Chef’s Tasting Menu at Republica

In the evenings starting at 5pm is the switch to a 5 course chef’s tasting menu at Republica. Reservations are available for outdoors on their terrace or a handful of tables indoors. ️The menu changes daily based on ingredients at their peak and availability, but if you are wondering what the prix fixe will get you, let me assure you it’s an incredible value based on the flavors and the history of native Mexican ingredients and food, and if you opt into the pairing with wines from Mexican, Latinx, and women-owned wineries, an adventure. Luckily they sell all the wine bottles so you can take your discovery home. An agave pairing is also available or wine beer or cocktails by the glass.

I had an incredible dinner this past weekend. This dinner may not represent what you may receive if you go since the menu does change all the time. But in case you were not sure (and don’t like complete surprises), here’s a walkthrough of my experience. The high level outline is that two menus are available each night, either Vegetable and fruit menu or the Meat and fish menu. Both are gluten free but include dairy. Even with the Meat and fish menu version, you should not expect the meat heavy cheese laden food you may usually expect at Mexican places with huge burritos, salty chips and salsa and guacamole in a basket, etc. which are more Tex Mex or reflect food colonization or world fusion rather then reflective of Native Mexican and modern Mexican cuisine which is the heart here. You’ll notice the difference in courses between the two menus only appears a few times.

Para Picar

Basically an amuse bouche here of a memelita. A memelita is a masa that has been fried topped with fresh ingredients. They strive to use native ingredients when possible, and although a couple ingredients here were not (like the cheese, though I believe it is still sourced locally). The one this evening was Maiz Ancestral, chipotle, and quesot fresco, and nopalitos or cactus

Course 1

Aguachile, literally translating to chilled water, usually includes marinated shrimp (though not in this case) and also raw vegetables or seafood in a seasoned liquid. The Aguachile Rojo here is from the Fruit and Vegetables menu and includes compressed fruits like watermelon, cherry, cucumber, cantaloupe and some magic lil cucumber balls that pop like caviar. Obviously this dish is representing modern Mexican – not many people making cucumber caviar in the home kitchen. The Aguachile Verde in this case included Kampachi and avocado mousse, cucumber, and chiles and citrus. The only drawback to the dish was the plating didn’t make it seem like I can drink every last drop from the bowl. The pairing for this was a bright with nice acidity Sauvignon Blanc Vina Kristel 2019 from Monte Xanic Bodega Vinícola, a winery from the Guadalupe region of Mexico. Dangerously easy drinking.

Course 2

From the Vegetable and fruit menu: Apricot, wild pea vines, guava, morita, amaranth. For the Meat and fish menu: Rice, tomato, habas, goat cheese. The goat cheese foam seemed luxurious but light and the sweet tartness of the heirloom tomatoes balanced it out. For this course it was paired with Chenin Columbard 2019 from Monte Xanic Bodega Vinícola, a type of grape (French Columbard that is blended with Chenin Blanc) I had never heard of before. It had a nice round mouthfeel with a nose of citrus and floral and similar in the flavors that were an interesting combo- so interesting I bought a bottle to take home for another day.

As we were enjoying this dish we asked for the Xicha Brewing (a LatinX brewery in Salem) and found it made an even better pairing then the wine, as much I did enjoy the wine. There was something about the slight malt and effervesce that just contrasted so well with the dish that it gave a new take on each spoonful.

Course 3

Maiz Ancestral, quesillo, sesame. Basically any excuse to lick that salsa macha off the plate. This is basically the Quesadilla Oaxaqueno couse. The fresh masa uses three different types (this the stripes) and includes queso oaxaca from Don Froylan creamery in Salem. That salsa macha with peppers, nuts, and oil is spicy, nutty, and sooo sooo sooo good. Let’s be honest anything they make with maiz here is good, as you might expect that masa is an essential cornerstone of the cuisine.

Course 4

The Tacos Yucatecos course here with Mushrooms or the Cochinita Pibil. The Cochinita is marinated and usually slow cooked in the ground with oranges (or other Citrus fruit) wrapped in banana leaf, but thankfully they have a really great oven here at an otherwise all electric, no gas or full kitchen here. Seriously it is amazing what they deliver from the limited kitchen here. The house-pickled habanero onions have a delightful kick.

We finally welcomed a pour of red now for this pairing with another blend, this time a 2019 Cando de Luna, Finca La Carrodilla, a blend of Cabernet Sauv, Tempranillo and Syrah. I sorta regret not buying this wine too to take home. It was very fruit forward, but had an earthy foundation with a bit of tobacco at the end. Maybe it will still be in the wine shop portion on my next visit. I’ve so missed this portion of dining out – the educational and adventure aspect of learning and discovering new experiences and flavors and makers.

Para El Paladar

Palate cleanser of Tuna Verde with seltzer and prickly pear from the cactus that originated the nopalito earlier in the memelita. Poetic right?

Course 5

Dessert time. Atole Blanco, Blue maiz crumble, achiote meringue paired with Santo Tomas Merlot 2019. I regret that the verbal description of this dish sounded sorta poetic about atole having nourishment values and being their send off to us as guests wishing us well, but apparently I’m out of practice of dining out and I didn’t take any notes and my memory fails me here 🙁 I guess I’ll just have to go dine there again!

Even before I left the restaurant, I was already making plans/rationalizations of how to come back as soon as possible. The everchanging menu means the experience can still be different even in the same season, and I really want to try the agave pairing next time, and try to visit on a weekday night so it will be less busy so I can feel like asking more questions. There aren’t many restaurants in Portland right now doing this type of Chef’s Tasting, and I want to encourage you and anyone to help support this experience and the viewpoint they are offering to us that needs more representation and boosting as they themselves are amplifying other voices.

True, you can still variants of some of the dishes like the Tacos Yucatecos, Memelitas, Quesadilla Oaxaquena, and others (I prefer the Tacotes to the Tacos Yucatecos for more protein options) as takeout before 3pm. Before this experience, I’ve only dined at Republica one other time as a coincidence while picking up some coffee and concha (follow their Instagram to catch when they are available as a popup) and seeing they weren’t busy – the rest of the time me experience was all takeout. Eating it fresh on site, seeing the plating that looks like art, and hearing the story from each of the Republica team members as they present a drink or dish, is that something extra that you cannot get with takeout and is the dining out experience I have missed so much. I hope as we continue to grow our vaccination percentages up, that we will see more people showing Republica more and more love.

Is there a Chef’s Menu experience in Portland that you would recommend? I’m looking for more food adventures!