photograph by samuel x. cicci
L - R: Jesse McDonald, Bob Keskey, and Cole Forrest joined forces this summer to bring hot wings and other snacks to Ghost River’s Beale Street location.
A journalist walks into a bar. There’s no punchline here, sorry — just good brews and good food. Throw open the doors of the Beale Street branch of Ghost River Brewing Company. A few unfamiliar and tantalizing scents hang gently in the air. Is it spicy Buffalo? Perhaps barbecue? Even better: It’s both, and more. That exciting fusion of flavor out of the taproom’s kitchen is to be expected from the team at New Wing Order, who have taken over the kitchen space at Ghost River and quickly made themselves at home.
The New Wing Order team of co-owners Cole Forrest and Jesse McDonald — known for their ubiquitous food truck that has seemingly been everywhere in Memphis all at once since it first hit the streets in 2018 — has brought their trademark high quality and lengthy list of exciting sauces to their first brick-and-mortar location, which so far fits in seamlessly Downtown. And since opening in early June, it’s been a fun experience for all involved.
“It’s a change of pace for sure,” laughs McDonald as he stretches out while tossing a freshly baked batch of wings in a bowl of Memphis Buffalo sauce. “I mean, it’s definitely a lot bigger than the truck. We’ve got some room to move now!”
Adding a permanent food component to his business was always a priority for Ghost River owner Bob Keskey since he opened the Beale Street location in the summer of 2021. Flying Sobie’s had first moved in on an initial year-long contract, but when the two ventures parted ways amicably, Keskey put out the word that they were seeking a new culinary tenant.
photograph courtesy new wing order
New Wing Order has brought its full list of 25+ wing sauces and seasonings to Downtown Memphis.
Forrest reached out through a mutual acquaintance who worked at the Beale Street taproom, and the new partnership bloomed quickly. “We met up, and I knew immediately that we were on the same page,” says Keskey. “We do a lot of events here like screening Grizzlies games, and for that we want food that’s high quality and that gets out quickly. These guys are very talented and efficient. We did some food tests early on, staff and patrons loved it, so here we are. We’re going to run before we walk in terms of expanding, but we have a good start here.”
Keskey hopes to incorporate a larger New Wing Order presence at the original Ghost River location at 827 S. Main, but for now, diners can get their wing fixes on Beale.
Each month rings in a unique special, and McDonald is always interested in mixing new flavors together. “I think about what kind of idea and flavor profile I’m looking for,” he explains. “I’m thinking about heat, I’m thinking about acid, I’m thinking about spices, and from there, we just experiment until we find the right balance.”
Setting up shop at Ghost River is the culmination of a multi-year journey for New Wing Order to find the right physical space. “We initially started looking at spaces in January of 2020,” says Forrest. “And as you can imagine, we had to put that plan on the back burner.”
But this summer finally felt like the right time, and they jumped at the chance to test a permanent home. “The demand just kept growing,” he continues. “In terms of catering and events, we’re booked through November. Having just the truck limited what we could do. A new space would really allow us to increase our capacity.” But fret not, wing fans: Even with the opening of the new location, the food truck will continue to operate as it has for years.
photograph courtesy new wing order
Buffalo chicken tacos.
Talks with Keskey began in early May, and the New Wing Order kitchen was ready to open by June 1st, with the official grand opening not far behind on June 11th. “I’m not sure I would have pegged Beale Street as our first home,” he says. “But the feedback we’ve gotten from folks Downtown over the years has been excellent.”
And a settled space has given the team leeway to come up with new items that can only be found at the taproom. A few simple appetizers serve more as shareable snacks, like a sausage and cheese plate that’s designed as a grab-and-go item. But alongside the plentiful wings — and other favorites like the Buffalo chicken tacos or fried chicken barbecue nachos — Forrest and McDonald are embracing the chance to reach a wider audience of customers.
“We’ve been talking about doing more vegan options,” says McDonald. “We have a fried avocado taco that’s really popular. But what we’re really interested in is coming up with a vegan-style wing.”
Rather than using traditional cauliflower or broccoli, McDonald and Forrest have other ideas. They’ve been experimenting with building a vegan wing out of brussel sprouts; expect to see those on menus soon. “We don’t bread ’em or anything,” says McDonald. “They go straight in the fryer and it kind of gives them a nice char. They get tender, but also crispy. They’ve been really good, so stay tuned.”
But ask any wing aficionado who’s cooked up a batch for a Super Bowl party or rolled up to a chain like Buffalo Wild Wings, and they just might say the meal isn’t complete without a good beer. Keskey, Forrest, and McDonald relish the chance to create a series of beer pairings that balance both new craft beer and wing flavors alongside old favorites. Some already available flavors mesh well: McDonald prefers the Grind City Gold (their sweet and savory take on the classic Memphis Gold wing sauce) with a pint of Ghost River’s light Grindhouse Cream Ale.
The first new pairing, launched in conjunction with the grand opening, saw McDonald whip up a new sauce called Beale Street Blaze. “It’s a spicy barbecue sauce,” says McDonald, “but as an homage to our new partner, we’re adding in a touch of ghost pepper to give it that extra bit of kick.”
For his part, Keskey helped oversee the addition of a new dunkel (a type of dark German lager) on tap. “This is the first of many,” he says. “We’re able to do a lot of cool small batch beers here, so we’ll be doing that constantly as we test out new flavor pairings to see what works well.”
photograph courtesy new wing order
“We’re obviously going to stick with what we excel at,” says Forrest. “And we have a great lineup of wings. But we have so much more space now, so we can explore new directions. We have the sausage and cheese plates, but we’ll also introduce avocado fries, steak quesadillas, and other things like that.”
As Forrest says, however, the main focus will remain steadily on wings. The truck’s carefully curated list of more than 25 diverse flavors, workshopped since Forrest and McDonald formed their competitive wing team in 2012, will continue to be the foundation of the business. And that list will likely grow. Each month rings in a unique special, and McDonald is always interested in mixing new flavors together. “I think about what kind of idea and flavor profile I’m looking for,” he explains. “I’m thinking about heat, I’m thinking about acid, I’m thinking about spices, and from there, we just experiment until we find the right balance.”
The perfect flavor balance, at least according to judges from the Southern Hot Wing Festival and Bluff City Wing Contest, is found in the duo’s Memphis Buffalo sauce, a synthesis of traditional Buffalo and Memphis barbecue flavors. It’s the best starting point for beginners, or at least those who don’t like too much spice, as sweet barbecue flavoring helps temper the kick of New York heat. But there are plenty of outside-the-box ideas, like the curry-esque Midtown Masala sauce, or Ja’s Sweet Heat. The brave souls among us, those who won’t balk at the idea of a smoldering trek through Mount Doom or brazen journeys with Dante into the seven circles of hell, can jump straight down to the maximum spice level: the ring of fire sauce. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. The sauces and seasonings run the full spectrum, from mild and sweet to straight fire, so no one should feel left out.
Keskey calls the first month or so of the partnership a successful honeymoon phase. “We’re going to see how it plays out. But they’re very adaptive. And it’s mutually beneficial. It’s wings and beer! So we’re testing it out for a year, and it’s hopefully something that could stretch to be 10 years.”
At least one thing is certain: Brews and wings always make a hell of a pair.
New Wing Order is located at Ghost River Brewing Co. on Beale, 341 Beale St. Open 4 p.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday; 12 noon-10 p.m. Friday Saturday; 12 noon-8 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday-Tuesday. NEWWINGORDER.COM
