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Cheers to the Publican, Repast and Present: Recipes and Ramblings from an American Beer Hall [A Cookbook]
Winner of the 2018 International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Cookbook Award for "Chefs & Restaurants" categoryThe highly anticipated narrative-rich cookbook by Chicago’s superstar chef, Paul Kahan, whose destination restaurant, The Publican, is known for its incredibly delicious pork- and seafood-centric, beer-friendly cooking. The Publican, often named one of Chicago’s most popular restaurants, conjures a colonial American beer hall with its massive communal tables, high-backed chairs, deep beer list, and Kahan’s hallmark style of crave-worthy heartland cooking that transcends the expected and is eminently cookable. Cheers to The Publican is Paul Kahan’s and Executive Chef Cosmo Goss’s toast to the food they love to make and share, the characters who produce the ingredients that inspire them, and the other cooks they honor. Larded with rich story-telling and featuring more than 150 evocative photographs and 150 recipes for vegetables and salads, fish and seafood, meat, simple charcuterie, and breads and spreads, Cheers to The Publican is sure to be one of the most talked-about and cooked-from cookbooks of the year.
561 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 19, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 17, 2017
This is a gorgeous book, unabashedly enthusiastic and wonderfully friendly. The detail is terrific – had I the resources to tackle any of the recipes included I have absolute confidence that I would be walked through it safely and successfully from start to finish.
I love the warmth of the book, the sheer contentment that breathes through the pages in the lives the authors have made for themselves, for the place that they've made and the community they've formed. It's lovely. There's even photographic proof throughout – the obligatory "here we are eating the things we're telling you about" shots, as enviable and admirable as any I've seen. It all makes me want to become a regular at the Publican, and if I ever get to Chicago I'm definitely seeking it out.
One of my favorite things about the book is the series of profiles of "Friends of the Publican", suppliers and other allies, each given a full page with a photo and a warm essay. It's credit where credit's due, in spades.
The poems are fun, too.
As a cookbook, though, it is largely aspirational. It isn't tremendously useful to me, because as a foodie I'm frankly low-class. Between my paycheck and my lack of space, I won't be following the directions (however clear and concise) to make my own sausage anytime soon. All throughout the text, the authors direct the reader to go to farmers' markets, the finest suppliers, basically anywhere but the grocery store … Buy tomatoes from the guy who charges the highest prices. Don't buy strawberries at the grocery store. Don't buy eggs at the store. Don't you dare buy fish at the store. In fact, have your trout flown in from San Francisco. Even the recipe that perked me up (I might be able to make this one!), calling for Yukon gold potatoes (I've heard of those!) specified "size C" potatoes, which … I didn't know they were classified like that. Makes sense.
I might be able to do the pork pies …
They do here and there almost apologetically bend, and say or the dates you get at the grocery store would be fine or something. And I find it delightful that in amongst the ingredients sourced from across the country and the world (not afraid of a carbon footprint, these chefs), they profess their loyalty to Hellmann's mayonnaise. It's adorable.
It's actually kind of fun to read this point of view; it's a little like reading a fantasy novel. These are people who live in as completely different a world from mine as Pern or Arrakis, and it's all they know. Their first and only priority is food and feeding people, and they're apparently unfamiliar with a lifestyle in which going out to eat is a rare luxury. I'm not condemning this – bless their hearts, long may they cook meals which cost what I get in a week's paycheck. "As Herb says, it's all about life, liberty, and the prosciutto happiness." Cheers.
The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.
I love the warmth of the book, the sheer contentment that breathes through the pages in the lives the authors have made for themselves, for the place that they've made and the community they've formed. It's lovely. There's even photographic proof throughout – the obligatory "here we are eating the things we're telling you about" shots, as enviable and admirable as any I've seen. It all makes me want to become a regular at the Publican, and if I ever get to Chicago I'm definitely seeking it out.
One of my favorite things about the book is the series of profiles of "Friends of the Publican", suppliers and other allies, each given a full page with a photo and a warm essay. It's credit where credit's due, in spades.
The poems are fun, too.
As a cookbook, though, it is largely aspirational. It isn't tremendously useful to me, because as a foodie I'm frankly low-class. Between my paycheck and my lack of space, I won't be following the directions (however clear and concise) to make my own sausage anytime soon. All throughout the text, the authors direct the reader to go to farmers' markets, the finest suppliers, basically anywhere but the grocery store … Buy tomatoes from the guy who charges the highest prices. Don't buy strawberries at the grocery store. Don't buy eggs at the store. Don't you dare buy fish at the store. In fact, have your trout flown in from San Francisco. Even the recipe that perked me up (I might be able to make this one!), calling for Yukon gold potatoes (I've heard of those!) specified "size C" potatoes, which … I didn't know they were classified like that. Makes sense.
I might be able to do the pork pies …
They do here and there almost apologetically bend, and say or the dates you get at the grocery store would be fine or something. And I find it delightful that in amongst the ingredients sourced from across the country and the world (not afraid of a carbon footprint, these chefs), they profess their loyalty to Hellmann's mayonnaise. It's adorable.
