Warning: This is my new favorite restaurant in LA
We drove back from the Bay Area a day earlier than expected, and had absolutely NO dinner plans for a Saturday night. Highly out of the ordinary for us. Began looking up numbers for various restaurants in LA since we’d be passing through on the way home. On a chance, we decided on a place we’ve passed a number of times in the past. Luckily, there was an opening at 7:30. We floored it from the back side of the Grapevine and sped past Valencia towards our destination.
At 7:32pm, we stood at the hostess stand to check in. Our seats were along the back wall, and we asked to be closer to the fireplace. It looked mysterious to see flames hover above a bed of crystals. For me, it was also quite warm, as I sat on the banquette side closest to the heat. We placed our drink order with Ben and surveyed our options.
I was slightly worried at first, as the "First Impressions" were largely devoted to seafood. I did not spend Good Friday fawning over rabbit and steak only to be denied it a second time. Their lobster corn dogs intrigued me, as did their mini pulled pork "sliders" with Carolina mop. Relief came over me as I thumbed to the second page and discovered a section devoted to "Mesquite Grill". Fish stood its ground in their "Entrees", but I managed to find what I was looking for.
Why is this my new favorite place? Many, many reasons. First of all, it is quite sexy and modern inside. Earthy reds and browns warm things up while the lighting is set high above. While I’ve only heard of such entertainment in Vegas, on one wall is a vast selection of wines. Wine ’fairies’ ascend throughout the evening to retrieve bottles. The music is moody. My seat is comfortable. Service is consistent. There’s even the classic restroom attendant providing towels as you approach the communal wash area. All that’s left is the meal itself.
Our amuse bouche is carpaccio of salmon placed on a tortilla chip and topped with pineapple salsa. It sat on a drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar. The acidity of the pineapple gave an unexpected burst of flavor to the fish, while the balsamic added a subtle layer of complexity I savored. Also on the table was a cylindrical offering of mini corn bread squares and tiny biscuits. After inquiring, we find out the creamy butter is honey whipped, providing the smooth consistency we marveled at.
Our final decision on the starters were the sliders (for him) and the namesake salad for myself. He loved the sweet ’mop’ sauce, while I enjoyed my deconstructed plate. In opposing corners were my favorite teardrop tomatoes, halved. Upper left quadrant featured smoked Nueskes bacon chopped fine and delicate fried potatoes in the bottom right. Baby spinach evenly dressed in a warm dijon bacon vinaigrette awaited my next move. I gradually worked my way around, having a forkful of tomato and then a combination of potatoes, bacon, and spinach. I must confess, I had fun finishing my salad.
He naturally gravitated towards the cioppino with its jumbo shrimp, clams, seabass, and PEI (Prince Edward Island) mussels in white wine broth. Quite a sizeable portion, I was curious about my meal.
Food doesn’t make me nervous unless it is either raw or the internal organs of an animal. Another item to add to that list is their dry aged Kobe burger. At 14 ounces, it damn scared me. The Maytag blue could not take the heat, and nearly disappeared on the breadth of the patty. My slice of grilled portobello didn’t stand a chance, and mercilessly held on. The truffle-scented fries tried to balance things out, but it was all about the Kobe. Medium left just enough undercooked to taste marvelous. Half would have to wait until Monday lunch. I knew my fries wouldn’t survive the night, so I took one (ok, many) for the team.
I can’t believe I still haven’t mentioned dessert. Two items require advance notice due to cooking time, the chocolate souffle and their peanut butter volcano cake. One of each had to be ordered. There was also the question of gelato which could not possibly be ignored. Two scoops of dulce de leche and once of chocolate fudge, please. What? They have tea selections too? Madness ensued as we inhaled Egyptian rooibos infused with flavors of chocolate and vanilla. I sipped their calming spearmint tisane.
We were rather greedy with our desserts, as he kept the souffle (and it’s creme anglaise and blueberry couli sauces) to himself. I gleefully chipped away at my chocolate concoction oozing warm peanut butter. A quiet scoop of vanilla gelato beckoned for attention, and on occasion it would join in a duet.
We were exhausted from our meal, yet managed to thank Ben for taking care of us as well as shake hands with the manager, Joe. The modern steakhouse with Southern flair is on our permanent list.
Republic Restaurant & Lounge
650 North La Cienega Boulevard
310.360.7070
therepublicla.com