Yesterday, I managed to get Paul DeGeorge, one of the owners of The Branded Butcher (as well as Pauley’s), on the phone to confirm that, indeed, White Tiger is no longer running the restaurant on the rooftop of the Georgia Theatre. Instead, Matt Palmerlee, chef of the abovementioned eatery, is doing the grub there. Although I haven’t yet been able to get Palmerlee to talk about the menu, hours and other important details, DeGeorge says that The Branded Butcher completed work on its back patio a couple of weeks ago. Previously pretty much a dirt hole, if you ever looked down from the Theatre’s rooftop and saw it, the space now has heating, a/c, fans, lights and atmosphere. It also happens to connect to the Theatre’s green room, which is how the transition came about. Willie Nelson hired Palmerlee to do some catering, and Wilmot Greene, owner of the Theatre, appreciated the results so much that he decided to make the change. DeGeorge says the menu won’t be the same as the fancier digs at street level. Instead, it will be simpler fare, akin to what was already being served, but with Palmerlee’s recipes. Things are in an experimental phase right now, but we’ll bring you more news as we have it.
White Tiger, meanwhile, will be just fine. Melinda Edwards, late of Flagpole and currently of the Boulevard neighborhood restaurant, says Ken Manring, her husband and its chef-proprietor, had wanted to return his focus to his original eatery.
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