Publican Quality Meats

Publican Quality Meats is a combination butcher, caterer, and lunch restaurant. It is located on the near west side of Chicago on Fulton St. and is the companion restaurant to the Publican that is across the street.  The butcher display cases are up front and the small dining area is in back and set up with communal tables.  

Sandwiches and salads are on the lunch menu, which changes periodically, but there is always something available for both carnivores and vegetarians.  Top choices for me are the BLT (unfortunately not currently available) and the grilled chicken.  They are well prepared using top quality, delicious meat and hearty, flavorful sliced bread or rolls.  For a side, try their potato salad, the taste and texture of which are outstanding.

I am not an enthusiast of eating communally, but in this restaurant it works exceptionally well even though it is a tight fit.  I think the reason can be attributed to the type of people that patronize the place.  They appear to be mostly working stiffs of a wide range of ages and employed in a broad assortment of fields who come in to have a rewarding lunch and then head back to the job.  I find them to be interesting, engaging, and fun to talk with.  Also, placement at the tables is very well managed to optimally accommodate groups and singles.

The quality of the food at the Publican is consistently top notch, as well as reasonably priced, and the service is very competent and friendly.  This place gets crowded for lunch so get there by 11:30 a.m. or after 1:00 p.m. or be prepared to stand in line.  Street parking is available but can be hard to find.

This began as our neighborhood deli, but now we pilgrimage to it regularly from our LP home for specialty foods.  Also worth a visit for their wine dinners or just a hearty brunch.

From the minute you step in here and are facing the display case of cured meats, salads, prepared meats, cheeses, etc.., your mouth begins to water and your stomach starts growling like rabid Jack N. in The Wolf.

After giving them my name, and realizing that although I am Elite(no I don't actually say that, sheesh) it still didn't carry any weight, I sat there for a half hour with the rest of the sheep and stared at the lucky patrons who were being served. And after staring deeply into their food and eyes, and rubbing my lips, tugging on my ears, and maybe a few lower adjustments, they finally took the hint and gave me a spot at the table.

When the waitress finally greeted me, I blasted her in the ear with this order.

A. "Pastrami & Egg". Smoked pastrami, smoked egg, pickled asparagus, black pepper salsa aioli on ciabatta. Sounds good huh? Well, it was. The pairing of all these mystery ingredients went seamlessly together, and brought a big ol' smile to my face. Pure magic baby.

B. "Truffle Sausage". Truffle & tallegio sausage, brussel sprouts, apple, caraway & Dijon vinaigrette on a baguette. Hold your horses amigo, and put down that Johnsonville brat you're about to stuff into your pie hole and check yourself. Realize that you've made a culinary mistake and get yourself one of these sausages. Not only is it super tasty, but it's on the blessed side of the size chart and doesn't hold anything back.

To end, this meal was great and definitely worth the wait. And possibly the greatest part of the entire visit was the kitchen staff downstairs giving my son and I a tour of the walk-in fridge where they had an entire cow leg and shoulder just hanging there ready for the blade. They also had an entire pig gutted with the tail still attached and all curled up, which my son proceeded to grab hold of and began to squeal with each and every tug. Maybe I've let him watch Deliverance too many times. Who knows...

Enjoy Suckas'!!!