I'm sure Opentable keeps track of previous visits to the restaurant. It's probably what the restaurant uses for phone-in reservations, entering them into the same system. So you're covered either way.

Open Table does keep track of guest visits and it is the same system used when manually entering a reservation. As far as the restaurant tracking how many times you have dined there, making your reservation online or over the phone is the same thing (as long as you use the same name, obviously). The major difference in reserving online as opposed to over the phone is that the restaurant will block slots on OT during their prime times so that they can better control the book. Also, the restaurant may set the software up to only allow online booking for parties of two--anything bigger than that and you have to call the restaurant anyway.

I'm an Open Table VIP, closing in on 7000 pts! We were tempted to hit The Pub again on Tues. but decided on Mercat instead.

One more tip about Publican: If you have a preference for your own private table, or for the communal seating at one of the two looooong tables that comprise half their seating, then state your preference when making your reservation (either over the phone, or in the comments on Opentable) and they will try to accommodate your preference.

Recently I went to The Publican with some friends who were visiting from North Carolina. This was at their request. One of these friends spends a lot of time in kitchens and several Triangle-area chef-friends recommended The Publican to him, so he was eager to check it out. Of course, I love The Publican and am always looking for an excuse to go there (not that I really need one).

Here's a photo recap of our meal. Unfortunately, I don't have enough time at the moment to provide detailed commentary about each dish but hopefully the pictures and brief commentary will provide a decent enough glimpse of our experience . . .


Oysters
We started out with a dozen East Coast oysters. 3 each of 4 different varieties -- Moonstone (Point Judith Pond, RI) , Lady Chatterly (Nova Scotia, CAN), Wild Goose (Narragansett, RI) and Island Creek (Duxbury, MA). I cannot remember which variety this one was.



Pork Rinds
As great as ever. Love that Slagel Farms pork and you can really taste it in these rinds.



Charcuterie Plate
Pork Pie, Pork Terrine, Head Cheese, Bresaola, Morteau Sausage, pickles (cornichon and caper berries) and mustards.



Morteau Sausage
Bold, assertive flavor and a perfectly bouncy definition.



Head Cheese
One of the best I've had, with a really nice spice set and tender texture.



Pork Pie
I think this item, which I've always enjoyed, has steadily improved since The Publican first opened.



Pork Terrine
Pretty sure that was a date in the terrine but I cannot remember for sure. I loved its sweetness, as well as the textural contrasts.



Frites with George's Organic Eggs
Action shot of the perfectly executed frites and the awesome eggs from George Rasmussen's Swan Creek Farm.



Bouchot Mussels with gueuze, bay, celery butter and garlic
I just love these mussels and we ended up with 2 orders since one of our friends insisted on having her own order. These are served with a completely awesome baguette, which is not pictured here. I really love all the breads that are baked/served at The Publican.



Yellowtail Crudo with preserved plums, bell peppers and celery
This lovely dish was sent out by our server, Chris Gerber, who took fantastic care of us for the several hours we lingered.



Octopus with sungold tomatoes, caperberries and french beans
Tender and tasty.



Cuvee Troll
I wasn't drinking on this night (had give blood earlier in the day) but I did have a sip of this brew, which I really enjoyed.



Country Ribs with eggplant and roasted tomato vinaigrette
Hard to see under the load of tasty veggies but these country ribs were charred, juicy and delectable.



Suckling Pig with okra, cherry tomatoes and padron peppers
I thought this was very tasty but some of the pork was a bit dry, possibly due to the way it was parted out.



Flank Steak with peaches, parsley, spaetzel and truffles
I liked a lot of the components here. The steak, crispy spaetzel and peaches were terrific but I didn't really like the combination of steak and peaches. Still, it was a risk I appreciated.



Lamb Neck with lemon potatoes, rosemary and yogurt
My hands-down favorite dish of the night.



Lamb Neck
Here, you can see how utterly tender this juicy, braised neck was. A fantastic dish and one I'd never had before.



