The Publican

This post is long overdue - this is one of the restaurants we went to over 4th of July weekend. The Publican is the newest restaurant by the team behind Blackbird and avec, and is beer, pork, and seafood focused. I'm sorry the pictures aren't great, it was a bit dark in there. But let's get to it.

First up, oysters. I know we got Kumamoto, Island Creek, Moon Shoal, and I can't remember the fourth kind.



Next, grilled calamari with green beans and a spicy sauce. I wish this picture was clearer because this dish was so good. The pieces of calamari were huge and the spiciness was perfect.



After the calamari, our order of mussels arrived. I should note that the Publican's menu is set up to share everything - some are smaller dishes and some are larger, but everything comes out as it's ready. The mussels were done pretty traditionally - broth with butter, garlic, bay...but maybe the best part was the bread that came with it. A hot, crusty loaf wrapped in brown paper. No picture! Ugh!



We got a couple vegetable sides: broccoli with bread crumbs, and summer squash with feta, onions and arugula. The squash was excellent.




Last dish: skirt steak with figs. It was just enough for each of us to have a slice, and perfectly seasoned and cooked.



Ok, I guess that wasn't technically the last dish. For me, dessert is always a must. Chocolate pot de creme with red currants.



All in all, a great meal. One of the fun things about the restaurant is that you either sit it a very long communal table, or in a booth that has doors on it so it's like your own stall. I can't wait to go back!