Paslay details plans for Stockyards restaurant set to open in March

Chef Marcus Paslay

Provender Hall is the name of Chef and restaurateur Marcus Paslay’s new Stockyards’ Mule Alley restaurant set to open in March.

Paslay, known for his Clay Pigeon and Piattello Italian Kitchen restaurants, is bringing his from-scratch sensibility and distinct culinary vision to the Stockyards’ refurbished Mule Alley development.

Its name a hat tip to the area’s cattle-centric history (provender meaning food for cattle), Paslay’s new lunch and dinner restaurant will offer his take on American comfort food, with a playful menu spanning oysters on the half-shell to chicken gumbo to a buffalo tenderloin. Salads and sides such as crispy okra, braised greens and cheddar-cheese grits will also be on offer.

“This is really the way I like to eat,” Paslay says. “I find a lot of comfort in this style of dining—it’s like a Texas brasserie.”

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Many of the dishes focus on the element of smoke, with a live fire playing an important role thanks to a J&R smoker and a J&R wood-burning grill. The supper menu includes a smoked chicken half-bird with grilled broccolini, blackened shrimp and grits with a blistered tomato beurre blanc, and a smoked pork chop with a white-bean stew.

Paslay will cook with chef Scott Lewis, who also helms Piattello’s kitchen. Lewis takes on a new role with the opening of Provender Hall, overseeing kitchen operations at all of Paslay’s restaurants. Front-of-house operations will be steered by Kellen Hamrah, who also has a new role in managing bar and service for the three restaurants.

The near-5,000-square-foot, two-story lofted space features a greenhouse-like entry that gives way to a bar. The first floor houses the open-air kitchen and offers areas for diners to relax pre- or post-meal. On the second level, a rehabbed wood-and-brick accented dining room is flanked by period details including two catwalks that overlook the first floor. Whimsical touches abound, such as a small corner bunker, set to hold a table should any diners fancy a game of cards.

Paslay views the new restaurant, the second to open in the multimillion-dollar under-construction 180,000-square-foot Mule Alley, as a casual place for groups to commingle. In future weeks, a mid-afternoon menu will also be made available for meandering folks in the Stockyards, tourist and native alike.

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Provender Hall is located at 122 E. Exchange Ave. and is open Sunday through Thursday, 4:30–10 PM and Friday/Saturday, 4:30¬–11 PM. Lunch hours will begin shortly after the grand opening: Sunday through Thursday, 11:30 AM–10 PM and Friday/Saturday, 11 AM–11 PM.