Wild Sturgeon with ajo blanco, green grapes and dill
A very successful preparation, which highlighted the meatiness of the sturgeon fantastically.



Dragon Tongue Beans with bacon, tomato and fried shallots
Outstanding, tender and full of flavor.



Braised Greens with ham, raisins and pine nuts
I loved the way the raisins (yes, I was skeptical, too) countered the slight bitterness of the greens.



Chocolate Cake with bitter cocoa and milk chocolate ice cream
As you can probably tell from the distant shot, I never even got to try this one.



Waffle with Sour Cherries and Honey Butter
I love The Publican's waffle, which is so buttery and seems almost lighter than air. The sour cherries and honey butter were excellent accompaniments.



Nectarine Tart with Cream and Pistachio Frangipane
Very tasty with a nice, varying texture. I enjoyed the pistachios and nectarines together quite a bit.

Our friends loved the experience -- possibly even more than we did. I took their constant photo-tweeting of courses to be a good sign. Of course, I was thrilled to have such a great meal, with so many distinctive, boldly-flavored, risk-taking dishes. The Publican remains one of my favorites because not only are their food and beverage offerings great, but they're unlike anywhere else in town. Combine that with the consistently great service and it's a place I wish I could get to even more often than I do.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:Love that Slagel Farms pork and you can really taste it in these rinds.

I give it three years before there are hotly-contested pork rind terroir tastings in Chicago.

Great shots as always, Ronnie.

I need some advice. I have a friend that I just found out is in town and last minute we are going to dinner tonight at 8, just two of us. I tried going on Open Table but there are no reservations open at 8pm at the Publican. Do you think we can just wing it and get in? What would be your advice?

Thank you

Shaggywillis wrote:I need some advice. I have a friend that I just found out is in town and last minute we are going to dinner tonight at 8, just two of us. I tried going on Open Table but there are no reservations open at 8pm at the Publican. Do you think we can just wing it and get in? What would be your advice?

Thank you

Have you tried calling?

Have you tried calling?

Ha, of course not, I hate people. I'm not by a phone right now, our phones at work are down for some type of upgrade and my cell is at home.

Shaggywillis wrote:

Have you tried calling?

Ha, of course not, I hate people. I'm not by a phone right now, our phones at work are down for some type of upgrade and my cell is at home.

Carrier pigeon then? Maybe Bat signal?

Seriously though, restaurants almost always hold some tables back from Opentable, so you might still have a shot.

Shaggywillis wrote:I need some advice. I have a friend that I just found out is in town and last minute we are going to dinner tonight at 8, just two of us. I tried going on Open Table but there are no reservations open at 8pm at the Publican. Do you think we can just wing it and get in? What would be your advice?

I've dropped in twice in the last few weeks on weeknights with just one other person and haven't had a problem getting seats, but, yes, try calling if you can.

Yes, try calling. And if you have a seating preference, either for your own table or for seating at one of the two looooong communal tables, mention it when making your reservation.

Sometimes when a place has no availability on a weeknight, it's because they've rented the entire place out for a private function. But not always. And you won't know for sure unless you phone them to double-check.

Just for reference, I was able to walk in around 8pm last night and waited maybe 10 minutes and the place was packed. I thought the storms would of deterred a few, but did not.

I've already learned if I wanna eat at this place I have to book a table at least two weeks in advance. When I had friends coming in from Spain I booked 3 weeks in advance if I remember right and they loved it. I absolutely love The Publican but we're on a budget now so it's the kinda place we eat at for celebrations only or some other lame excuse like that

I have, however, been replicating their whole roasted chicken and fries dish at home.. Tis AWESOME!

Not that anyone else would be silly enough to try this, but the "walking in" strategy absolutely does not work on Saturday evenings at 8pm at Publican. We couldn't be seated until 10:30 and there was already a line of people in the entrance that the hostess was waiting to eventually take back to the bar area when it thinned out. Besides my idiocy for trying it, I blame that picture of the nectarine tart above, as it was my primary motivator.

