This place is freaking awesome. Like, seriously.

I think it was Christine Muhlke who wrote that the restaurant is more brash and brazenly porktastic than anything in NYC. I agree with her. It's both feeding hall and shrine. Over my two meals here, this place speaks to me with an intimacy that comes through eating a pig from head to tail.

I'll focus on my most recent visit, late on this past Sunday, for that evening's beer dinner. On my first visit we were seated at the beer garden-like communal tables. This time we were in one of the booth-pen-things. A curious design feature to be sure--I don't want to think of the all the terrible things that could go on behind those closed doors--but I appreciated the novelty.

Here's the menu:

Duvel
salt cod and artichoke croquettes

Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel
blue fin otoro crudo with olio nuevo, manzanilla olives, almonds and mint

La Chouffe Golden ale
farm poached egg, smoked frika, corn, red curry squash and sweat crab meat

Maredsous Dubbel
braised beef cheek with faro pappardelle and matsutake mushrooms

Maredsous Tripel
salted butterscotch and bananas

There were three of us, so we decide to order two of the prix fixe, then supplement in a couple additional items from the abbreviated a la carte menu. Pork rinds were quickly procured, as were totally delicious bouchot mussels. I love, love bouchot mussels, and this was an exemplary preparation.

The beers were great. At $20 I thought this pairing was totally reasonable. I was comped a second glass of Duvel because I suppose I drank it too quickly with the rinds and mussels, before the first prix fixe course arrived. Nice gesture. I also think they may have thrown us an extra slice or two of fish, to allow us to split the crudo evenly amongst us.

Said crudo was a bit too acidic, to the extent that the olives and acid overwhelmed the fish. This was still a wholly enjoyable dish, and it was perhaps the one dish that was a bit out of balance. If I'm niggling, I'd also add that the egg was poached a bit too long so that the yolk had almost set by the time it reached the table. This didn't really hamper the dish though.

The pasta was awesome. The juxtaposition between incredibly rich beef with buttery sauce and the burstingly sweet grapes was unexpected yet made perfect sense. Braising meat with fruit isn't necessarily uncommon, but the pairing, lightly stewed fruit with tender beef was a borderline revelation.

Dessert was another unapologetic hit of big flavors in the form of a seriously salty butterscotch and an intense ceylon ice cream.

Our server was great. Made some nice recommendations on beers for my parents. Talked me through my pairing. Was generally on top of things. This isn't really a cheap restaurant, but, again, I just find it so compelling that it's going to be hard to find reasons not to go.

As much as the Publican makes no sense to me for dinner, it really works for brunch. The tall windows, suspended orbs, wood closet feel, and general din that fail to create a sheltering dinner or biergarten experience somehow seem just right for a bright weekend afternoon. The menu, too, is a better balance of sweet and savory, at great prices, and with a dose of not-taking-ourselves-too-seriously that I completely miss at suppertime, pork rinds aside.

I started this weekend with a perfect Bloody Mary with a Dark Horse black ale chaser (wow). Their version is almost like a bubble tea (Bubble Mary? (TM)), in that the garnishes are chopped into tiny perfect cubes and mixed into the drink, served with a thick straw. The finely cubed horseradish and housemade pickles give a fresh veggie snap and bite to the drink, and some extra pickles, lemon, and lime grace the top. The mix is scratch, and the full composition includes their celery bitters, Tabasco, and a house Worcestershire. The chaser glasses are generous, and I love watching the ritual with the bar-mounted glass rinser and careful pour.

My main course was the grilled pork shoulder on ciabatta with a fried egg, aioli, bacon (the non-flossy kind), slaw, and more pickles. The pork shoulder was much firmer and stringier than if smoked, and yet more strongly pig-flavored, with a perfect crackly-charred crust, and everything else was gravy. The best part of this plate was the mound of the finest frites I've had at Publican and really approaching finest in the city, thick-cut but crisp and light with an interior like silky mashed potatoes.