It's actually kind of fun to read this point of view; it's a little like reading a fantasy novel. These are people who live in as completely different a world from mine as Pern or Arrakis, and it's all they know. Their first and only priority is food and feeding people, and they're apparently unfamiliar with a lifestyle in which going out to eat is a rare luxury. I'm not condemning this – bless their hearts, long may they cook meals which cost what I get in a week's paycheck. "As Herb says, it's all about life, liberty, and the prosciutto happiness." Cheers.
The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.
January 20, 2018
Just the right amount of "food snob" mixed with accessible dining. The focus on fresh, quality, seasonal products will help even "seasoned" (pun intended) home-chefs create exemplary meals.
March 19, 2018
Gorgeous photography and very original recipes, but this is definitely one of those restaurant cookbooks where I'd rather eat at the restaurant itself rather than trying to make the super-complicated recipes at home. 3 stars.
August 25, 2017
4.5 stars, rounded up.
I was super excited to get my hands on a copy of this book. Though I haven't gotten a chance to dine there yet (unfortunately :( ), Publican is a well known Chicago establishment. I'm in the neighborhood all the time, and I am happy to have gotten a peak behind closed ovens with this cookbook.
The book is divided into sections by ingredient: vegetables, shellfish, fish, meat, charcuterie and sausages, offal, and breads and spreads.
There are a LOT of photos in this book, which is a huge plus for me. And not only are there a lot of them, but the ones that are in there are gorgeous. There's also a lot of personal stories, and background information about the restaurant and the people behind it. Sure, it's gorgeous to flip through the pictures, but I really enjoyed reading the non-recipe information. It has a warm, welcoming tone that shows the passion for ingredients and cooking as a whole, which then comes across well in the recipes.
The recipes are a bit complicated with lots of components, but the steps are well written and to the point.
Some of the dishes that I'm most excited to try from this cookbook include Dry Aged Duck Breast with Pumpkin Seed Vinaigrette, Pork Country Ribs with Watermelon and Sungold Salad, and Blood Pasta with Sea Beans, Fava Beans, and Mussels
This is a great book for someone looking to be a bit more upscaled at home, prepare for a date night, or who is big into the culinary scene in Chicago.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I was super excited to get my hands on a copy of this book. Though I haven't gotten a chance to dine there yet (unfortunately :( ), Publican is a well known Chicago establishment. I'm in the neighborhood all the time, and I am happy to have gotten a peak behind closed ovens with this cookbook.
The book is divided into sections by ingredient: vegetables, shellfish, fish, meat, charcuterie and sausages, offal, and breads and spreads.
There are a LOT of photos in this book, which is a huge plus for me. And not only are there a lot of them, but the ones that are in there are gorgeous. There's also a lot of personal stories, and background information about the restaurant and the people behind it. Sure, it's gorgeous to flip through the pictures, but I really enjoyed reading the non-recipe information. It has a warm, welcoming tone that shows the passion for ingredients and cooking as a whole, which then comes across well in the recipes.
The recipes are a bit complicated with lots of components, but the steps are well written and to the point.
Some of the dishes that I'm most excited to try from this cookbook include Dry Aged Duck Breast with Pumpkin Seed Vinaigrette, Pork Country Ribs with Watermelon and Sungold Salad, and Blood Pasta with Sea Beans, Fava Beans, and Mussels
This is a great book for someone looking to be a bit more upscaled at home, prepare for a date night, or who is big into the culinary scene in Chicago.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
February 7, 2018
More ramblings than usable recipes!
It was a good read as a foodie. Good stories about employees, suppliers, trips....ramblings sums it up.
I found the recipes interesting but as I looked at the specialized ingredients or the multiple steps I lost interest in wanting to make them.
A good read if you like the ramblings.
It was a good read as a foodie. Good stories about employees, suppliers, trips....ramblings sums it up.
I found the recipes interesting but as I looked at the specialized ingredients or the multiple steps I lost interest in wanting to make them.
A good read if you like the ramblings.
February 8, 2019
Great recipe book that unabashedly loves food! The bios on where these guys get their food and how much their food depends on it’s source is inspiring. Attempting the Publican chicken tomorrow. Wish me luck!
September 16, 2022
It loses a point for calling egg salad, "Pureed Deviled Eggs", and for recommending Helman's in pimento cheese. Every self-respecting Southerner knows that only Duke's will suffice. And if you use Miracle Whip, you make the lil baby Jesus cry.
July 16, 2024
a restaurant cook book - i liked the focus on vegetables and the use of different cuts - the beef heart tartar and bbq tripe sound amazing. Some of the recipes might be difficult for home cooks but some interesting ideas
February 1, 2018
gorgeous book full of recipes that i will never make! definitely makes me want to go eat at the restaurant, but the cookbook is inaccessible for a non-adventurous home cook like me.
September 18, 2023
This restaurant and the deli they source from/own? are incredible! We have used their chicken recipes over and over.
January 2, 2026
Fancy recipes from humble backgrounds. Unique stories and ingredients that don’t feel realistic to make at home regularly.
Great read though!
Great read though!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews