Fisk and Co - Restaurant Week

I have mentioned that I use Restaurant Week both to visit favorites and to check out new places that I have not yet tried.  Fisk and Co was kind of both.  I had never visited Fisk and Co., but I know the chef, Ashlee Aubin, who had been Chef/Owner at both Wood and Salero, which I both really liked, and he is also from Michigan.  I really like seafood and Fisk and Co, seems to model itself after a Belgian Beer and Seafood Pub specializing in Mussels and Frites.  I was excited and decided to check it out.  Located at Wabash and Wacker, just inside the loop and attached to the Kimpton Hotel, it was very easy to find.  It has a separate entrance, so unless you have to use the restroom, which is in the hotel, you wouldn't know.  The entrance opens to look upon the twisting Raw Bar, which was full when I arrived.  I was guided into the dining room at the front of the restaurant (the entrance is on the side and toward the rear).  In fact, I was seated at a large table in the corner which gave me a great view of the space which had high ceilings, white walls, and a large windows running along the front and the side.  The tables and furniture were black wood, although the banquette on which I was sitting was white like the walls.  The menu came on one, two-sided sheet that was about the size of a place setting.  They did have a nice beer list, featuring some Belgian beers, but also many locals doing Belgian-inspired styles.  They also had some interesting cocktails listed, so I decided to go that rout while I was trying to decide what I wanted to eat.  The cocktail that I started with the Xochiquetzal, was a spin on The Last Word, using Ford's Gin, Luxardo Maraschino, Cocalero Herbal Liquer (instead of Green Chartreuse) and Lime, and it was Stirred and not Shaken.   Cocolero is a South American spirit using Coca Leaf, Juniper, and 16 other botanicals.  I cannot speak to how it tastes on it's own, though Green Chartreuse has a floral flavor amongst the rest of its botanicals, which comes through in The Last Word.  The Xochiquetzal was more booze forward than The Last Word is.  It was, however, pretty good and I did enjoy it.

Starting with my appetizer, I noticed that a selection of Oysters was on the menu.  I love oysters, so that was going to happen.  The Oysters were shucked and served on ice on the half shell with a wedge of Lemon, and small cups of Cocktail Sauce and Mignonette.  I like to taste the oyster, so I generally don't bother with anything but a little lemon juice.  I was given three Oysters, one from Maryland, one from Washington DC, and one from Mexico.  I don't remember the names of the ones from Maryland or DC, but I did remeber the one from Mexico, because it's name, Chingon, is pretty off color, and I had to laugh when I heard it.  That being said, the Mexican oyster was also my favorite.

For my entree, I did consider Mussels, but after having the Oysters, I figured that that may have been overkill.  I decided to go with some pasta, Crab Campanelle with Jonah Crab, Aleppo Pepper, Peas, White Wine, Lemon, and Butter.  This was pretty great.  The Campanelle was perfectly al dente, the crab was finely shredded and really flavorful, The peas added some sweetness and body, the lemon went well with the crab, and the pepper provided a light firey finish at the end.

 

And then we came to dessert.  Rum Cake seems to be a very popular dessert in seafood restaurants and that is the way that I went.  It was served with Roasted Apples and Whipped Cream.  The cake was very sweet and dense and the apples on top went with it very well.  The Whipped Cream, served on the side, was very light, and helped balance things a little.  While I was eating, I got to talking with my waiter about drinks and he wanted me to try a drink that he invented (on him).  Called the Cuberdon Club it had Botanist Gin, Imbue "Petal & Thorn" Vermouth, Lemon, Lavender Oil, Egg White, and Peychaud's Bitters.  It was similar to combining a Negroni and an Aviation and was very good.  While I was sitting, enjoying my last drink, the manager, Melissa, came over and asked how I knew Chef Ashlee (who wasn't there that night).  When I told her, she thanked me for coming, welcomed me back, and covered my other drink.  I really enjoyed my dinner, the space, and the people, and will definitely return to try more, especially the mussels.      

