The Publican
discussons in the past 3 months.
837 W. Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 733-9555 GO TO WEBSITE
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quick reviews (2 Reviews)
»Dinner Thursday night at the Publican
I had a delicious dinner Thursday night at the Publican, and I’m finding the goat crepinette difficult to forget! I was seated before my dining partner arrived by a friendly hostess who remembered that we preferred to not sit at the communal table. Our chipper server kindly obliged us when we asked to move to a more secluded booth, and she could not have been sweeter throughout our meal. If you...+READ
I had a delicious dinner Thursday night at the Publican, and I’m finding the goat crepinette difficult to forget! I was seated before my dining partner arrived by a friendly hostess who remembered that we preferred to not sit at the communal table. Our chipper server kindly obliged us when we asked to move to a more secluded booth, and she could not have been sweeter throughout our meal. If you are worried about the noise level, come at 10PM, when people are starting to clear out. About a third of the restaurant was full, and the noise level, while still high, was in no way intruding on our enjoyment of the meal.
Upon request, we were brought warm, fresh whole grain bread, cut in hearty slices, with a slab of salty butter. She staggered our four courses such that we were always munching away, and I sampled the chopped salad, the goat crepinette, the brussel sprouts, and a half order of the country ribs. Unfortunately, the goat crepinette is just a special (she was not sure how long it would be on the menu). Get thee to the Publican before this divine concoction goes the way of the buffalo! Served on a buttery bed of butternut squash and with horseradish salsify, these two crepinettes were reminiscent of corned beef and were tender to the point that you could eat them with a spoon! The brussell sprouts added some welcome lightness to our meal, as they were shaved and had a nice lemony flavor. Finally, we again did not need knives for the beef ribs, which were accompanied by big slabs of roasted green peppers and onions.
For dessert, we ordered the bread pudding and the chocolate cake. The bread pudding was dry and crusty, and thank heavens I could soak it with the creamy coconut gelato. A few pecans and the slightest hint of banana made things marginally more interesting, but I would pass on this dessert. The chocolate cake was worth fighting over, however, and it was perfectly complemented by a vanilla ice cream, a delicious peanut sauce, and peanut croquant.
Over and over again, we swore we could eat here every night. I truly cannot wait to return!-COLLAPSE
»NYer's Review of The Pubican
I was in Chicago for the weekend and hit up the Publican for dinner on Saturday night with my brother and parents. First impressions: really liked the casual, European vibe of the place - communal tables, wine served in stubby water glasses. One nitpick - no ice in the water and the water itself was room temp. This is a very European thing but it irritates me there too - I like cold water, with...+READ
I was in Chicago for the weekend and hit up the Publican for dinner on Saturday night with my brother and parents. First impressions: really liked the casual, European vibe of the place - communal tables, wine served in stubby water glasses. One nitpick - no ice in the water and the water itself was room temp. This is a very European thing but it irritates me there too - I like cold water, with ice (I’m sure they would have provided it if I asked, but I didn’t bother). Anyway, interesting and inexpensive wine list - my brother chose an Austrian rose that went perfectly with the rich menu and was only $35. Coming from NYC, I felt that portions overall were quite generous and reasonably priced.
Anyway, as for the food - we ordered most of the meat menu to share and really nothing disappointed. My dad and brother enjoyed some raw oysters (not my thing), while I munched on their freshly made pork rinds, which were light and airy, coated in a tasty spice mixture. I also enjoyed the crackers that came with the oysters - very savory and delicious, made in-house with tarragon and chives. We sampled their Serrano ham and charcuterie plate, both excellent. I particularly enjoyed the rustic pork pie, served cold. We also had the pork rillettes, which were perfectly paired with white peaches, and the chicken liver pate (very creamy and earthy, just as it should be).
After a short break, we received a salad with quinoa (not particularly interesting, but my mother needed a palate cleanser) and mussels, which were fine but nothing special. The loaf of hot fresh bread that came with them was excellent, though. We also sampled the fried veal brains as a novelty - they were light and crispy, but more or less tasted like tempura battered tofu - I wouldn’t bother with them again.
Finally, our “mains” arrived - steak tartare, served with a hard boiled egg. The texture of the beef was incredible - just chewy enough, with deep beefy flavor. I liked the omission of the traditional runny egg yolk because I hate runny yolks, but I think my dad and brother would have preferred it the traditional way. Next up, pork belly, which fortuitously came at the same time as the side of cavolo nero I ordered - just awesome. The piece we received was mostly fat, but if you like fat, it was PERFECT. Meltingly tender, so porky. I didn’t bother with any of the other stuff in the bowl because I enjoyed it so much with the cavolo nero, which was probably the most insanely addictive vegetable preparation I’ve ever tasted. Hello, bacon AND escargots with kale, what’s not to love? The last thing they brought us was the boudin blanc, which was a surprising WOW and actually one of my favorite dishes of the night - a perfectly seasoned, tender and deliciously textured sausage on a crispy potato pancake. The sausage just melted in your mouth - divine!
Anyway, suffice it to say, these people know their meat. The dessert list looked good but we were stuffed to the gills. I can’t wait to go back and try more of their seafood offerings, but it will be very hard to resist the meat. NYC needs a place like this!-COLLAPSE
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