Restaurants

The Branded Butcher

Formerly the chef at Athens institution Farm 255, Matt Palmerlee brings the charcuterie trend to the Classic City. Craft cocktails (including Southern riffs like a white julep made with American Spirit white whiskey) and affordable wines set the mood, as do meaty starters like the Scotch egg (encased in sausage meat) on celery root, chicken liver mousse, smoked trout rillettes, and a housemade Tillamook cheddar–stuffed corn dog. Despite the restaurant’s carnivorous name, Palmerlee, a former vegetarian, makes a mean veggie plate. The atmosphere—gastropub minimalism with exposed brick, a mix of woods, and central bar—feels intimate and inviting, and the service, often lacking in Athens, will pleasantly surprise you.