Weatherford restaurant staple The Wild Mushroom Steak House & Lounge will be coming to Fort Worth in November, moving into the former site of Ray’s Steakhouse at to 3206 Winthrop Ave. in the Ridglea Village Shopping Center. Since its opening in 2009, The Wild Mushroom has been a popular dining destination for locals and visitors, winning numerous awards. The restaurant offers upscale cuisine in an intimate atmosphere and Chef Jerrett Joslin’s menu of new creations and western classics.
“We have thoroughly enjoyed our first five years located in Parker County and appreciate our Weatherford area customers and all those who have regularly made the drive out from Fort Worth,” said owner and chef Joslin. “We look forward to this next chapter of growth and will enjoy serving both new and familiar faces at both restaurants.” Coming to the Fort Worth Wild Mushroom as executive chef will be Darrin Green. Green brings 30 years of culinary experience to his role as executive chef at The Wild Mushroom Steak House & Lounge. As a child, he watched his mother create culinary wonders from scratch and began his career working alongside his father in a Cattleman’s Steakhouse.
As a young adult, Green moved to Fort Worth to pursue his dream of becoming a chef. He landed his first chef job at Woodhaven Country Club, where he worked for four years. Next, he helped open a Ramono’s Macaroni Grill, worked for Hilton Hotels, Gallagher’s Restaurant in Nebraska and then Westin Hotels & Resorts as the executive sous chef. He returned to Fort Worth to work for Hilton Hotels again, this time as their banquet chef. Since then, Chef Green has worked in the kitchens of some of Fort Worth’s most prestigious country clubs and dining establishments, including: Escargots, Mira Vista Country Club, River Crest Country Club, Colonial Country Club, Ridglea Country Club and Central Market. Most recently, Green worked at Fort Worth’s Omni Hotel. He is known best for his innovative food dishes and for creating culinary classics with a new spin. “I’m excited to welcome Chef Green aboard,” said Joslin. “He has a progressive style that pairs well with mine, and I’m looking forward to shaking things up in the Fort Worth culinary scene together.”
Joslin is not forsaking Weatherford completely. A new concept, Vintage Grill & Car Museum, featuring farm-to-table southern style cuisine with a twist plus a vintage car collection, is currently under construction. Joslin and Tom Moncrief are collaborating to create the new restaurant, bar and car museum, located at 202 Fort Worth Hwy off the square in Weatherford. Joslin will serve as co-owner and chef at the new restaurant, which will feature outdoor patio dining, indoor dining, a bar, a gift shop and Moncrief’s eclectic collection of vintage automobiles. Vintage Grill & Car Museum will offer a lunch menu, dinner menu and brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. The menus will feature authentic southern cuisine with a chef Joslin twist, including chicken fried steak, chicken and waffles, salads and more, with produce sourced, to the extent possible, from the Weatherford Farmer’s Market across the street. The museum will be open during restaurant hours, and there will be no admittance fee.