The Publican: A Brunch Fit For a Pig

Anyone who knows me is usually well aware of my love of West Loop restaurants, including the Publican. Even the tacky barn-door four-top tables can't deter me from my love of all things pork, oyster, and Paul Kahan. After another delicious visit for dinner a few weekends back, I decided I had to come back for their much-hyped weekend brunch.

Arriving around 11 AM on a Saturday, we were pleasantly surprised that the restaurant was busy, but not packed, and we were seated right away at the long communal tables. We quickly made friends with a festive group of women wearing christmas tree and reindeer headbands and didn't find the whole sitting with strangers concept too horribly awkward.

Deciding that it's five o'clock somewhere, my boyfriend ordered a mimosa while I opted for the traditional bloody mary with a beer back of the Weihenstephaner Original from Brauerei Weihenstephaner in Freisling, Germany (a town I am sure is just as much fun as it is to try to pronounce 'Brauerei Weihenstephaner').

The best part of waking up...

The bloody mary was DELICIOUS. Alcoholic but savory, the best part of it may have been the giant pickle (yes, I know, that's what she said) with its crisp bite and tomato-juice-marinated flavor. The beer itself was just fine, nothing special. While I loved my bloody mary, the mimosa was too tart and definitely was not something I would order again.

After being thoroughly overwhelmed by the desire to order everything on the menu, we settled on an order of the 'famous' Publican bacon, some hash browns, and the Loco Moco.

As unkosher and amazing as my non-Jewish boyfriend

This bacon is the stuff of my dreams. Fatty, tender, and slathered with an incredible smoky maple syrup, I could eat this all day every day (if it wouldn't lead to me weighing approximately 500 pounds). We were so glad our server recommended this. It simply melts on your tongue, leaving nothing behind but incredible porcine flavor. If you go to Publican brunch and get one thing, make this it.

Overdone hash browns

The hash browns were not nearly as successful as the bacon. While I enjoyed the savory, unique seasoning on these, about 3/4 of the potatoes were over cooked and crunchy, and not in a good way. The portion of this that wasn't overcooked was delicious, but unfortunately was only a small piece of it. I wouldn't go out of my way to order this next time, but perhaps it was just a fluke in the kitchen.

Feeling loco?

Wanting to try something new, we ordered the loco moco for our main dish to share. The Loco Moco is described on the menu as a "PQM burger, pineapple fried rice, gravy & fried egg." The only thing I love as much as West Loop Restaurants is fried eggs on top of, well, anything (luckily, these two things tend to go hand in hand). Even with the eggy goodness on top, I didn't LOVE this dish. The flavors were a bit strange to me, a mix of spices that didn't seem to mesh. That said, it was interesting to try and definitely not unpleasant- but if I go back again for brunch, I wouldn't order it again.

While brunch wasn't flawless, the excellent bloody mary and mind-blowing bacon more than made up for any complaints I might have had. The Publican's brunch was a great way to start my Saturday, and overall compares favorably with other brunches I've had around the city.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars.