Another Restaurant-in-Residence Heads for a New South End Development

A new Southern-style restaurant is on the way to Boston, courtesy of a chef who has a lengthy history cooking at restaurants all around the city. Chef Jason Cheek is the force behind Southern Proper, according to Boston Restaurant Talk; the restaurant is seeking approval to open within a new mixed-use development called The Girard at 600 Harrison Ave. in Boston’s South End.

Cheek is the former executive chef of The Maiden in South Boston and previously worked at Sam’s, Merrill & Co., Toro, and KO Prime. He has registered a corporation at the Harrison Avenue address, and filings indicate that the proposed restaurant will serve alcohol and offer take-out options and entertainment.

Southern Proper is seeking approval from Boston’s licensing board to acquire the liquor license from the now-closed Williams Tavern. If approved, the restaurant will have a dining space and a bar area with additional seating, plus a seasonal outdoor patio from April through November that will shut down at 11 p.m., with the restaurant closing at 2 a.m. A hearing on the matter will be held May 10.

Southern Proper could join a handful of other restaurants that have taken up residence in new developments in the South End. Bar Mezzana, Fuji at Ink Block, and Lion’s Tail are all located just up the street within the Ink Block apartments, and others are scattered around the city, as The Boston Globe has noted.

• Southern Proper Plans to Open in Boston's South End [BRT]