Brushmark Restaurant

The only reason we started paying attention to this restaurant located inside the Brooks Museum is because one of its two chefs is the famous Mr. Wally Joe who used to own his own restaurant in Cleveland, Mississippi and who was co-owner of another restaurant in Memphis. It is intereseting that that he would work in Brushmark which is operated more like a "quasi country club diner" inside the Brooks museum for members and non-members and open only in odd hours (only serves dinner on Thursday night). I surely hope that is only a temporaty set up for Mr. Joe because I believe he would simply waste his talents there with no pun intended for the Brushmark.



At our first visit on a weeday, about 45 minutes before closing at Brushmark, not that many customers but we had to wait a while for service and for our food to arrive. The waiting staff there were too busy in preparing for closing up since they did not open that night. Well, at least the hamburger I ordered was the best hamburger I had ever eaten in any Memphis restaurants incuding Huey's.



The second time my whole family went on a Easter Sunday buffet. Sitting there for more than five minutes without anybody taking our drink order. Went to get the food from the buffet table and waited another 5 minutes after returning and still nobody came to take our drink order. Many staff were running around and some were busy serving one or two tables with very excellent services. I guess were just being "conveniently ignored". Finally we got our water but nobody came to refill our glasses and had to once again interrupt one of the busy bodies. Interestingly, not every table was filled. It seemed that that was just no system in how each table was served.



There was no fruit in the whole buffet. For $30 a person, you think we would at least get a strawberry or a banana. The chocolate bread pudding and the cold soup were good. The pitachio french toast, pan cakes and pastries were not edible. The lamb was simply superb and proved Mr. Joe could really cook. Unfortunately, the person who served and carved the meat at the end of the buffet line was extrememly stingy (I wonder if he owned the restaurant) and would only carve out a tiny piece of lamb at each of my visists. When I asked for a second piece, he would give out another tiny piece. I was scared to ask for a third piece when he waing the long and shape knife with a menancing look on his face. I really feared he would carved me. Luckily, Mr. Joe was helping served there when that person took a break and he took care of me. He was very nice! Finally, we had to wait a long time to get a bill and had to wait equally long to pay for the bill.



My guess is that the museum must have to subsidize the restaurant because if it is operated as a real restuarant I

believe it would soon go out of business with their "nonchalant" attitude even though their food is abover average.

I believe if you are willing to hand out $30 per person for a buffet there are simply too many other better choices in Memphis. As for reguar lunch, it really depends on how much time you have and how much you want to suffer in Brushmark. Again, there are more convenient locations and restaurants with better services you can go to.