Three Tidbits: Público adds playful menu, Purple Martin packs it in, last call for a no-wait fish fry

HOT SPOT

Público’s Weekday Menu

Público, Mike Randolph’s Latin-inspired eatery in the Delmar Loop, has introduced an affordable weekday menu, available  for dinner Tuesday through Thursday. “This menu is meant to showcase our playful side. These are the dishes that we enjoy for staff meals or reflect our weekly experiments in the kitchen as a team,” Randolph explains. The menu includes $3 tacos (rotating weekly), $9 nachos (rotating weekly, with house-made cheese sauce, pinto beans, and house-made salsa), $8 smoked oysters, and $8 Classic Fluke ceviche. Pair those savory bites with one of head bartender Nick Digiovanni’s new cocktails, such as the Fernet & Cola, made with Público’s frozen drink machine.

RESTAURANT CLOSURE

The Purple Martin shutters again

The Purple Martin, the corner joint in Fox Park, has closed for the foreseeable future again. Brooke Roseberry opened the place in 2014 with a North African- and Middle Eastern-inspired menu, but it shuttered at the end of 2016. “I just wanted something in my neighborhood that was warm and friendly,” Roseberry told SLM at the time. “That part I was good at. Getting the place to run well was not my strength.” Not long after, new owners Mark Hinson, George Walker, and Tina Zweifel reopened the restaurant with a revamped menu of American comfort food. Yet the neighborhood eatery closed again in early March.

INSIDER TIP

No-wait fish fry

There’s only one more chance to hit up St. Cecilia Catholic Church’s popular Mexican fish fry. Lines often snake out the door, so consider splurging for a VIP ticket. For $100 per person, a table of six to 10 people will receive tamales and pico de gallo, dinner and dessert for each person, and unlimited drinks (including those dangerously delicious margaritas). The best part? No wait. The remaining event takes place on Friday, March 23. Tables must be reserved in advance by emailing [email protected].