Turns out the strategy doesn't work well at Girl and The Goat either. Kuma's has made me well versed in the strategy of lurking behind people at the bar who appear that they're about to leave. It wasn't working last night though and I was far from alone in deploying this innovative maneuver.

Longman & Eagle was the perfect third choice.

Had another great time at Publican this weekend, as my wife and I embarked on a 3-stop tour to celebrate our 15-year anniversary (me celebrating, she lamenting ). We stopped in right as they opened on Saturday, at 3:30, for a late lunch and couple of beverages. Surprisingly, it was not empty, as several groups arrived when we did. To drink, my wife had a Duvel Golden Ale and I had a couple of 18-year Sazerac Ryes. We shared a couple of plates, too . . .


Charcuterie Plate: (from bottom, clockwise) Head cheese, Morteau Sausage, Pork Pie, Lonzino, Pickles, Pork & Foie Gras Pate (center)
Behind the pork pie were some grainy mustard and some snappy-sweet pear mostarda. Most of the delicious items on this plate were the same as the last time I was in but the lonzino was new to me and it was delicious. I loved the crunchy, salt crystals along its edge. It was fantastic on its own and possibly even better with a schmear of butter on some of their excellent house bread.



Farm (herb-roasted) Chicken with Frites and Grilled Summer Sausage
I love this dish and yesterday's version did not disappoint. The chicken was flavorful, herbaceous and juicy. The frites were exceptional and did a great job of absorbing the run-off juices from the chicken. The grilled pucks of summer sausage provided a great accent to the dish.

Service -- provided by Katie, Michael, Seth and several others -- was polished, friendly and comfortable, as usual. We would have loved to have stayed and lingered because this is just a place where I feel very at home but we had a schedule to stick to. After we polished off this nice base, it was off to Stop #2 --Bar DeVille -- for a few more cocktails.

=R=

I was at The Publican on Friday night and had that same wonderful charcuterie plate. For me the standout was the morteau sausage, but everything was pretty spectacular. Another standout from my meal was the yellowtail crudo, with apples and chili oil. I've been pretty blown away by their crudo (crudi?) on my last few visits.

jesteinf wrote:I was at The Publican on Friday night and had that same wonderful charcuterie plate. For me the standout was the morteau sausage, but everything was pretty spectacular. Another standout from my meal was the yellowtail crudo, with apples and chili oil. I've been pretty blown away by their crudo (crudi?) on my last few visits.

Yes, I love the morteau but I've had it a few times so it didn't have quite the impact the lonzino had. On our previous visit we had the Yellowtail Crudo with preserved plums, bell peppers and celery (pictured upthread), which was, indeed, awesome.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:We stopped in right as they opened on Saturday, at 3:30, for a late lunch and couple of beverages.

It's worth noting that they don't open until 3:30 (other than Sunday brunch), and that they only serve from a very limited bar/afternoon menu for the first couple of hours they're open. I went there for dinner with a 5:30 reservation and even then they told us we needed to wait a little while (15-20 minutes IIRC) before the full dinner menu was available.

Friday night at 5:30 the only wait was for them to print out the dinner menus.

nsxtasy wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:We stopped in right as they opened on Saturday, at 3:30, for a late lunch and couple of beverages.

It's worth noting that they don't open until 3:30 (other than Sunday brunch), and that they only serve from a very limited bar/afternoon menu for the first couple of hours they're open. I went there for dinner with a 5:30 reservation and even then they told us we needed to wait a little while (15-20 minutes IIRC) before the full dinner menu was available.

I think Ronnie was providing a lovely description of a late afternoon/early evening celebration which does not require "Where Magazine" detail...

edited to add smile element so as not to sound mean...but i do think it's a bit sad when every post has to be "instructional". Just my personal opinion.