The Publican - Chef's Menu

While I have been to most of One Off Hospitality's restaurants, have liked them a lot, and have been to brunch a few times at The Publican, I had never been to dinner there.  After my last fantastic brunch there (and the fact that a few close friends had missed it), I decided that this must be a thing so when things fell together, I scheduled it and a few of us went for dinner.  I decided that if we were going to do this, we should get the full experience, so we went with the Chef's Menu, which I thought, considering the price, was going to be something like a five course meal.  As I mentioned before, The Publican is modeled after a German beer hall with a high ceiling, with hanging lights and much of the seating on a large U-shaped communal table.  There are also some high top tables at the front of the restaurant and some booths along one side, but we sat at the communal table.  On the walls were some very large paintings of some very fat pigs which fit with the theme of the restaurant, which is Oysters, Pork, and Beer.  To that end, we all started with some nice beers.  Their beer list is large, international, and very German-centric.  They do have some very good American craft beers on the list though and I started with a Dogfish Head Midas Touch, a beer based on a 1700 year old recipe with Honey, Saffron, and Muscat Grapes.  As for the food, I will quickly say that I was mistaken about five courses, there were many more than that and at times the progression was fast and furious.  It was all served family style.  If there is a dish for which The Publican is famous, it is their Spicy Pork Rinds.  They seem to be distributed very freely, it is where our brunch started last fall, and it is where we started our Chef's Menu.  Served in a paper funnel, the pork rinds are large, and very light, but are full of flavor.  They melt in your mouth and it was like eating clouds of porky goodness.

After the beer and the pork rinds, we had had two of the three parts of the base on which the Publican was built, the natural progression would be to go to the third, the Oysters, which was what came next.  The oysters (east coast) were served raw on the half shell on ice with a spicy sauce to eat with them, some lemon for squeezing over them, and some House Made Crackers to cleanse the palate afterwards.  There was an oyster for each of us (obviously, it would be very difficult to share a single oyster).  They tasted very fresh and briny and finished a nice representations of the basics.

After the oysters, we progressed back to pork with some duck.  We were served a bowl of Pulled Pork and Duck with Peach Preserves which were to be spread on Sourdough Toast that was served next to the bowl as build your own Rillettes.  Everything about this was very good.  The pork and duck made a great flavor combination.  The toast was crisp and flavorful with the peach preserves adding some sweetness to the mixture.  The sour of the sourdough contrasted well with the sweetness of the pulled pulled pork and peaches and it was all good.

 

After we had hit the Oysters, Pork, and Beer, our progression made a foray into the world of vegetables.  We were served, in quick succession, a Beet Salad with Burrata (Cream-filled Mozzarella), Pickled Red Onion, Flaxseed Tahini, and Spiced Peanuts, and a Grilled Cucumber Salad with Mojama (Fileted Salt-Cured Tuna), Zhoug (Hot Chile Sauce), and Grilled Pita.  I really like beets, so between the two, even though they were both very good, that is the one that I preferred.  The beets were roasted perfectly, but were still very juicy and had a nice bittersweet flavor.  The picled red onion added a sweet and spicy flavor and the tahini added a savory nutty flavor which was added to with the spiced peanuts.  The cucumber salad was also bittersweet, but also had flavors of salt, spice, and tuna.  The pita was like a soft cracker with a crisp exterior and a softer interior and made a good delivery system for the salad.

From the vegetables, we received a Hamachi (Yellowtail) Escabeche (a raw fish "cooked" in acid, similar to Ceviche) which was served with Green Goddess Dressing, Fava Beans, and Salsa Verde.  The Yellowtail was very tender and fresh which went well with the richness of the Green Goddess and the spice of the Salsa Verde.  It was nice, light, full of flavor, and a nice progression before the heavier meat dishes started.