I still get some dissonance between the farm-to-table food and microbrews and the eccentric space and supercilious staff, but again, for brunch I'll buy it.

While I'm not sure I (fully) share your opinion on dinner, I had brunch here a few weeks back and can say, with certainty, that the atmosphere, at least, is much improved over a later meal here. Ah, natural light!

We tried about five things--at the Publican, that means a 40% hit rate. I'd skip the baked goods, quiches, tarts, etc.--this is just isn't the place for that. The ricotta is quite nice, and the accompanying hazelnuts and concord grapes fit the bill. My gf found the bacon too thick and too fatty, but I loved the smoky depth it brought; it is quite fatty, though. The clear highlight, however, is the rid wine-poached egg: the kitchen nailed the cooking of the egg, and that tangy patina of the cooking process imbued the egg. After letting the yolk run free, we put the accompanying La Quercia prosciutto and the arugula salad on top of the egg and some ciabatta and stuffed our faces. Great stuff.

I had a great meal at Publican over the weekend. I can understand some of the misgivings people have, but to me, the menu is unique enough to make this place worth visiting.

We started off with the chef's tasting of the oysters. 6 different types of oysters, all fresh and delicious. I was very impressed by the freshness and diversity of the oysters. It's hard to find great oysters outside of high-end restaurants and I haven't seen this much variety anywhere not on the coast, so for me this is a huge draw.

Another highlight was the sweetbreads which were lightly breaded and served with a very light, vinegary sauce. They were so good that we were able to convince a very picky eater at the table to try them (before we told her what sweetbreads are). She loved them, but refused to eat more when we spilled the beans. Also the squid ink pasta had excellent texture and deep flavor that complemented the shrimp it was served with perfectly. And of course the excellent pork rinds have been well documented. The fries (which I think are fried in duck fat) were very rich but the egg on top didn't add much for me. If I were to order fries again, it would be without the egg and preferably with a side of aioli.

The only miss for me was the sturgeon which was rather flavorless, though I suspect this may be more a product of my preference for stronger tasting fish.

Also I have to mention the top notch beer selection. I started off with a bottle of De Ranke XX which I had never seen before. It was a very hoppy Belgian IPA that seemed a little over-hopped, but I was glad I was able to try a different beer in one of my favorite styles. The second beer I had, which was on tap, was something that ended in Urbock (I forget the full name). I was expecting a nice malty German bock, but instead got the best rauchbier (smoke beer) I've ever had. It was creamy and only slightly smokey but enough to add tremendous character to the beer. The fact that Publican has a beer of this quality and rarity on tap is a huge selling point in my eyes.

Publican specializes in fish, pork, and beer and I think they deal with all three in a way few other restaurants do.

I've had that slightly smokey beer, too. Blanking on the name myself. It's delicious.

I had serial, blowout, on-the-man dinners at Publican and that other pork-happy newcomer, Mercat a la Planxa, a few weeks back. I didn't think I had anything new to add, but looking at some recent posts above and upon further reflection, here are a few points.

Regarding Publican:

Per Turkbob, the oysters (sampler, across the board) were very easily the best I've had in Chicago, top 5 in the US and up there among experiences in Europe. I always get oysters, especially when I'm in an oyster-loving part of the country. I was blown away by these and commented that, whoever is in charge of the oysters (sourcing, selection, chilling, shucking, whatever), knows what the hell they are doing. I now think of Publican as a beer and oyster place. I had assumed I was lucky enough to be in the ballpark for a no-hitter that night, but other comments make me think that what I experienced can happen again without too much voodoo.

One could make a fine meal of the bread with goat butter.

One guy can easily drink a "big" bottle of Rodenbach reserve without others having so much as a taste (though one should offer and I did).

Inexplicably, the one lackluster dish of the evening was the pork confit. How one cooks good pork in fat and comes up with something that dry is a mystery. It came at the end and I was stuffed with damn fine oysters, sardines, ham, and whatnot. It wasn't my time or place to gripe.

And the pork rinds, while good, didn't elicit the sort of wild porkamania that we expected.

