République (Los Angeles, CA)

République  (Los Angeles, CA) – I’ve been wanting to go to République for a minute now, and I made sure to include it in my itinerary during my latest visit to LA! It worked out perfectly since it was one of our friend’s birthday, so we went there for her dinner. I only wish I had better pictures since it wad night time but the food was so good that I’m not even that mad tbh. The famed Instagrammable double archway looks very different at night! I felt like I was in the French Leaky Cauldron – or a cozy French kitchen! Since it was dark, most of my interior shots didn’t come out very well (unless I used flash, ew), so we’ll be focusing on the food for this post! Which is what you came for, anyway.

Though we had a reservation, we had to wait for our entire party (which was 6 people, of which 4 were already there) to be seated. I really hate when the majority of the party has arrived and restaurants still don’t seat you. At least while we were waiting, someone was going around with Potato and Leek puff samples – which were really crispy and cheesy. It was a good way to get the night started.

Though République is touted as French food, there are definitely a lot of interesting influences that helps the food taste different than what you’ve had at other French places. The menu also changes depending on the day and what’s in season, so it’s definitely a different experience each time! It is on the pricey side, but this was the one meal I was ready to splurge on because I had been waiting for awhile a to do so! The meails are essentially family style, with the dishes becoming larger entrees as you go down the menu. With that in mind, we ordered things everyone liked, and everyone had more than enough and left happy and full.

We started out with the Gioia Burrata Crostini, which was my pick, because burrata. They were delicate little bites with sugar snap pea pesto, castelvetrano olives, and toasted almonds. These were delicious and tasted so fresh! Though, I would probably sub in one of their other hors d’oeuvres since they offer unique flavor profiles.

This was their take on Eggs on Toast – soft scrambled eggs with Santa Barbara uni. I could not eat these because of the uni, but everyone looked like they were having a great time when chomping down on these.

Next up is the Cucumber and Heirloom Tomatoes, with Tenerelli farms peaches, pistachio tahini, yogurt, and mint. This was my favorite dish of the entire night, which is saying something. We all expected it to taste predictable because it has a lot of Mediterranean flavors, but the peaches added something so unexpected but satisfying! They were perfectly crunchy, and the sweet and tartness worked so well with the other herbier and savory flavors. Next time peaches are in season, I am going to figure out how to make this.

We also ordered the Roasted Cauliflower, which was served with sweet potato hummus, Thompson grapes, goat cheese, arugula, and dukkah. This was a good dish that had a lot of savory and smoky Mediterranean flavors. I personally don’t really like cauliflower, but even I liked this dish. I’m glad I made myself try it!

Now, moving onto the more entree sized dishes. We ordered the Pimenton Linguine, with sun gold tomatoes, sweet peppers, and opal basil and the Spaghetti with main lobster and Australian black winter truffles. I was really excited for the Linguine, and I’m so happy we chose it! It was a little spicy with the peppers but without heat, and had so much freshness with the tomatoes and basil. I wanted to keep eating it! Moreover, the Spaghetti was really a pleasant surprise! I was indifferent about ordering it, but I’m glad we did because it was so buttery and rich with flavor! Those truffles really do add something special.

This was the Braised Beef Short Rib. I will admit, I was so full by the time this got to our table that I didn’t end up eating much of it. I did try a bite however, and the tender meat had soaked up all of the wonderful flavors – it was perfect.

We even got dessert this time! I mean, if you’re at a fancy restaurant and had an amazing meal, you know the dessert is about to be amazing! We missed out o n the Almond Brown Butter Cake, which seemed to be really popular according to our waiter, but instead we ordered the Brillat Savarin Cheesecake. I’m still new to the fig game (I HATED them as a kid and stayed far away), but I really enjoyed this! The cheesecake is made of black mission figs, honey, and served with graham cracker ice cream. I loved the plating and taking a bite with each component is necessary, because then you get the full cheesecake bite. I liked that it wasn’t soaked up in the honey and sugar, so it wasn’t cloyingly sweet.

And finally, République’s Warm Chocolate Chip Cookies, served with milk eau de vie. The milk had alcohol so I passed on that, but it’s really about those cookies. They were wonderfully crisp around the edges, and nice and soft in the middle with generous pieces of delicious chocolate! It was the BEST way to end an amazing meal.

République did not disappoint – I’m so glad to have had this dining experience and would really recommend people to head over there if you’re ever in LA!