While we were eating the hamachi, our next dish, which looked like another rillette arrived because it was meat served on bread.  It was not, however, if you will excuse the pun, for the faint of heart, because it was Duck Heart.  It was served with Boursin, a soft cheese french cheese made with garlic and herbs, Pepper Jelly, Dill, Treviso, a red spear-shaped relative of radicchio, served on Sesame Toast.  I will say that the idea of the dish might have annerved people that were skittish, but other than the creamy texture and the garlic flavor of the Boursin, I really don't remember much about this and I said this very quickly after eating it.  It sounds to me as if it should have been pretty good, but it was quickly swept out of my memory and didn't stick.  I would actually like to try it again to see if it was that forgettable or if I was just overwhelmed by the other great dishes that were served.

 

The meat continued with another couple of  dishes that were disguised by greens, but quickly revealed themselves.  We were served Boudin Noir (a French Blood Sausage) with Pickled Ramps (Wild Onions that come out in the early spring), Potatoes, Fresno Chiles, Goat Cheese, and Dill, and Country Ribs with Pickled Carrots, Turmeric, Cilantro, and Cashews.  I started with the ribs which were done simply to emphasize the meat (instead of a rub or barbecue sauce) and presented with vegetables.  It tasted very good, but did require a little caveman-style eating (gnawing on the bone) and the pickled carrots, cashews, and cilantro, provided for a light accompaniment.  The Boudin Noir was a nice hearty, savory, flavorful, and well cooked sausage.  The flavors presented with it, the ramps, chiles, and dill, added some spicy and tart flavors.  While the sausage was easier to eat, I liked the rib better.

The course progression took a little bit of a left turn, next and we were presented with some Fried Cauliflower.  It was presented with Brun-Uusto Cheese, a Scandinavian-style "bread" cheese that grills well, Spiced Honey, and Scallions.  This was another course that I liked everything about.  The cauliflower was crispy on the outside, while still retaining a soft and juicy interior, and had a great flavor.  The Brun-Uusto Cheese also had a crispy exterior with a chewy interior, that added a depth of flavor to the cauliflower.  The honey provided a nice hit of sweetness with a hint of heat to finish, and it was good all together.

With all of the food that we had received so far, we were starting to slow down, so it was good that we were receiving our final savory dish.  It's presentation, however, was a bit daunting.  We received a large metal bowl of Bouchot Mussels with a broth made with Publican Lambic, Bay, Celery, Butter, and Garlic.  We were also given some good French Bread to sop up the broth.  While the mussel shells were about standard size, the mussels inside looked enormous and there were a lot to eat, but we managed to make it through the bowl and enjoyed the mussels and the broth.

 

We were not given a menu to tell us how many courses we would be getting, what we would be getting, and in what order, so after we quickly passed the five courses that I had expected we would be receiving, we were kind of flying blind.  It came as kind of a relief then when our desserts came.  We were given three desserts, all served at once.  First to hit the table was the Cookie Jar, which was filled with a variety of Cookies.  We also were served A Pineapple Upsidedown Cake, and a deconstructed Apple Tart.  I started with the cookies, grabbing a sweet and chewy bite that was similar to a caramel.  I also had a Chocolate Chip and an Oatmeal (and took another couple home when everyone else had hit the wall).  The Pineapple Upsidedown Cake was sweet and soft with a lot of Pineapple, and Crumbles. and the Apple Tart was tasty and really interesting with pieces of very delicate pastry covering, sweet Fried Apples, Brown Sugar Crumble, and Ice Cream.  It was all very good, it was a great finish to what was a fantastic, surprising and very filling dinner.  It was a lot of fun and I definitely would do it again, but it definitely would not be an everyday thing.   
     