Mercat

As much as I liked what Publican was up to, Mercat the night before was better.

"Salad" consisting of greens rolled up, Habana-like, in ham? That's a salad I can feel good about.

The black paella was one of the best things I've had this year. No dumbing down of the brackish tidal-basin flavor meant I had it mostly to myself.

The meats, both steak and lamb chops, were tops. Really good work all the way around.

Truffles seemingly thrown about with abandon.

The interesting thing to me was that I've been to Mercat several times, including for a large event that I sponsored in the private room. I like the place but always found the dinners to be workman-like efforts before. This time out, it was all fireworks and rose petals.

Can't say enough about the servers and staff at both places. Real pros. Is it me, or is service a lot better in this economy?

Just realized, I'm writing like Larry King's teleprompter. I blame NAV MAN.

turkob wrote:The second beer I had, which was on tap, was something that ended in Urbock (I forget the full name). I was expecting a nice malty German bock, but instead got the best rauchbier (smoke beer) I've ever had.

BryanZ wrote:I've had that slightly smokey beer, too. Blanking on the name myself. It's delicious.

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock? I haven't been to The Publican since its early days. I was seriously underwhelmed then but it sounds like maybe it's time to revisit.

I saw that beer on beer advocate and my first instinct said that wasn't it. Reason being I think I would've noticed that the name had rauchbier in it and so I wouldn't have been expecting a bock. But it's certainly possible. Regardless, I'd order it again in a heartbeat. I doubt too many places in the country have that beauty on tap.

I also enjoyed that Urbock the other evening, but I must admit it was significantly more smokey than anticipated. Of course it paired great with the country ribs. Also gave their imperial pilsener a try, and at 9.5%, the thing packs some heat, but nonetheless maintained the nice clean crispness you would expect of a lager. Gotta appreciate the attention given to potential beer and food pairings at the Publican. Just a killer, well-curated selection.

I'm absolutely falling in love with this place. Over the past few weeks I've been to Publican three more times and have had fabulous meals each time. It's really dark in there, so I'm not going to bother posting pictures that don't do the food justice but really, there is no place like this anywhere in Chicago. This constantly-evolving menu is arguably the most distinctive one in town and it's comprised of ingredients that are top of the larder. The dishes are well-conceived, well-executed and innovative.

The number of beer and oyster offerings alone put most other restaurants to shame. Tonight for example, 8 different varieties of oysters and over 60 beers were offered. And the choices in both categories are phenomenal, too. And even though items like wine and spirits are not the focus, the limited choices in those categories are outstanding and thoughtfully-chosen. Bourbon-wise, in my several trips to Publican I've enjoyed Hirsch 16, Eagle Rare 17, and even a special barrel select, cask strength Old Weller bourbon chosen personally by the bar manager of The Violet Hour.

Foodwise, there's a notably memorable mix of excellent house creations and exemplary renditions of proven classics, too. Tender and sweet Nantucket Bay Scallops with celery root and black truffle were so good I wanted to lick the plate on which they were served. Bouchot Mussels with gueuze, bay, celery, butter and garlic were also amazing and the pot liquor in which they were cooked was good enough to bathe in. The house-made pork rinds are lighter than air and really taste like pork. Imagine that . . . or go to Publican and eat them yourself.

Meaty braised oxtails with brussels sprouts, peanuts and breadcrumbs as well as crispy/tender sweetbreads over smothered greens and topped with pickled onions were delectable. I also loved an aromatic celery root sformato that was served with brussels sprouts (what can I say? I love them) and apples. An artichoke salad, which incorporated bresaola, feta, red onion, olive and oregano, was sensational. Publican's frites, topped with sunnyside-up farm eggs, are amazing.

