Thanks for the great photos. It was a really good time. No matter how many times I go to the Publican, I'm still amazed by how good the service is. I think the duck prosciutto salad was my favorite course, too.

ronnie_suburban wrote:A beer dinner is not something I would normally attend but the invite was fortuitous in that I learned quite a bit about The Bruery and their amazing products at this meal. I don't even know how available they are locally but I'll definitely be on the lookout for them. =R=

Several Bruery beers are available in large format bottles at Binny's.

Ronna

Ronnie: Are the pictures of the charcuterie plate you posted a half order or full order?

Another general question... my brother and I are probably going to head over there in a few weeks and just order a bunch of stuff to share. Would it be best if we order half-orders of everything or will this leave us longing for more? I plan on fasting sans breakfast in order to get the most out of this meal

TCK wrote:Ronnie: Are the pictures of the charcuterie plate you posted a half order or full order?

Another general question... my brother and I are probably going to head over there in a few weeks and just order a bunch of stuff to share. Would it be best if we order half-orders of everything or will this leave us longing for more? I plan on fasting sans breakfast in order to get the most out of this meal

I'm not sure if it's a half or full order because at the time I think only 1 option was available. That said, I recently had the full charcuterie plate with my son and it was a LOT of food (seemed like more than what was in the picture I posted). So, if you plan on sampling a lot of items, best to stick to half-orders wherever possible. It's some hearty fare the the Publican.

=R=

My wife (who is tiny) and I can generally get through about 5 dishes if we don't order the charcuterie plate or the big plate of chicken and fries. As Ronnie mentioned, the charcuterie plate is huge, so it will definitely cut down on the number of things you can order.

Here's a half order of charcuterie from last week.

Best sharing dish at Publican, FYI, is the perfectly seasoned chicken - a half chicken, a couple of huge hunks of sausage, and fries. Great to pick at.

REB wrote:Several Bruery beers are available in large format bottles at Binny's.

Ronna

Also - as of last night the Rugbrod is on draft at Binny's South Loop. Very tasty. Not sure what size barrel so not sure how long it will last but it was only recently tapped so probably into the weekend.

REB wrote:Thanks for the great photos. It was a really good time. No matter how many times I go to the Publican, I'm still amazed by how good the service is. I think the duck prosciutto salad was my favorite course, too.

ronnie_suburban wrote:A beer dinner is not something I would normally attend but the invite was fortuitous in that I learned quite a bit about The Bruery and their amazing products at this meal. I don't even know how available they are locally but I'll definitely be on the lookout for them. =R=

Several Bruery beers are available in large format bottles at Binny's.

Ronna

I'm pretty sure Bruery beers only come in large format, so you pay for it -- they're comparably priced to assorted other large format bottles, but try not to think about the fact that you're paying the equivalent of $20-30 6 pack prices for a witbier or saison when there's 4-packs of Allagash White or Goose Island Sofie sitting on the shelf nearby for $8-10. As for draft, Saison de Lente was on tap at Owen & Engine earlier this week, and I've Bruery beers pop up on draft at assorted other beer bars such as Bangers & Lace and Map Room. They didn't bring it to the dinner, but the best offering of theirs in wide distribution IMO is the Hottenroth Berliner Weiss, a style that not a ton of breweries bother with and when they do it's quite regularly not all that good. The Bruery's is excellent.

Personally, my favorite beer to have at Publican is the lambic doux, their house-blended lambic that is never quite the same twice. Not something you see anywhere else in the city that I'm aware of, and not likely to see many places outside of Belgium.

Vitesse98 wrote:Best sharing dish at Publican, FYI, is the perfectly seasoned chicken - a half chicken, a couple of huge hunks of sausage, and fries. Great to pick at.

Yes. I whole-heartedly agree. A great dish.

=R=

REB wrote:Several Bruery beers are available in large format bottles at Binny's.

Thanks, for the tip. I picked up a few tonight at my local Binny's, including their last bottle of Trade Winds.

=R=

Does anyone happen to have an picture of the current beer menu at The Publican? I was in there a few weeks back for a quick drink & snack of cheesy pork rind goodness. Had a lovely sour beer (cherry notes) that the waitress recommended and I forgot to write down the name. I'd like it again, but after dwelling on this for weeks, I can't recall. Thanks!

is the beer list on their website not their current selection?

Beer/Wine List

incite wrote:is the beer list on their website not their current selection?

Beer/Wine List

As of Sunday evening, half their taps were devoted to Bruery beers. If the beer list is a deciding factor, I'd suggest calling first.

Ronna

incite wrote:is the beer list on their website not their current selection?

Beer/Wine List

Hmm, I guess it's the Monk's Café Flemish Sour Red Ale, but I could swear that when I looked at that .pdf 2 weeks ago it was different or the beer wasn't there. Easy enough, thanks!

Thanks for all the tips and advice everyone!

I made my first visit to The Publican last night. (Sometimes I'm at a restaurant on opening night, other times it takes me a while...)

A lot has already been said, so I'll just add some quick thoughts:
* What does Paul Kahan have against soundproofing? If Blackbird, Avec & The Publican aren't the 3 loudest restaurants in Chicago, I don't know what are.

* The beer list posted on the website does NOT match the list we were given in the restaurant. But regardless, it's a fantastic beer list. We had 3 or 4 and loved all that we tried.

* I almost never order roast chicken, but did based on the board's recommendations...best chicken ever. And the fries were fabulous. They stayed crispy despite soaking in the chicken's drippings.

* Fried clams were also great. My only complaint is that there weren't enough of them.

* For a first timer, and despite our server's explanation, we found it tough to gauge whether we ordered enough or too much food. I wish there were some better way to understand the relative size of dishes--other than price. (For the record, we ordered too much.) We probably should have ordered in two rounds.