Moody Tongue Tasting Room

While I will occasionally right about a taproom that does not serve food, to find a place that does serve food (although not meals) and is still worth talking about is special.  Moody Tongue Brewery has been around for about two years.  They did not offer tours, but they bottled, so in order to try one of their beers, you had to find it at a liquor store or at a restaurant that served it.  Their head brewer both went to Culinary School and to the Seibel Institute, so he is skilled in both food and beer, which is reflected in their beers.  They brew four beers regularly, Smoked Applewood Gold, Steeped Emperor's Lemon Saison, Sliced Nectarine IPA, and Caramelized Chocolate Churro Porter.  All of which are very aromatic and flavorful and whose names perfectly describe them.  Jared Rouben, the brewmaster, calls what he does culinary brewing, using the best ingredients and using them as a chef would, adding the ingredients at the best time to emphasize the flavors and aromas of those ingredients.  I have had all of their beers and whole they all taste very good, these are special beers that are best appreciated by pairing them with something.  All of the bottles come with pairing suggestions on them.  While they did not start with a taproom in their brewery, a taproom was always in the plans and it recently opened.  The door to the taproom is in a nook and is an industrial metal door with a host's station waiting a short way in. Guests are led to their seats and are left with a menu of their beer and food.  The room has painted white brick walls and is both modern and classic with a rectangular bar (also white) in the center of the room.  In one corner there is a bookcase and fireplace with armchairs and a small table in front of it and a fireplace beside it.  The bookcase has several books on both cooking and brewing and one shelf devoted to the very special glassware used for the beers.  There is another set of armchairs around another small table (like a salon) and a few dining tables.  The ceiling is unfinished and the lights hang over the bar.  There is no (obvious) TV in the room.  I was seated at the bar and was able to watch the bartenders work.  The tap is on the back wall opposite the bar, above the shelf where the glassware, very special leadless quartz that looks similar to a wine glass, hangs, and below a black glass wall.  The menu is laid out in one page with the four standard beers on top, the special batches that they presently have on tap, and their available food at the bottom.  I decided to start light and went with the Smoked Applewood Gold.  In style, it kind of reminds me of a kolsch, very light and crisp, but with a very fresh flavor of smoked applewood.

Before the taproom opened, Brewmaster Jared Rouben said that there would be only two things available on the food menu, Oysters and Cake and on the bottom of the menu, where food was listed, were oysters and cake.  The oysters were served in orders of 6 or 12 and served on ice on the half shell.  They are apparently flown in every morning and while they looked very good, I had come for the cake.  I had read before going that the cake was epic, so I wanted to be prepared.  While I expected a big cake, I was still surprised at how big it was.  It was a six layer German Chocolate Cake with Chocolate outer frosting and layers of Peanut Butter, White Chocolate, Coconut, Chocolate and Raspberry, and a Graham Cracker bottom layer.  There were two chocolate sticks, one white and one dark balanced against the point of the cake slice and a small chocolate Moody Tongue button as a garnish on the plate.  As far as size is concerned, it was about five inches tall and about five inches on a side.  It was rich, flavorful, and much more than I could eat in a single sitting.  While I did go with an obvious pairing with the cake, the Caramelized Chocolate Churro Baltic Porter which went with it amazingly well, but I did still have some of the Smoked Applewood Gold, which went surprisingly well with the cake.

When I read that Moody Tongue would only be serving oysters and cake to pair with their beers, I did question the logic of that, but after seeing the space, and trying the beer with the cake, I will say that it works amazingly well.  I will have to return for oysters, but I will happily do that.             

The Publican - Brunch

Paul Kahan is one of my favorite chefs/restauranteurs.  As one of the owners of One Off Hospitality, the James Beard Award winner owns and runs seven, and soon to be eight,  restaurants.  I have been to (and written about) two of his places (Blackbird and Big Star).  I have also had the food of Publican Quality Meats although I have never been inside the restaurant/butcher shop.  The one problem with these restaurants is that they are so popular that they are sometimes hard to get reservations.  This was what stopped me from going to The Publican.  What I didn't consider was the fact that The Publican keeps a certain number of seats free for walk ups, so I had not been to this highly lauded restaurant.  Recently however, a friend came in from out of town and suggested this place for Saturday Brunch.  Some phone calls were made and a reservation was made for our large group.  The Publican is a large space modeled after a European beer hall.  The dining room is open and most of the seating is on the U-shaped communal table in the center of the room.  There are some booths on the outside of the room and a very long bar on the inside with some standing high tops, which are more for waiting, in the middle.  The floor, tables, and chairs are all a heavy looking, light colored wood, as are the pillars in the middle of the room.  Lighting is provided by a combination of a very large window in the front with smaller windows on the booth side of the restaurant and a large number of hanging globes.

