a little sweetness to the brisket, it failed to satisfy my tastes. The waffle cornbread, bacon-topped mashed potatoes and green beans were good side items that went well with the brisket, completing an overall decent meal. While it isn't likely that I'll be ordering the sliced brisket again, if I do, I will likely choose "fatty" over "lean" and "mixed" as the style of brisket to eat. If I can't get genuine Texas smoke flavor, at least I can get some tasty fat with my roast beef... err, brisket.
SIDE NOTE: Other than Elwood's Shack that's conveniently located across the street from my job, my last good brisket meal came from my friend Michael Patrick and his restaurant, the former Rizzo's Diner. Unlike the barbecue-themed Wolf River Brisket Co., Chef Mike's brisket was on point in terms of smoke flavor and overall quality. Of course, I have never been disappointed with anything from my friend whose restaurant is now permanently closed. With COVID-19 affecting the restaurant industry as a whole, Rizzos Diner was one of its many casualties that I'm going to miss. Fortunately, Chef Mike has found a new job at a Capitol Grille restaurant that will surely benefit from his expertise. I wish him the best in his new endeavors.
I hope what I had at Wolf River Brisket was an anomaly, for I want the restaurant to do well (at least in Midtown). It's nice to have restaurant options close to home and I hope Wolf River is one of them, but it needs to step its game up on its signature item.
Website: WolfRiverBrisket.com
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