Delicately smoked trout with apples, pickled fennel, fromage blanc and hash browns was amazing. A shrimp dish (whole, head on) with lobster mushrooms and grits delivered intense flavors and a phenomenal combination of textures. A combination "fry" of clams and walleye, served with celery root, lemon, parmesan and harissa aioli was immensely satisfying. Lentils with pig's tail and creme fraiche were tender, earthy and delectable. Even a humble side of brussels sprouts was roasted perfectly and dotted with generous lardons of smoky-sweet bacon. Porchetta with rosemary, leeks and beet mostarda was the ultimate trump card of unctuous pork.

It's actually hard to make choices at Publican because of the incredible selection of hard-to-find-anywhere-else ingredients. The dishes I've not ordered could comprise a feast fit for a king: tripe gratin, marrow bones, boudin blanc, suckling pig, country ribs, potee, pork confit, radishes, beets, leeks and kuri squash are calling me back; haunting temptations all.

While the space is definitely loud, I have come to love that aspect, as well as the energy that emanates from the room. At tonight's 'business' dinner I had no trouble whatsoever conversing with my dining companion. What it keeps coming back to for me is how, from top to bottom, in every perceivable way, Publican is genuinely distinctive. Unique space, fantastic service, mind-blowing food. Not every dish is perfect but that just doesn't matter when a place is turning out this kind of food and taking big-time culinary risks. Over the long haul -- plate over plate and glass over glass -- this is one of the most satisfying and important restaurants in Chicago.

=R=

Ron,

I had a dinner there earlier this week. Very good and, to amplify your comment about the number of items on the menu, we didn't have any of the same things you mentioned. We had the hams, the charcuterie, sardines, potee, sucking pig, Portuguese fish stew and the waffle.

While I like Publican almost as much as you do, it is an imperfect place (which isn't?). In my experience, Publican has shone much more brightly when the kitchen wasn't actually cooking. If it was made earlier or selected by the crack cold-cuts staff, baked, shucked, or deep-fried, it's bound to be terrific. Otherwise, it's variable. I have had especially bad luck with the cooked pork dishes, unbelievable as that might seem. The potee and suckling pig dishes weren't particularly memorable -- the latter being a small jumble of stuff that tasted like Thanksgiving (sage, gravy, and dry white meat, albeit pork) and didn't work for me at all. The one clunker in a "bring us two of everything" meal for work early last month was the pork confit. This week, grilled sardines were just OK (the texture made me think "frozen," though that seems highly unlikely). [Edit: NB, as I reported above, they were great last time. Luck of the draw.] However, the other stuff was all fantastic.

The fish stew was a huge exception to my observation that the pre-made or fried stuff is best. Our server tried to talk us out of it, but it was one of the best fish soups I've had in a restaurant in some time. I liked that they weren't afraid to leave the bacalau salty. Middling sardines aside, everything from the lake or sea I've had at Publican has been really good. Maybe they should replace the pig with an oyster.

For me, when it's a bar serving high-end bar snacks, Publican is over-the-top good -- beer with oysters, pork rinds, ham, pate, and fried stuff. And I can't say enough about many of he "little things": the various breads, the butters, coffee service, the front of house folks. On the other hand, the table service could use more polish -- please take dirty plates before serving new courses, figure out who has what if the table isn't eating every course "family style." I saw a lack of communication among the expediters and our slightly imperious server that shouldn't happen there.

Last, I thought the Belgian waffle was fantastic and believe strongly that it should be employed in savory dishes, as a vehicle for country ham and eggs or, of course, fried chicken.

JeffB wrote:Ron,

I had a dinner there earlier this week. Very good and, to amplify your comment about the number of items on the menu, we didn't have any of the same things you mentioned. We had the hams, the charcuterie, sardines, potee, sucking pig, Portuguese fish stew and the waffle.

While I like Publican almost as much as you do, it is an imperfect place (which isn't?). In my experience, Publican has shone much more brightly when the kitchen wasn't actually cooking. If it was made earlier or selected by the crack cold-cuts staff, baked, shucked, or deep-fried, it's bound to be terrific. Otherwise, it's variable. I have had especially bad luck with the cooked pork dishes, unbelievable as that might seem. The potee and suckling pig dishes weren't particularly memorable -- the latter being a small jumble of stuff that tasted like Thanksgiving (sage, gravy, and dry white meat, albeit pork) and didn't work for me at all. The one clunker in a "bring us two of everything" meal for work early last month was the pork confit. This week, grilled sardines were just OK (the texture made me think "frozen," though that seems highly unlikely). However, the other stuff was all fantastic.