The menu at The Publican is pretty wide ranging but it concentrates on pork, oysters, and beer, and we made sure to partake in two out of three of those.  We started with the Oysters.  There were six oysters on the menu (which vary based on the season).  We went with the large Chef's selection which gave us a selection of all of the oysters and allowed everyone that wanted one (or more) to try them out.  The oysters were served on ice with a cocktail sauce and crackers on the side.  While some in the party were taking the oysters out of their shell and eating them on the crackers with the cocktail sauce, I prefer my oysters al fresco and sucked them directly out of their shells.  I did use the crackers as palate cleansers so I could recognize differences in the oysters, but I didn't try the Cocktail Sauce even though I am sure that was stellar.  Visually, you could tell the difference between the oysters by the shape of their shell.  There were some textural differences as well, the one that I remember specifically was the deep shelled oyster that was more dense than the others, but they all tasted like oysters as you might expect.  They were all briny and had a slightly fishy flavor, but they were all clean and fresh and very good.

As this was brunch, I had to try some of their baked goods, which they make in house.  They had a coffee cake, a doughnut, and a pecan sticky bun on the menu.  I went with the Pecan Sticky Bun and was very surprised when it arrived because it was enormous.  It would have been easy to share with others at the table, but they all had their own things to work on.  The pastry was a couple of inches thick and, as it was a sticky bun, very sticky.  I could have eaten it with my hands, but it would have been very messy, so I attacked it with a knife and fork.  It was everything you would expect from a sticky bun.  It was sweet and sticky with crispy edges and a pillowy soft interior.  The pastry itself tasted like bread fresh out of the oven, but it was liberally covered with sweet and buttery caramel and pecans.  It would have been great to share with someone, but I labored through it and was able to enjoy this by myself.

While we were waiting for our main courses, someone in our group ordered another side dish for which The Publican is famous, their Pork Rinds.  I am generally not a huge fan of Pork Rinds, which is not to say that I don't like them, I just am generally indifferent to them.  Having said that, I had seen and heard about The Publican's Pork Rinds, so I was interested in trying them.  They arrived in a paper cone and looked very light and lightly spiced.  While these were obviously pork rinds, they were a step above everything that I had tried previously.  They were very light and positively melted in your mouth.  As these are very light, the flavor is light as well but their is a very definite fried pork flavor.  The seasoning was light as well, but it was sufficient to add some salt and a little spice.  These were a definite win and I would definitely have them again.

The main course that I had is a course native to North Africa and Israel and while it doesn't necessarily sound great on paper, having had a version of it before, I knew that I liked it and was interested to try it here.  I ordered Shakshouka which is a dish of Eggs that are poached in a sauce of Tomatoes and Red Peppers and frequently spiced with Cumin with bread on the side to sop up the sauce.  In this case, it was also prepared with Morcilla - a Spanish Blood Sausage, Spigarello - a leafy relative of broccoli, and a white cheese that was uncredited.  It was also served with Focaccia to sop up the sauce.  It was cooked and served in a steel pan which came out very hot, so I had to be careful when starting to eat it.  The dish was very rich, with a good spicy tomato flavor from the sauce and a meaty flavor from the morcilla.  The eggs, the feature part of the dish, added a richness to the entire thing.  It was very good and interested other people at the table.

I was very glad I finally had the opportunity to try The Publican.  I will definitely make an effort to return, both for brunch and for dinner.  The food was very good as was the service even if the open space made for a loud room.