Republic Gastro Pub

I can't get my act together. There are still untold stories from Vegas and then some other trips I took that bear some recounting, in my opinion (teaser: I ate aphrodisiac foul and developed a deep affection for garlic naan). These stories will get told later, if their creator pulls them from her memory to the screen. In the meantime, however, she had a great dinner last night at Republic Gastro Pub in Oklahoma City, a delightful 100-beers-on-tap, all-American-blond-waiters-working, for-foodie-slash-sports-fan type place.

Republic is in a new commercial area called Classen Curve, an innovative, architecturally striking (eh, euphemism for "severe") string of buildings. The spaces' tall walls are comprised almost entirely of windows, while the overhangs outside feature extended tines of black metal. It's admittedly a bit cold, austere and modern to appear complementary against the hospitable warm and welcoming blue Oklahoma sky, but it was still impressive.

An emerging tradition of my dad and mine is to try beer flights. Oh boy, is it fun. I got the Golden Path, a taste each of Stella Artois (from Belgium), Mustang Golden Ale (Oklahoma),
Avery White Rascal (Colorado), and Maredsous Blond (Belgium). I always thought Stella was such a stand-up, hardy beer but when compared next to blonder Belgium blonds, it seemed so...quaint...and sort of like diet, sugar-free apple juice.

My dad got a broader mix called Best in Show: from left to right, Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier (Germany), Chimay White (Belgium), Schneider Aventinus (Germany), and Yeti Stout (Colorado).


And then we ordered half the menu. The homemade pub pretzel with serrano-honey mustard and beer-cheese fondue and the pulled chicken nachos with caramelized onions, red peppers,
jalapenos and sour cream to start. It was so good, I forgot to take pictures. Thankfully the pretzel was party to a professional photo shoot:

Then we had the entrees, which by this time was largely unnecessary. My dad and I had the Republic Scottish egg. Has any food item been created that is a more perfect accompaniment to beer? A whole egg, wrapped in sausage, and fried (and then classed up with a mixed greens salad with cornichons)?


For dinner, I had ahi tuna tartar that I only remembered to photograph (again) after it was halfway eaten and the photo..well..looks both obscene and unenticing. It was delicious: cubed tuna tartar atop a bed of onions and avocado, covered in friend shoestring onions and a soy vinaigrette and surrounded by chips. My mom got a granny smith apple and celery salad (a bit too savory for our tastes), elbow mac and cheese with bratwurst, and a delicious seared whole green bean salad (left to right).

And there's more! Our table was like a Rubik's cube, plates being moved left and right, up and down, to accommodate new plates. Dad had American Bangers and Mash, with Chicago style bratwurst, house made sauerkraut, and skillet potatoes and pub mustard. Amateur food critics extraordinaire were we!

But just to show that Oklahoma's restaurants these days aren't just high-fallutin', city-folk-created joints and offer real American food choices, please find a picture of one of my finest meals in recent history, from lunch today at Earl's Rib Palace:


That's baked beans in the top left and then clockwise, chopped beef, fried okra, and turkey. And above that, the BBQ sauces: red (is hot) and white (is not). And oh yeah, I saw BEVO, which as a Sooner, I must prioritize last and put at the bottom.