The fish stew was a huge exception to my observation that the pre-made or fried stuff is best. Our server tried to talk us out of it, but it was one of the best fish soups I've had in a restaurant in some time. I liked that they weren't afraid to leave the bacalau salty. Middling sardines aside, everything from the lake or sea I've had a Publican has been really good. Maybe they should replace the pig with an oyster.

For me, when it's a bar serving high-end bar snacks, Publican is over-the-top good -- beer with oysters, pork rinds, ham, pate, and fried stuff. And I can't say enough about many of he "little things": the various breads, the butters, coffee service, the front of house folks. On the other hand, the table service could use more polish -- please take dirty plates before serving new courses, figure out who has what if the table isn't eating every course "family style." I saw a lack of communication among the expediters and our slightly imperious server that shouldn't happen there.

Last, I thought the Belgian waffle was fantastic and believe strongly that it should be employed in savory dishes, as a vehicle for country ham and eggs or, of course, fried chicken.

Jeff,

I agree about the waffle. I've had a few incarnations of it and I think it's terrific. I've heard that it's served in some 'other' ways at brunch, which I took to mean as 'savory' but I didn't not get clarification on that. I've never been there for brunch but plan to remedy that soon.

Service-wise, my only 'negative' moments have been precisely the opposite of those you describe -- rare instances of overzealousness in clearing, replacing plates, etc. There have been sauces I would have sopped, if those plates had not been whisked away. The 2-tops are a bit small, which may explain these occurences. But my expectations are different than yours, too. Amusingly, it seems like you would have been happier with the service I received and I would have been happier with the service you received. But it does point out some inconsistencies, which management would probably want to mitigate.

As you said, it's imperfect but for me it's entirely compelling, regardless.

=R=

Ron, I think the service problems you and I described are actually two symptoms of the same malady. If the servers and expediters got on the same page and maybe asked some unobtrusive questions of the patrons (they seem fine with "who's got the soup?" (not good), so why not, "are you still working on that?" or "may I?" (better)) these issues could be avoided.

Oh, and maybe this is too Larry David an observation, but in a "sharing" restaurant, why all the odd numbers???
3 sardines, 3 croutons for the fish stew, etc., etc. I know there's a logic behind this because it's done so consistently. I just can't figure out what it is.

JeffB wrote:Oh, and maybe this is too Larry David an observation, but in a "sharing" restaurant, why all the odd numbers???
3 sardines, 3 croutons for the fish stew, etc., etc. I know there's a logic behind this because it's done so consistently. I just can't figure out what it is.

Ya know, I wondered the same thing when my wife & I went for the first time...three pieces of yellowtail crudo - seriously? We both had one and loved it, and immediately knew that neither of us would be willing to say, "oh it's okay, you can have it".

So instead it ended up being, "one tattered, crudely-torn shred of what was once a beautiful piece of yellowtail for you, and one tattered, crudely-torn shred of what was once a beautiful piece of yellowtail for me."

This situation is certainly not limited to The Publican though; I've eaten tattered, crudely-torn shreds of lots of odd-numbered items at many different restaurants all over town.

JeffB wrote:Oh, and maybe this is too Larry David an observation, but in a "sharing" restaurant, why all the odd numbers???
3 sardines, 3 croutons for the fish stew, etc., etc. I know there's a logic behind this because it's done so consistently. I just can't figure out what it is.

LOL, I can imagine that scene very well.

Last night's oxtails came in a set of 3, which was merely a temporary obstacle. We each had one and split the 3rd one.

I guess that the portioning has a lot to do with keeping prices in line. Last night's 6-plate meal with 2 rounds of beverages came to $107, which was a great value, especially given the specifics and the quality.

