re:public is an upscale restaurant & bar located in South Lake Union. This is where the happenings occur on the weekdays with happy hours from 4-6pm, many small plate selections and a handful of beer and wine specials. The large video screen and various TVs make this a good spot for friends and family to grub and watch whatever sporting event on screen. I like the upscale impression because this makes for a nicer ambiance to the typical casual pub. It’s a nice change of scenery with more tasteful looking foods.
Let’s start off with the flowers!! Each table has a centerpiece with a few blooming simple flowers. The vibrant, solid colors pop out from the industrial background to give it a somewhat classy and tasteful look amidst the hipster age.
We had some cocktails to start! There is much more alcohol at this bar than just beer: you can have your classy glass of wine or a delicious cocktail drink. Whatever your heart desires, they have! 🙂 Which makes for hanging with friends of different tastes easier to accommodate to. I forgot what my drink was called, but I asked the waiter for a sweet, lady-like drink!
Blackened Ahi Tuna. Wasabi. 7 Spice. Soy-Ginger Sauce. One of the first small plates that came out was presented on a matted, black plate. Its rugged edges and imperfections scream out potential plating beauty with the smeared sauce and lightly placed tuna, which BTW was very soft and tender. The tiny crunchiness from the salmon roe complemented the smooth tuna very well. Seaweed is seaweed. HAHA.
Garlic Chili Prawns. Bacon Lardons. Lemon. Cilantro. This was so good that our table ordered another one!!! It looks so simple and it’s usually something that I wouldn’t order at a restaurant because I believe I can make my own bomb shrimp.. This appetizer was on point! The basic skill that every chef should know to do is how long to boil/cook the shrimp for so that it’s perfectly cooked but not beyond that thin line where it becomes overdone and rubbery. Beyond that, it’s the sauce that distinguishes one shrimp from another. This sauce? Savory and delicious yet not heavy on the stomach.
Smoked Cauliflower & Prawn Linguine. Chardonnay. Kale. Charred Lemon. Smoked cauliflower say what?! Let’s turn a healthy, neutral vegetable into something crunchy and tastyyyy! Again, the shrimp was done perfectly. The sauce was lightly creamy and the linguine was al dente! Le parfait entree.
Manila Clams. White Wine. Laurel Leaf. Lemon Zest. Grilled Baguette. Needed a squish of citrus in our seafood and maybe we had too much shrimp dishes already so we delved into the other direction with these Manila clams. Soft and chewy with the crunchy, toasty baguette.
Wild Boar Bolognese. Pappardelle. San Marzano Tomatoes. Chili Flakes. Parmesan. And last but not least, the infamous bolognese that everyone on Yelp has been raving over? Do I understand the Yelp fuss/hype? Yes I do! But maybe because I am also biased towards loving the pappardelle noodle and loving the bolognese meat and sauce all year round. How can you ever beat these two together as the classic Italian dish? I always want to order it, but need to fight the temptation to try other dishes too. This one? Is P.E.R.F.E.C.T.
Seattle, you’ve been good for now. Until next time with many more food adventures <3
