and the drinks.
and the bread.
and the expensive butter.
and the crock of lard.
and…heck, i’ve enjoyed most of the darn food at republique, and i don’t think i’ve had a pasta.
Stick with pastas.
Bread is good.
So is that gruyere potato beignet.
The mains are okay to good, not great depending on your QPR tolerance.
Service will be slow. Expect a 2.5+ hour meal.
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They didn’t have them when we went 
they didn’t have them one time i went either, something about the weather in santa barbara.
yeah, adds up quick
$15 for old fashioned
$5 for butter & bread
$5 for pan drippings & bread
and we haven’t even gotten past drink and bread.
@Porthos Yes! Those beignets look choice. And yea, that’s kinda the sense I’ve been getting about the mains…
@PorkyBelly Get that DoTM nominee reject out of my face! jk I’ll take the lot.
@Ns1 Which dessert do you like? The panna cotta looks super. And are the pan drippings a must?
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Pan drippings were tasty enough but I wouldn’t order it again.
not sure if they still have it, but this was the second coming of christ: Bombolino profiterole with hazelnut ice cream, hazelnuts, and chocolate sauce.
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When in season, get the corn agnolotti.
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Pretty sure partner and I had that + potato gruyere beignets (for NYE). And, yes, they were both magnificent, IMHO.
i. put it to you, sir, man CAN live by these things alone.
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What are the portion sizes on the pasta like? Taking my family to Republique on Sunday for a celebration; need to know how much/what to order.
There’ll be four of us - only two of us drink, and not heavily. Realistic to come out for under $100 a head all told? What should I focus on?
Moderate size portions. More than Bucato, less than Bestia.
1 pasta per person should do the trick.
Very possible to do $100pp for food. Just depends on your drinking habits…
Less than Bestia? Those pastas are already pretty small - so treat them closer to appetizers?
Definitely less than the uni pasta at Bestia.
Closer to the size of the cavatelli dish.
I get 2 pastas for myself personally.
I see - the uni pasta wasn’t on the menu the one time I went to Bestia, but the cavatelli was, so I have a better idea now. Appreciate it!
I do $100/head when I eat like a pig and buy drinks. If you avoid the higher costing mains and don’t drink too heavily, <$100 very easy.
Are you saying as an entire dinner?
If not that hungry, I agree, but think most people would want more.
I think you have to selectively order at Republique to get under $100/person with tax and tip. I guess things like the chicken would feed multiple people though for example, and significantly cut down on costs.
It’s funny how it can swing there though…in my past two visits I’ve spent $100-$200 per person on just food… I suppose the place lends itself more to dining in parties than solo though.
Just came back from my first time here with my family.
What we had:
Beignets
Eggs on toast
Bread (butter)
Duck liver mousse
Grilled octopus salad
Striped bass
3 Pastas:
Uni/mussel
??? (something with an egg on top, and also pancetta)
Cavatelli with morrells and fava beans
Duck breast
Dessert:
Panna cotta
Chocolate fondant
Drinks:
Ford
Celery
Mandarinquat
Tangerine
1 espresso, 2 cafe mocha
Bill, after tip/tax: $423, for 4
Impressions?
Overall, very good. The beignets were better than I expected, the eggs on toast… not so much. Eggs were actually better than I thought they would be but uni was indistinguishable, dish would probably be better without it and a third of the price. Bread was very good but I think Bestia’s edges it out a bit - duck liver mousse was also very good.
Grilled octopus salad was excellent, truly very well integrated, octopus was cooked very well and super tender.
Surprisingly the striped bass was probably the highlight - I don’t like cooked fish much but this was far and away the best preparation I’ve ever had. That aside the accompanying vegetables and mushrooms were, if anything, even better. Outstanding.
The first two pastas were not as good as I was expecting. There was nothing particularly wrong with them but they were not very new or exciting, though I did like the texture on the second one (egg + pancetta). The cavatelli though was very, very good.
Duck breast was alright, nothing novel. Taste but a bit too chewy, the vegetables once again far surpassed the meat on the plate.
Chocolate fondant was … pretty typical, really. If I liked hazelnut more I suspect I’d have liked the dessert as a whole more as well. Panna cotta with tangerine ice and grapefruit sorbet was out of this world, though. Truly incredible.
Espresso and mocha were both far and away the best examples of each I’d ever had. Would definitely come back here for pastries and coffee, and I don’t even drink coffee.
Cocktails were also very good - celery and mandarinquat in particular. Ford was a little too boozy for me but I can definitely see the appeal.
Scene isn’t really my thing, but I’m definitely coming back eventually.
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Didn’t take many pictures but had a great first dinner at Republique over the weekend.
The night started out a bit strangely, actually. We (party of two) were sat in the very back, which seems to be a much different environment than the front. It’s definitely quieter, but it doesn’t have the same feel/energy as the front half. We were given those super long bread sticks right as we sat down, and then… nothing. I had already asked First Lady Mochi if she wanted to look into a table switch, and at first she said “noooo,” but then, after ten plus solid minutes of having no server come by, we asked the hostess if there was a table upfront, which, luckily there was. They were very gracious about it, and the service from our new server was excellent the rest of the night.
I was a fan of the “Eggs on toast.” I probably wouldn’t feel compelled to order them again, but I was glad that I did that once.
The bread & butter is insane. I honestly went in expecting to be let down by this since it had gotten so much hype, but yes lord. Really great.
Cucumber & endive salad was nice and refreshing. Loved the dill. Can’t get enough dill, babyyy!
For pasta, we went with the Spinach Cavatelli (pictured below) and another one that I can’t remember. It had peas and was really super. Think it was the same one that @T3t mentioned as “??? (something with egg & pancetta)” Loved 'em both.
The cocktails were big highlights. We collectively had the Ford, Mandarinquat and Old Fashioned. Our server also made some great recommendations for wines, the names of which I do not recall other than to say that they were both from Burgundy. They also gave healthy half-glass pours.
Not a cheap meal, but in the end, it felt “worth it.” Especially for an occasion. @Porthos wasn’t lying about the meal time. It was lengthy, but that may contribute to it feeling like a solid occasion restaurant. Seems like everyone I talk to went for a birthday, anniversary, etc.
I don’t know that I feel the urge to return post haste, but I will look forward to going back again at some point.
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