I was trying to be HELPFUL by providing additional information to anyone who might get the impression from the post that they can eat lunch there, or who might do a similar afternoon stop thinking that they will get the regular dinner menu. Doing so does not detract from Ronnie's post in any way. More information about a place, in order to help anyone considering going there, should be considered A GOOD THING. Isn't that what LTH is supposed to be for?

jesteinf wrote:Friday night at 5:30 the only wait was for them to print out the dinner menus.

I think that's what the holdup was when I was there, too.

nsxtasy wrote:I was trying to be HELPFUL to anyone who might get the impression from the post that they can eat lunch there, or who might do a similar afternoon stop thinking that they will get the regular dinner menu. More information about a place, in order to help anyone considering going there, should be considered A GOOD THING. Isn't that what LTH is supposed to be for?

To further clarify, The Publican's menu at 3:30 is limited but still, signature items like the farm chicken, charcuturie plate, aged hams, oysters, bouchot mussels, frites & farm eggs, pork rinds and salad are all available. And the bar -- one of the very best in the city for beer -- is completely open too, so getting a representative Publican experience is very easy at 3:30. At that hour, golden sunlight streams in through the massive windows and the atmosphere is very laid back, which I love. It's a special and somewhat fleeting time.

But no, the dinner menu isn't available until a bit later on. I'm almost certain this fact was discussed upthread, which is why I didn't mention it in my most recent report.

There are of a lot of places I really enjoy that offer very different experiences at different times of the day. In fact, this is one of things I really like about The Publican. It's no less enjoyable at 3:30 than it is at 7:30, though it's very different at both those times. I should also point out that while this place tends to be louder in the evening (one possible reason to go on the early side), it's a lot quieter than it was when it first opened, as all sorts of sound insulation material has been strategically placed and deployed all over the room. I really like the vibe in the afternoon, as it's very relaxed and reminds me a lot of being in Europe. As I mentioned upthread, it was a great place to celebrate our anniversary and we didn't end up there at 3:30 on Saturday by accident. It was most definitely by design.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:To further clarify, The Publican's menu at 3:30 is limited but still, signature items like the farm chicken, charcuturie plate, aged hams, oysters, bouchot mussels, frites & farm eggs, pork rinds and salad are all available. And the bar -- one of the very best in the city for beer -- is completely open too, so getting a representative Publican experience is very easy at 3:30. At that hour, golden sunlight streams in through the massive windows and the atmosphere is very laid back, which I love.

I completely agree. When I'm free at 3:30 on a weekend, I alternate between Avec and the Publican but have been on a streak with the latter since the fire. Not a huge fan of the Publican's interior, a table outside is just about the perfect place to spend a late afternoon. It doesn't hurt that the Publican also has the most plentiful and elegant bike parking of any restaurant I know in town.



And, happy anniversary, ronnie_!

Went to Publican last night after the opera, usually we go to Avec. Love the look of the room looking in from the outside. We sat at a table close to the big windows on the North side of the room. We were freezing (it was 7 degree outside). We asked to be moved. We moved one row toward the inside, it was better but still really cold. I am one who is almost always too warm. The couple who were seated at the same table after us, similarly asked to be moved. This is not a new restaurant, a problem like this should not happen. The room is loud, probably made worse by the drunk seated behind us that was channeling Ed McMahon.

I was confused by the wait staff. My water was always full, which I think is always important. My waiter however was inattentive. It took him at least 10 minutes before he introduced himself. He asked us for our drink selection then disappeared, though I was ready to order then. 15 minutes later he returned with our wine. I felt I had to beg him to take our order. The food was fine, I enjoyed just about every plate. Particularly, we enjoyed the frites (but when I rave about french fries, it means that something is lacking) and the bollito misto. The scallops were not executed well. The scallops were overcooked and the celery that came with was undercooked, a thumbs down. I thought the charcuterie plate was mostly delicious, my wife was mixed. When the check came I thought that my money could have been better spent.

All in all it was just ok. I was really looking forward to more. I love Avec and blackbird. I may go back again when the weather is warmer. Given the choice, I prefer Avec.

