The Stockyards’ newest restaurant opens soon, with steaks and view of Exchange Avenue
The newest Stockyards restaurant is ready to open.
Yes, chef Marcus Paslay picked a heckuva time to open his Provender Hall grill.
But Paslay, chef at Clay Pigeon and Piattello Italian, has a plan.
“I think the Stockyards is the place to be, “ he said the other day, with Provender opening any day now at 122 E. Exchange Ave.
“International tourism is slower, but local and regional tourism is going to be busier. We’ll get people from around the region because they’re not hopping on a plane and taking off somewhere,” he said.
That’s a glass-half-full way to look at his new grill serving steaks, seafood, burgers and chicken-fried steak in Mule Alley on the Fort Worth Herd cattle drive route next door to and above Shake Shack.
Paslay’s other restaurants reopened after an 11-week pandemic break that he described as “pretty depressing.”
At Provender Hall, he describes a restaurant and bar overlooking Exchange Avenue at a price point similar to Lonesome Dove Western Bistro but with a bigger menu.
The entrees include $38-$40 steaks $28-$32 entrees like redfish or trout, and a $22 smoked half-chicken with grilled broccolini.
There’s a chicken-fried steak. It’s $25, But there’s also a $13 burger with fries.
(If it’s as good as the Clay Pigeon burger, it’ll be a hit.)
“We know red meat is going to do well, and steaks will do well,” Paslay said.
But he also expects to sell grilled trout and oysters on the half shell.
The menu is described as “American southern cuisine.”
His other restaurants brought top-quality steaks and pastas.
Mule Alley is a bit more of a challenge.
The Stockyards has never been as much of a dining scene as it should be, although chef Tim Love’s three restaurants bring the area Southwestern grill dishes, Spanish tapas and burgers.
The Stockyards is a good choice for weekday or weekend lunch, or for a weeknight dinner.
Lonesome Dove has an inexpensive lunch menu. Old favorites like Cattlemen’s Steak House and the Star Cafe haven’t changed. Hunter Brothers H3 Ranch is probably the leading choice for middle-of-the-road prices.
Provender Hall will have to count on its location and the appeal of the new Mule Alley.
Other coming restaurants in Mule Alley include 97 West at Hotel Drover, by former Max’s Wine Dive chef Jenna Kinard; Second Rodeo Brewing Co., by Jason Boso (Twisted Root); Sidesaddle Saloon, by Sarah Castillo (Tinie’s, Taco Heads); and the Biscuit Bar, a Dallas-based restaurant featuring biscuit sandwiches (already open in Arlington).
Look for Provender Hall to open within days; provenderhall.com.
This story was originally published July 1, 2020 at 5:45 AM.
