Friday, January 23, 2009

The Republic

(Although I rate Atmosphere, Service, Pricing, and Steak, only the Steak rating is used to rank the restaurants in the Guide)

Atmosphere: 4/5 Upscale (no jacket or tie rules).  Located in a shopping center rather than an independent building; the interior has an elegant feel.
Service: 5/5 Our server was Seth, who was accurate and friendly.  He went out of his way to make sure everyone in the party was happy with his or her meal.  This included and extra serving of Caesar salad for one member of the party who voiced his suprised at the small portion size.  He also provided us with all the available steak sauces rather than making us to choose one.  More on that below.
Pricing: $$$ Steak prices are high, and inlcude only the meat - salads and sides are available a la carte. The house smoked mashed potatoes were amazing!  As noted above, the portion size of the Caesar did seem small, although we noticed another patron with what appeared to be the mixed-greens salad, and the portion size was large, so it seems that they don't "skimp" on all the salads.
Steak: 5/5 I had the bone-in Ribeye, medium rare.  It was delicious, rivaling the best steaks I've ever had, and the best since starting my amateur reviews.  Well seasoned, full flavored, and tender.  If you enjoy Ribeyes, you need to try it.  Steaks come with a choice of sauce, but since it was our first visit, we were given all five sauces served on the side (to be shared among the table).  The "chimchurri" sauce was our favorite, with wonderful fresh garlic and champagne vinegar flavors.
Bottom Line: Definitely some of the best steak in BCS.  Already saving up for another visit!