there has been much fanfare about republique since it opened. but it's on la brea. i really don't like driving to la brea. probably because there is no direct route - all surface streets and many lefts and rights depending on how traffic is moving. we finally made our way there for dinner recently. i think what surprised me most was how grand the space is. what you see of the restaurant from the front is only about half! it just keeps going once you get inside, and there is even a lofted space in the back.

despite how large the space is, it was really busy! there was definitely a lively hum to the place. they have a fairly large menu, and everything looked amazing. the most difficult part was narrowing down what to order - i really wanted to try everything! especially all of their housemade pastas. and everything was really, really, really good. i really loved their roasted brussels sprouts, which i at first glanced over (everyone does brussels sprouts these days!), but james said i should take a closer look at the ingredients. frisee and bacon and poached egg? amazing. and the sweet potato agnolotti... {insert heart-eyed emoji here}. as usual, here's where i stop typing and let you just see what i mean.