Wren & Wolf — Restaurant in Phoenix

I went in for the first time during AZ restaurants week to check out considering I have heard great things about this place and see If it lived up to the hype:

First I had the Meatball for the appetizer and the bone marrow

Meatball: tasted good. It does that a distinct flavor as I got into the center. Ground beef flavor with sauces. Good start but wasn't mind-blowing.

Bone Marrow: This dish came with a very hard bread that's difficult to eat. It's almost like a rock and not very enjoyable. The bone marrow wasn't as good as I hoped to be. It was too greasy and fatty, almost overwhelming whatever flavor it was supposed to have stood out on the dish. I tried placing some bone marrow on the bread but the hard rock bread made it worse. Maybe If they used a softer or a different kind of bread I would've liked it a bit but then again, the bone marrow just didn't do it for me. Had to drown and wash it off with water just to eliminate the remains of the marrow.

OX tail pasta: This is supposed to be the main dish and the server recommended this dish. This dish is supposed to be the representation of their restaurant so I had high hopes for it. As soon I took a bite, the flavor Was very similar to a can of chef boyardee beef pasta. From the texture of the pasta to the sauce, I can't seem to enjoy this food because the flavor is too similar to that of what you would buy from a grocery store and heated up in the microwave. The portion is small but I would expect to be big in flavor, but for me, it wasn't it for this dish.

8oz Steak with mashed potatoes and carrots: My server insisted that I try their steak as it's their best dish in the restaurant. I wasn't pleased with the food so far considering this restaurant is very expensive to dine in. The dish presentation looks very plain. No sauce to compliment the steak and the two-piece carrots looked dried up and it was sitting on top of the mashed potatoes. Aside from what it looked like. The flavor is something else. The steak tasted like a good mix of a ribeye and a prime rib on a medium rare. The potatoes have a hint of sweetness almost like butter and the texture is perfect. The carrots are a good side to complement the steak as well. This is very good and I liked it very much.

Strawberry shortcake: The dessert is incredible! The sauce, the cake, the fruit, everything in that place was a delight to eat! This is my favorite so far.

Customer Service: it was fast and attentive. I went alone and recommend to have a reservation online prior to coming in. They seated me right away and didn't wait for a server for very long. The server was attentive and gave honest feedback about the food. Did everything he could to make up for the dish that I didn't like and the manager spoke to me and said that I would not be charged for the food that wasn't to my satisfaction and so I got my final bill and sure enough I didn't get charged for the two dishes that were left a bad taste in the mouth but only charged for the ones that I did like which was the cake and Meatball. I Supposed the steak was complimentary since I didn't see that on the overall bill. I left a tip because I was satisfied with the customer service! I may be coming back if they have better menus...

How is this place popular? Why? After dining there last night for the first time, I am stumped. Is Phoenix really lacking enough “fine/upscale” dining options that people find this restaurant acceptable?

Ambience: Pretentious, dismally dark, obnoxious interior decor combined with large tv screens showing sports/fighting AND a live DJ (?!?) BLARING nondescript thumping basslines nonstop.

Service: Over the top fake “friendly” bordering on intrusive, aggressive. What the heck? Everyone has to shout to be heard or understood. They do team style service that was not functioning well on a busy Saturday night. Slow delivery of everything except for water. Nonstop water service. And even that was weird, filling our glasses as we were paying our checks to leave. It seems as if they are trained to be this specifically in your face casual friendly. Our server didn’t listen well, was dismissive, all while employing this overly casual friendly style. It was rude and counterproductive.

Food: What a strange and disappointing menu. You can check it out yourself, if you can read the tiny print in the dungeon lighting, does much of it appeal to you?

They have no complementary bread service, no big deal, but are happy to charge seven dollars for four slices of inedible burnt bread. What are they thinking? We nibbled out the non-burnt parts, but it was taken away 90% uneaten.

Here is their appetizer menu verbatim:

Noblecountryloaf,whippedtrufflebutter $7 Bakedpotatorolls,bacon,cheddar,garlicchives,dollopofdaisy $14 Za’atarman’ouche,gouda,artichoke,kalamataolives,manchego,microarugula $16 the cheesy one Charredbonemarrow,nobletoast,chicharrón,chimichurri $16/$10perextrabone make it decent: a5 wagyu tartare, shaved black truffle, grand ossetra caviar +$100 take a bone luge, house suggests: amaro montenegro $10 The“Bonet”(pronounced:bo·nay),3lbroastedbonemarrow $48 it belongs in a museum

“ it belongs in a museum”…???

That is actually printed on the menu.

The prices are sky high, and for what you get, forget about it. I was shocked at how crowded this place was, I don’t understand it.

The salads were fine, but no one was thrilled with their entrées. Lackluster, over seasoned, very salty and disappointing.

I feel they are trying to wow their customers, but are only succeeding in overwhelming them with a weird flashy presentation.

The proof is in the food. After suffering through the slow rude service, the horrible audio shouting to each other and sitting in the dark weirdness waiting too long only to be served poorly prepared expensive food, it was insulting. Really awful.

TL:DR I cannot recommend this restaurant. I would never eat here again, even if...

There are not enough accolades available for this place. Everything was done well. As you walk in you are immediately greeted by a smiling staff member. And the restaurant’s interior design is a feast for the eyes. I just wanted to wander around, checking out each and every area. It’s beautiful. Our waiter was amicable, full of good suggestions, and prompt. He worked well with the entire staff. You can immediately tell that Wren & Wolf has good management and hiring practices. No staff member walked by a table without making sure that unwanted dishes, or glassware were removed. They refilled water, and even took drink orders to help one another out. Very impressive. I ordered the meatballs as an appetizer. And my husband had the shrimp cocktail. Along with the noble bread w/truffle butter. We shared and all were delicious. But, the meatballs— we both still crave! For the entree I had the filet, with mashed potatoes and baby carrots. Plus my greedy eyes also ordered the lobster tail add on. The entire meal was perfectly seasoned and cooked. The filet was so tender(med rare) it melted in my mouth. The mashed potatoes were creamy and light. And the carrots were delicious too, a tad undercooked for my taste but, not by much. The lobster! Well, it was amazing. There’s a chunk of claw meat, and some of the tail. The center of the tail has the meat removed and prepared like a crab cake. It was delicious and a nice change.

My husband had the Salisbury steak with gravy, mash potatoes, and shaved black truffles. We are big truffle fans! So he gave me a bite. The gravy was delicious the sirloin was prepared well and he loved every bite. He even wiped up the remaining gravy with a piece of our noble bread. It was that good. Throughout the meal I had two cocktails I love you but, I love me more was there quirky name. Fruity without being too sweet and well mixed. And My husband had two beers. I can’t remember the name but, it tasted a bit like trix cereal & we both liked it. I don’t even like beer(unless it’s a sour) but, if I had too, I could drink this one. For dessert we both had the butter cake. It had strawberries and whipped cream on it which made it more of an elevated strawberry shortcake. Very good. Maybe needs a bit more moisture in the cake batter to be an exceptional butter cake though. The sponge was a little dryer than I’d expect.

Overall, the evening was wonderful. We had an amazing meal in a beautiful restaurant. And it became a new favorite of ours. We can’t wait to go back soon. We’re thinking of doing the Trophy Room bar...