I believe the size of the dishes increases as you move down the menu, though I realize that still doesn't help you figure out if you've ordered enough. I always over order.

Haven't scanned this thread in a while but in doing so now, I am surprised to find no mention of the fried smelt dish that the Publican recently had on their menu. Fried smelt, onion rings and FRIED CHEESE CURDS. It was the ultimate homage to Wisconsin and delicious as well. There was a super tasty tartar sauce as would be expected. We tried the smelt at Shaws a few days later and they didn't compare. I think smelt season is just about over but it was fun while it lasted. And nothing cuts the fry in fried smelt like a glass of champagne.

edited to correct spelling.

How often do they change their menu?

Mr. Maki and I are going for the first time for our first wedding anniversary on the 28th and I'm hoping those cheese curds are still there. Are they still doing the spicy pork rinds? I think I'd prefer them with just salt- can you request that?

chgoeditor wrote:* The beer list posted on the website does NOT match the list we were given in the restaurant. But regardless, it's a fantastic beer list. We had 3 or 4 and loved all that we tried.

This is pretty much my universal experience at all restaurants ever... and who cares?

franklincampo wrote:

chgoeditor wrote:* The beer list posted on the website does NOT match the list we were given in the restaurant. But regardless, it's a fantastic beer list. We had 3 or 4 and loved all that we tried.

This is pretty much my universal experience at all restaurants ever... and who cares?

Apparently people who are trying to remember the name of a beer they enjoyed while dining there.

FWIW, I didn't notice smelts on the menu when I was there on Wednesday.

chgoeditor wrote:

franklincampo wrote:

chgoeditor wrote:* The beer list posted on the website does NOT match the list we were given in the restaurant. But regardless, it's a fantastic beer list. We had 3 or 4 and loved all that we tried.

This is pretty much my universal experience at all restaurants ever... and who cares?

Apparently people who are trying to remember the name of a beer they enjoyed while dining there.

I would love it if restaurants would keep their online menus updated, but it is pretty rare for that to happen. Cellphone cameras come in really handy for remembering wines and beers you've enjoyed.

A quick dinner at the Publican on Friday night, before heading to The Aviary, was as good as ever: we started with 6 oysters, then the sardines (which were the size of trout), Cucussu (pork confit, beef tongue, rabbit sausage), and turnips. We also tried a half-pitcher of the their house lambic. Everything was amazing.

Once again, I was easily impressed by this ultimate of comfort food destinations, still my default go-to mid-level place in the city. This time it was a visit for brunch. We didn't have reservations, but had no problem getting seated at opening. My wife got the awesome weiswurst, I got the waffle and a side of bacon so thick and maple-y it may as well have been pork belly. Plenty of parking, mellow vibe, at least early, and modest people watching as stragglers struggled in for their coffee and meat fix. It was sort of fascinating to see a place so loud and bustling relatively sedate. Nice change of pace.

That bacon is one of the best tasting bites in the city.

I would love it if restaurants would keep their online menus updated, but it is pretty rare for that to happen.

It's not terribly rare when it comes to beer, but you just have to go offsite sometimes.

Beermenus has become a pretty awesome resource now that bars and restos are updating regularly, almost daily in some cases.

Shame Publican can't spare a minute to do what plenty of other less heralded joints can do - their page hasn't been updated in almost 2 years. But I guess if you wanted to know what you drank in September 2k9, you're in luck.

I think I am still in a food coma from going there yesterday. The food is absolutely delicious, Im still thinking about the corn, and the shrimp boil! So simple and so good. I have mixed feelings about service though. How many times can you miss a glass and not bother to clean the spilled liquid afterwards? And also I agree with this previous comment 100%. I will post pictures once Im out of my coma.

chgoeditor wrote:* What does Paul Kahan have against soundproofing? If Blackbird, Avec & The Publican aren't the 3 loudest restaurants in Chicago, I don't know what are.

theskinnyduck wrote:I think I am still in a food coma from going there yesterday. The food is absolutely delicious, Im still thinking about the corn, and the shrimp boil! So simple and so good. I have mixed feelings about service though. How many times can you miss a glass and not bother to clean the spilled liquid afterwards? And also I agree with this previous comment 100%. I will post pictures once Im out of my coma.

I was there last night as well, and the service definitely seemed off. Nothing horrendous, just a bit disorganized across the board. Our server recognized all the problems we experienced without our having to mention them, and he comped us a fair number of drinks (more than enough to satisfy me). I know they were shooting video there last night, not sure if the disorganization was related to that.

All of our food was great as always. The apple/corn/kale slaw that came with the suckling pig was especially good, as was the marinaded squash. I've got loads of squash in my garden right now so I'm going to try to replicate it at home.

Attrill wrote: as was the marinaded squash. I've got loads of squash in my garden right now so I'm going to try to replicate it at home.

Please describe--I have a TON of squash and zucchini and am in search of ideas. It's not my favorite veg--admittedly grew them for the blossoms which I have reveled in all summer--but feel guilty not doing something with the fruit.

boudreaulicious wrote:

Attrill wrote: as was the marinaded squash. I've got loads of squash in my garden right now so I'm going to try to replicate it at home.

Please describe--I have a TON of squash and zucchini and am in search of ideas. It's not my favorite veg--admittedly grew them for the blossoms which I have reveled in all summer--but feel guilty not doing something with the fruit.

I did not have the squash at the publican, but if you are looking for ideas of using squash and zucchini, my old time favorite way is to slice them thin and quickly saute them with olive oil and garlic and server them with yoghurt on top (either greek or bulgarian yoghurt). Really good summer treat.