I couldn't agree more with the above review. Not only was our waiter strangely inattentive, he had bad breath. The food was surprisingly average given the glowing reviews here, with overly garlicky confit and over cooked beans, to otherwise unmemorable dishes. Not saying it was awful, but as above, we left feeling there where far more joints in da city worthy of our patronage.

From today's redeye...

redeye wrote:Signs are up at 825 W. Fulton Market for Publican Quality Meats, a butcher shop from The Publican's Paul Kahn set to open sometime this summer.

Very interesting...

zoid wrote:From today's redeye...

redeye wrote:Signs are up at 825 W. Fulton Market for Publican Quality Meats, a butcher shop from The Publican's Paul Kahn set to open sometime this summer.

Very interesting...

Having seen the writing on the wall with Mado --> Butcher and Larder development, the only logical extension is that Publican Quality Meats will eventually spawn Publican Livestock, which will itself spin off Publican Feed Grain, only to close and become Publican Nurseries, finally dwindling to Publican Fine Water, each getting increasingly expensive.

Eventually, we'll be scratching our heads while picking up $939 worth of supplies at Big Star Beneficial Bacteria and wondering where our chefs and tacos went.

Thanks, to REB and RAB, who set it up for us, we got to enjoy a spectacular dinner at the Publican last in Sunday at which beers from The Bruery were paired with courses from the Publican and Big Star. Not only were the courses terrific across the board but the pairings were about as perfect as any I can remember (including wine and cocktail-paired meals). The brews brought out nuances and characteristics in the foods that made them even more enjoyable. I was also struck, course after course, by the complexities of the beers; their distinctive flavors, compelling aromas and long finishes. Not being a particularly knowledgeable beer person, I really didn't know too much about The Bruery but after the event I read quite a bit and learned just how highly regarded (bad-ass) they are. This lined up with the impressions I formed during the meal. It was my first exposure to any of their beers and I instantly became a fan.


Dungeness Crab & Spanish Mackeral | tropical fruit, crisp masa
Pairing: Orchard White
I really enjoyed the pungent mackeral in this course. I thought the tasty, delicate crab was, perhaps, obscured just a bit by the tropical fruit. The flat masa (crunchy tortilla-chip like) was very nice accent.



Duck Prosciutto | fava bean puree, asparagus, parmesan cheese, basil
Pairing: Saison de Lente
Possibly my favorite course of the meal. If I heard our excellent and knowledgeable server Matthew correctly, the prosciutto was cured for about 30 days and had a wonderful funkiness to it. I loved the distinctive fava bean puree too and all the components worked together exceedingly well.



Fried Oysters | shirred egg, sea beans, mole coloradito, yuca tortilla
Pairing: Mischief
Another great course. I thought the plump, tender and crispy oyster was delicious and I enjoyed the taco I made with all the components on the plate.



Jonas Nemura from The Bruery chats with RAB



Halibut | spring vegetable ragout, Big Star pork belly de panza
Pairing: Imperial White Orchid
Fresh chickpeas are something I see on the menu often at Publican and they always make me happy. Here, though, as great as they were, the perfectly cooked halibut and pork belly were the absolute stars of the course.



Braised Lamb Shoulder | cassava-plantain hashbrown, peanut-dried apricot salsa
Pairing: Rugbrød
I loved the flavors here and the hashbrown (not really visible in my picture) was crispy and delicious. My lamb was a little dry around the edges but still, it was terrific.

In between courses, we were served a 7th, bonus beer, Coton, which was just crazy-complex. I couldn't believe all the flavor notes it delivered.


Chocolate Budino | cinnamon, lime, salted almonds
Pairing: Cuádruple
I loved this dessert because it succeeded both flavor-wise and texturally. The chocolate struck a beautiful balance between bitter and sweet and the density was immensely satisfying. The bright accents of lime were sensational.

I'm really glad I attended this dinner. 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. It's always great to have a culinary door kicked down.

=R=