PublicUS
Kivu Kigeyo, Rwanda – Pourover Coffee
Vanilla Glazed Butter Croissant
Brown Butter Banana Bread
Mixed Berry Muffin
Blueberry Cream Cheese Scone with Lemon Zest
Brookie – Fudge Brownie Cookie, Balsamic Toffee Filling
Brioche French Toast – Apple Butter, Caramelized Bananas, Bourbon Syrup
Beignets ‘Inspired Toast’ – Berry Jam, Cereal Milk Spread, Granola Cluster, Cantaloupe
Pear ‘Inspired Toast’ – Banana Jam, Almond Butter, Pecan Crusted Grapes
Still in a ‘soft opening’ phase, and located on the far end of ever gentrifying East Fremont, it was admittedly with baited breath that I’d watched PublicUS tumblr site ever since the restaurant was announced and as pictures and reviews began to spring up thanks to good words from John Curtas an early morning visit was planned, a quick message sent to Pastry Chef Hemant Kishore seeing the young Chef sit with me throughout my hour-long stay discussing things from the local food scene to his Southern Indian heritage, CIA Training, and inspiration behind each baked good.
Expansive in size, bathed in sunlight, and specked with handmade seating alongside live plants, it was just prior to 7am that I entered publicUS and finding Hemant just having laid out the daily bread while a few older men sipped coffee it was with wide eyes that I looked upon the somewhat limited offerings, and although the five pastries behind glass would inevitably end up part of the order my interest was even further piqued by a large breakfast menu – three more made-to-order options delivered to the table by still-green service shortly after a cup of rich single origin pour-over.
Speaking to Hemant as I tucked in, it was logically with warm items that the tasting began, and with the croissant shell shattering after slight flex a vast cavern of buttery aromatics poured forth, the use of quality European product obvious to anyone familiar while the light vanilla sugar glaze tickled the tongue without overwhelming one bit.
Next delivered the French Toast, a textbook Brioche that may be the menu’s best bargain at $6 for two thick slices, those interested in custard-centered iterations of the dish will be happy to know the PublicUS kitchen is making one of Sin City’s best while the caramelized bananas used both here and in the cardamom heavy banana bread showed great depth of flavor, particularly when drenched by a pot of boozy maple syrup.
Impressed by a scone that would likely confuse a proper Englishman while wowing most American palates with an interior softened by cream cheese it was next to the muffin that my tasting turned, and with an almost pudding-soft interior beneath a lightly browned top the bakery’s best item was found, each bursting berry adding vibrant levity to all the butter, though a ‘light’ breakfast this stump-less round most certainly is not.
Underwhelmed by the $5.50 ‘toasts,’ first off by how thin the housemade sourdough was sliced when considering the fact that a whole loaf can be had for $6, and then by the fact that they took nearly twenty minutes to make and still arrived cold, suffice it to say that PublicUS has a good idea going with the texturally compelling “Beignet” while the pears and almond butter were unfortunately lost amidst the sweet-savory goat cheese crusted grapes of “Pear,” the final bites of ‘brookie’ proving a far better investment as the brownie textured sandwich was delicate yet intense, the vinegar tinged toffee center something I’d gladly have jarred to drizzle on ice cream, or to spread on a more substantial piece of the sourdough bread.
THREE AND A HALF STARS: Still finding their footing, but clearly a place with big plans plus a team seemingly ready and willing to do things right, PublicUS is a welcome addition to a city long-marred by a lack of innovative artisan baking. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with an immense parking lot directly next door it will be interesting to see how things develop over the coming months, though I doubt it will take me that long to return considering the bread pudding offered as lunch and dinner dessert.
RECOMMENDED: Mixed Berry Muffin, Brioche French Toast, Croissant, Brookie.
AVOID: Inspired Toasts need work. No matter how high the ingredient quality neither the quantity nor execution justified $5.50 each, the total comprising nearly 1/4 of my tab.
TIP: Open at 6am for coffee and pastry with breakfast beginning at 7am and lunch tipping off at 11a, those looking for their PublicUS fix later in the day will be happy to know that despite early hours the spot is also open late – 10pm on Sunday through Thursday and midnight on Fri-Sat.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
http://publicuslv.tumblr.com/ or http://www.publicuslv.com/
