the publick house, brookline

[BostonCorkDork]

hey guys,

i had a pretty good dinner at the publick house last night. i wondered what everyone else's thoughts were on this place. i'd say the atmosphere was nice - warm and "pubby" feeling. food was good with generous portions and nice flavors. a very impressive beer list for sure - i'm not sure i know of any other restaurant where you get quite so many choices of imported beers. i especially enjoyed the waitresses recommendation, a flemish sour ale called monks cafe. only draw back was no dessert, but we made it to athans for some gelato just before they closed.

[steinpilz]

This is one of my favorite pubs/restaurants in Boston. Aside from the beer selection, which isn't challenged in this area AFAIK, their new Begian food selection is great. I had their seafood waterzooi a few months ago and it was loaded with scallops, shrimp, fish,and mussles - it's really too much for one sitting and really good.

[pang]

The chef uses beer in everything! He's got a spicy Chouffe mustard that I dream about. I love the cheese boards... Very tough to get a table, especially on game day.

[Trumpetguy]

Now that they opened the new "Monk's Cell" next door, finding seats or tables is SO much easier !

I'm there almost everyday ;)

[litchick]

Ditto on the Monk's Cell and seating. I love this place -- the beer is the draw, but I also really love a lot of the food. I had the duck entree for the 1st time a few weeks ago and was blown away by the quality of it. Super yummy. And the staff is always very smart about beer selections -- I have no problems giving them some general parameters and letting them choose something new for me.

[Sgt Snackers]

I had a pretty mediocre food experience there - service was awful and inattentive; food was very bland. Of course the throngs did not help my mood much. Would definitely check it out again, especially now that they have more seating... though crowds at Publick House seem to be like a gas - they will expand to fill whatever space they are given ...

[ginnyhw]

BC & BU graduation is in a few weeks and the throngs should abate. This is one of the downsides of living in Brookline/Allston/Fenway neighborhood- great bars and restaurants you can't get near.Now we just have to factor in the Sox home games.....

[heathermb]

I've heard that they do *really* good macaroni and cheese - any truth to that?

[Chrispy75]

Yes, they do indeed. Mac and cheese with spinach and sausage is a fave of mine. They give a lot so it's a dish that you can split with someone or enough to take home for a snack later on.

[chickendhansak]

I've been a couple of times now, once for food. The Belgian beer selection is possibly second to none (can anywhere beat it?) in Boston; the only I know of comparison is Sunset Grill, which is also outstanding for Belgian action. But you have to rate a place that pretty much ONLY serves Belgians more highly in the, well, Belgian stakes.

The food was also impressive and seems to me to reflect contemporary styles in Brussels. Overall, I'd say this place was outstanding, but like Sunset it confuses me a little. Where I come from, the only places you get serious Belgians are old men's pubs, not rowdy student bars. Publick House on a Saturday night was a bit of a cramped and noisy environment, but its booze and food qualities more than made up for it.