Birthdays and Burger Battles

Birthdays and burgers are two things that definitely merit celebration, especially when they involve The Publican and Publican Quality Meats. The One Off Hospitality sister spots are both getting a little festive this month, with The Publican celebrating its fifth birthday and Publican Quality Meats finishing its summery burger series with a lineup of burger battles.

In honor of its fifth birthday on October 8, The Publican is opening up the time capsule and bringing back several items off the opening menu. Reminisce over plates of tripe and blood sausage gratin with braised shelly beans and breadcrumbs; a fish stew called ttoro with salt cod, monkfish, mussels, octopus, tomatoes, orange, and rouille; sweetbread schnitzel; a potée of braised oxtail, pork cheek, and seared tenderloin with root vegetables and horseradish aïoli; and for dessert, a cocoa nib panna cotta with pickled plums and chocolate gingersnap crumble. In addition, all draft pours for the evening will be $5, and The Publican will debut a special Off Color Brewery collaboration beer made with Mick Klug Farm nectarine juice. Sure beats a cake.

Next door, Publican Quality Meats winds down its Bourbon and Beer Night series with a melee of burger battles all month long. Taking place each Tuesday night from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m., the battles pit various restaurant industry personnel against one another with a different theme each week. October 8 is battle of the sous chefs, featuring One Off Hospitality chefs Cosmo Goss vs. Julie Warpinski. October 15 is battle of the directors of operations, with vice president of One Off operations Kimberly Galban competing against assistant director of One Off operations Katie Syracopoulos. The final throw down is battle of Logan Square, with chef Matthias Merges of Yusho and Billy Sunday battling Lula Cafe’s Jason Hammel.

The Publican
837 W. Fulton Market, Chicago
(312) 733-9555
Website

Publican Quality Meats
825 W. Fulton Market, Chicago
(312) 445-8977
Website