=R=

Odd numbers of things typically look better on the plate.

So life has brought me here three times in the past week. Can't say I'm complaining. I think I was going to write ronnie's exact post, but then he managed to do so first. I think he stole it from my head, like, word for word. I agree with everything.

This place has its faults but they're pretty minor and easy to overlook if you like deliciousness. It's loud. Sometimes extremely so. The servers can be stretched too thin. Two of my recent meals were with a friend of the house and it's interesting to see how much the experience can vary. It's always nice to have a server paying extra close attention to your table and I love me some comps, but I continue to patronize the restaurant without VIPs as but a nobody. In that sense, I think it's a lot like Momofuku Noodle and Ssam. You have a marginally obnoxious, extremely delicious restaurant that somehow manages to shed the former when you're with the right friends. For better or for worse, that's how it is at a place like this.

Interestingly enough, the worst dish I've had over my past three visits was the potee. It's still a great dish, but the confit part was rather dry. Tasty, but dry. The oxtail dish also didn't inspire rapture but was, thankfully, not your typical piece of braised beef in red wine over some mashed root veg. Well, it kind of was that, but just much more funky.

Everything else, and there's been a lot of it, has been pretty freaking delicious: sformato, beets, burrata with squash, the best mussels in Chicago, frites, rilletes, Nantucket Bay scallops with truffles, and more than a couple things I'm probably forgetting. I also have to give a shoutout to the oyster program. I'm all about throwing down $1 oysters of dubious quality with lots of wine/beer/bubbly, but this place makes me want to pay $3/piece. The chef's selection of oysters, the two times I've had it, is just excellent. Excellently sourced, expertly shucked.

I'll probably be back in the next few days. Oh well. There are much, much worse problems to have.

I also agree with Ronnie's post upthread. Pretty much word for word. Just the names of the dishes had me drooling on my keyboard until sparks started shooting out.

I haven't been in quite awhile but have been 3 times for dinner and once for brunch. Each time was just amazing. I don't mind the loudness of the room at all. I'd rather a place be hopping with some energy rather than a buncha geriatrics hunched over sucking down jello. I can always hear my dining partners just fine and I'm pretty much deaf. I've also never really had problems with the service. It's always been attentive, helpful and right on. And the food of course is spectacular. I've had many an outstanding dish. The most memorable being a daily fish special that they only had 2 of that day, a Branzino roasted whole. A pork belly dish they had a couple months back was succulent and delicious, just melted in the mouth. As everyone else says, some of the best oysters you can find. I've only had one OK dish that was a small plate of smoked salmon. My friends and I thought that it would just be some nice smoked salmon we could eat on some crostini or something. It came on crostini with some kind of alouette spread and greens. Good. But nothing really memorable.

I highly recommend the brunch. I absolutely loved it. There's just something about perfectly cooked eggs, which the Publican does to perfection. And top of scrapple they can't really get much better. Just outstanding. The truffle hash browns are also very delicious, maybe a tad too small of a portion. But didn't bother me. The bloody mary is possibly the best bloody I've ever had. They dice up the little bits of pickled goodness so when you drink through the straw you get the little bits also. It's perfection. They only take reservations for brunch but when I went it was a little later and we waited about 20 mins only. Which was fine cause we just stood and had some pork rinds and a couple drinks.

Publican is definitely one of my if not my favorite place in the city. I've always a great time and the space is one of the coolest set ups. And of course the food. Outstanding.

Ah they have scrapple! I've not yet had the pleasure of trying it, I'll have to make it out to brunch here.

going here tonight for the price fix dinner w/some friends. First time, looking forward to it

We went with a group last night, and fights nearly broke out over the oysters! We solved this by ordering several more plates so everyone who wanted to could taste each of the oysters. Overall, servings were pretty big.

The food was quite good, though it was very loud, and our server seemed stretched thin - it was annoying that the nice boys who dropped off our food couldn't take an order, but had to get the server to do so. It also was amazingly hot, which I haven't found to be common in many restaurants. The last one I think was Del Toro, so you know how long ago that was. The booths did look odd from outside. We think they are meant to look like animal pens.

