text: The name of this restaurant and proximity to a trendy area drew me in. I decided to give it a chance because I drive by it everyday and have Republic's menu memorized :) I was awkwardly seated by a hostess that didn't seem sure of where I should sit and she asked me several times if my table was okay. The waitress came out immediately, gave us the specials and asked for our drink order. It took 15 minutes to get my glass of wine and another 20 on top of that to get my lackluster appetizer of (2) deep fried risotto balls that tasted a lot like burnt popcorn and one hockey puck sized crab cake that was tasty, however certainly not adequate for the price and delay. Our entrees arrived about an hour after we arrived. I ordered the shrimp scampi, as reccomended by the waitress, and was surprised that they would serve something so garlicy, cold and runny. The best thing on my plate was the garlic bread. My companion ordered the rib eye which, based on its appearance was actually a New York strip. His cut was mostly fat, overcooked and underseasoned. His sides were 3 large burnt asparagus and a soup bowl of fried potatoes. The entire time we were eating, something was obviously burning in the open kitchen. I couln't wait to leave. My advice is to skip it. Maybe this really is just a doomed location.