Ex-Grill 23 Chef Will Bring Tusk to Medford in 2018

Ex-Grill 23 chef and Massachusetts restaurant veteran Jay Murray is opening his own spot in Medford Square in early 2018. The restaurant will be called Tusk — which stands for “Trust Us Kitchen” — and there will be a focus on both small plates and family-style platters.

Natalya Orlando of KMPD Capital LLC — the firm helping Murray make Tusk a reality — told Eater that there are still a lot of moving pieces that have to be set in place, but that work has begun on the design, floor plan, and menu.

The focus at Tusk won’t only be on the food. Murray said that Tusk will have a selection of craft beers that will feature mostly breweries from Massachusetts and New England, along with an extensive wine list: 50 labels available by the bottle or the glass. Cocktails will be important, too — Murray wants Greater Boston’s cocktail crowd to look to Tusk as a drinking destination.

Neither an address nor an opening date has been set in stone, but stay tuned for updates. And in the meantime, catch up with Murray over at Avenue in Medfield.