We were given pork rinds gratis - quite nice! Not sure if that is usual? We aren't friends with the owners, though one in our party is friends with an owner of the Gage who was spotted there too. But that was well after the pork rinds.

This morning I think I finally experienced a meat coma - and I don't think I even had all that much meat. But my fingers were swollen from the salt (which wasn't that apparent during the meal except for the pork rinds, and they were expected to be salty).

Lovely bathroom - I'll post pictures later.

I think we'll be back, we enjoyed it.

Was there for brunch today. First time there for any meal.

OMG.

Here's my question. I had the omelette with tomatoes and chorizo. Okay, let's forget (temporarily) about the tomatoes and chorizo. Just the aroma of the egg part of the omelette, sitting before me, was intensely eggy in a way I've never experienced before, in my six decades of life. And the flavor was that of eggs to the tenth power. How is it possible that a simple omelette, just the egg part of the omelette, can be technicolor to every other omelette's black and white?

That isn't a rhetorical question. I really want to know. How is it possible that a simple omelette, just the egg part of the omelette, can be technicolor to every other omelette's black and white?

My guess is awesome eggs.

Seriously, we noticed the same thing in both Ireland and Spain, and to a lesser extent with some eggs from Green City Market: small, deep yellow (almost orange) yolks and intense, almost concentrated eggy flavor. Both the smell and the taste screams "FARM!!!" in a way that extra-super-jumbo eggs from Jewel (with their golf-ball-sized, pale-yellow yolks) never could.

I couldn't agree more with Khaopaat - great eggs make all the difference. For years I was always supplied by friends who have a couple dozen chickens on their (mostly hobby) farm. Those chickens eat kitchen scraps, leftovers, grubs, bugs, some grain/scratch to supplement - and their eggs taste *fantastic*.

-Dan

It's definitely the eggs. They make all the difference in the world. Last time I checked, the eggs served at Publican were listed on the menu as George's Organic Eggs. I certainly could be wrong but I think that in this case George is George Rasmussen of Swan Creek Farm.

The frites at The Publican -- topped with George's organic eggs, sunnyside up -- are out of this world.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:The frites at The Publican...are out of this world.

Yes. We shared a side of frites with our brunch, and those, too, aroused "where have you been all my life, I never knew it could be like this" ardor.

ronnie_suburban wrote:The frites at The Publican -- topped with George's organic eggs, sunnyside up -- are out of this world.

=R=

I mostly agree, but when I ate them a couple of weeks ago I definitely felt the egg should have been cooked a little less, didn't seem to be runny enough for this application.

SSDD

headcase wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:The frites at The Publican -- topped with George's organic eggs, sunnyside up -- are out of this world.

=R=

I mostly agree, but when I ate them a couple of weeks ago I definitely felt the egg should have been cooked a little less, didn't seem to be runny enough for this application.

SSDD

I've had this experience also. Plus, the fries themselves don't hold a candle to the best fries you might get at hot dog stand.

Darren72 wrote:

headcase wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:The frites at The Publican -- topped with George's organic eggs, sunnyside up -- are out of this world.

=R=

I mostly agree, but when I ate them a couple of weeks ago I definitely felt the egg should have been cooked a little less, didn't seem to be runny enough for this application.

SSDD

I've had this experience also. Plus, the fries themselves don't hold a candle to the best fries you might get at hot dog stand.

Interesting, my two eating companions and I, all agreed that the fries were pretty damn good. And personally, I don't think I have ever really had outstanding fries and any hot dog stand.

SSDD

Here's a picture of an order I had back in May, which was stellar in every regard -- perfectly loose eggs and crispy/tender frites. I've had them a couple of times since and they have always been right on the money for me . . .


Frites with George's Organic Eggs at Publican

Apparently, there's some inconsistency but this dish was one of my top restaurant dishes of 2009.

=R=