Trust Restaurant Group Reveals Butcher Shop and Deli in North County

Now servicing North County, where it opens Thursday, June 9 at the Beacon La Costa, the Wise Ox enables customers to bring home premium meats and other speciality ingredients which are regularly featured on the menus at Trust Restaurant Group establishments.

The Wise Ox launched in 2020, when chef and owner Brad Wise took over an existing butcher shop in North Park and began utilizing the space as an extension of his kitchens, where in-house butchers would break down whole lambs, trim steaks, truss chickens, and case sausages for his nearby restaurants including Trust, Fort Oak, and Cardellino; the new Carlsbad location will help to feed the Solana Beach branch of his steakhouse brand, Rare Society.

Sourced from pasture-raised animals, the store offers a variety of hand cut steaks along with other meats, including pork tenderloin, carne asada, and whole chickens have been marinated and seasoned and are ready to grill. Endeavoring to be as zero-waste as possible, Wise is turning scraps and leftovers into ground meat or other products like stocks and tallow. He also sells a monthly meat subscription, loaded with 10 pounds of vacuumed-sealed, ready-to-cook beef, chicken, and pork that can be picked up at either outpost.

With a large outdoor patio at the Beacon, the Wise Ox has an all-day menu of sandwiches ranging from a Philly cheesesteak to a dry-aged burger and house-smoked turkey on sourdough; weekends will feature rotating sandwich specials. The deli pours wine and beer, and the shop also retails bottles seen across Trust Restaurant Group lists along with some of the chef’s favorite pantry items.

• All Openings Coverage on Eater [ESD]