Yep, I was definitely on the fence with the eclairs… next time and eggs on toast for breakfast @PorkyBelly! 
And I’m “The Only Person in LA Who Doesn’t Love Gjusta”.
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Its sad that they did away with the uni/eggs on toast for dinner 
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Okay, so there’s that. I was prepared to think “it’s not as great as everyone else thinks it is”. I loved it. But I understand.
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I’ve been there 4 times and have tried pretty much everything that’s been recommended on this board and while everything was tasty, I’ve never actually craved anything since then. Maybe it’s dumb, but that’s usually how I judge restaurants. Do I crave the food and yearn to go back or can I do without it? It’s the latter for me with Gjusta. 
Gjelina on the other hand… 
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Do people still dress super casual at night at Republique? I’ll have my first dinner there tomorrow and don’t wanna look like a hobo when I show up…
Totally casual. Wear your Nudies (or 7 for All Mankind) and your Air Jordan Retro Fresh Prince sneakers. You’ll fit right in. 
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Thanks for the heads up! Wife-beater it is! 
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Plus shorts and sandals!!
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How 'bout OG Jordans? Like as in I still have mine from the 1990s…
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Once sat next to a dude wearing overalls.
I’m sure the overalls cost like $500 but still.
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Finally went to Republique for dinner and it was a very good meal. But it’s definitely not a date-night kinda restaurant given how cramp the space is and noise level.
The pacing of my meal was rather odd with my order of bread, hors d’oeuvres and appetizer seemingly fly out of the kitchen within minutes of each other. But when it came to the pasta and entree courses, there were long waits…
As far as service goes, the Republique team was on its A game on this particular night. There was no panic when I clumsily swiped off my glass of water from the table while reaching for my camera. Instead, a nice lady from the restaurant staff calmly cleaned up my mess and told me not to worry about it. In my defense, I was seated in a corner table which amplified the already dim lighting of the back room. 
Parmesan Breadsticks - Complimentary. Nicely salted. Peppery. Curnchy.
Pan-Drippings + Baguette - The drippings is reminiscent of a deep and velvety Bordelaise and Bolognese Frankenstein hybrid. It’s gloriously addictive especially when paired with possibly the best baguette I’ve ever had. The loaf’s crackly crust, in combination with its moist and silky interior, acts as the perfect vehicle for whatever sauce comes your way!
Smoked Eel Beignets | herbs, horseradish
Truth be told, this reminds me more of a croquette than a beignet. Beneath its crispy exterior lies a soft and moist takoyaki-like texture with smokey notes from various pieces of eel.
Eclairs | duck liver mousse, perigord black truffle
This is a good play on the typical sweet eclair where the light and crispy pastry is filled with a light but funky duck liver mousse. Rounding out the flavor is musky notes from the highly prized black truffle.
Arroz Negro | atlantic diver scallops, manila clams, mediterranean octopus, mojo verde
Very. Small. Portion. For. $38.
This flavorful squid ink rice reminds me of something I had at the now closed Ink from years ago. It’s infused with a crab stock and topped with a variety of well cooked seafood. You’ll also notice several spots of saffron aioli acting as pace changer while amp up flavor in spurts.
Quadrettini | wolfe ranch quail, winter vegetables
Just glancing through the menu, I knew I had to order this since I had been dreaming of Benu’s fantastic HK style quail which is also sourced from Wolfe Ranch. However, the quail at Republique falls short. The pieces of quail are just cooked through and nicely moist but they are under-seasoned and the skin is flabby.
The little pockets of pasta, on the other hand, are fantastic with its al-dente wrappers enclosing a sweet and savory honeynut squash puree that’s immensely silky on the palate.
Sonoma Duck Breast | roasted honeynut squash, endive, candied kumquats
The in-house dry aged duck is cooked mid-rare and carries a very nice funk that reminds me of Chinese preserved duck. If I have to nit-pick though, the skin isn’t “crisped” up very well which means that it’s quite chewy even by the usual non-Chinese standard. But let’s face it, with the exception of Chinese roast duck and Peking Duck, I never had duck with truly ethereal crispy skin and that includes the plethora of 3 Michelin Starred restaurants across the Bay Area and NYC.
The honeynut squash, on the other hand, is cooked two ways: roasted and pureed. For the puree, it’s the same as the pasta course fillings. With the roasted squash, a very nice char is left on the exterior so you get that ever so slightly crispiness when biting down on the winter vegetable which contrasts nicely with the soft and tender interior.
Warm Dark Chocolate Cake | hazelnut sauce, banana caramel ice-cream
Conceptually, I can see this combination of flavors working well together but execution falls short here. Flavors of chocolate and banana worked beautifully with outside of the cake is ever so lightly crispy and the interior of the cake is airy and moist…perhaps TOO moist. Once I started chewing, my mouthful of cake is so moist that it became gooey and I know this isn’t a molten lava cake. The chocolate flavor also overpowered the hazelnut sauce that’s surprisingly light in nutty notes.
Blood Orange Sorbet
I look for sorbet that’s delicately icy and dissolve on tongue but that didn’t happen here since it’s a bit too icy. Flavorwise, it’s a touch too sweet and the natural brightness of blood orange is lost. It’s still a pleasant enough sorbet though!
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Next time give their salads a try. We thought the Thao Farms arugala and octopus salads were highlights. Some of the best salad we’ve had in recent memory.
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I think that’s a pretty profound way to judge a restaurant. Thanks for sharing. @moonboy403, that’s also the sense I got from your comments. I’d see the photo and think “wow” but then your description frequently fell short of “wow.” Interesting.
Perfection isn’t easily attained but that doesn’t mean the dishes aren’t very good or delicious! I just try to break it down so there is differentiation between the good, the great, and superb dishes. A good example is a fried rice, most fried rice taste pretty dang good at most restaurants but I’ve only had two in my life that are truly transcendental with the unmistakable “wok hei” detected on every bite. The same can be said about char siu minus the “wok hei” part.
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Bummer about the flabby quail at Republique.
That quail at Benu is one of my favorites too. Have you been to Chef Lee’s other place, Monsieur Benjamin? I think I like the stuffed quail there even more.
Oh, I get what you’re saying. A few years ago we were in Budapest and one of the thrills was knowing that Hungary is the second largest producer of foie gras which is one of my all time favorite food. We had it one night and it was so great that we had a second order for our dessert 
I still remember it.
Ive sadly never really had an amazing quail or squab dish in the states :((((((