We just checked out Republic Pan-Asian, the sort-of clubby, two-week-old River North spot from the Zhang family, who also owns sushi faves Rise, Shine and formerly, the now-closed Gold Coast spot Jia.

But at this new operation, we're worried the family has lost some of that neighborhood-honed personal touch. In fact, we wonder if the spirit of the next door's Four Points by Sheraton has seeped through the walls and replaced everyone with restaurant-consultant pod people.

After dinner, for example, a server presented us with an extremely detailed customer satisfaction survey--it even had a true or false section. (Sample question: "True or False: Service was not typical or casual." Huh?)

Problem is, on paper Republic aces its own test. True, service--still a bit scattered--was nevertheless prompt and friendly (does that count as typical or casual?). And, true, someone put the house-blend soy on the table, as another question asks. But soy or no soy, Republic left us just a wee bit cold.

The interior is fine, if not particularly stunning, but it makes an impression. The upstairs dining room is expansive, and pulls off the minimalist thing fairly well. The bright first-floor lounge is working a tasteful space-age look: downtempo techno overhead, cool projections of Hong Kong action flicks on the wall. It's a nice counterpoint to David Burke's Primehouse bar across the street, which always seems to be a bit of a madhouse. Cocktails ($11 each) were inventive (skip the house martini; try the lychee fizz). There's also an upstairs sake lounge with a ton of choices.

The dinner menu takes a free-wheeling romp through the pleasures of Asian and, even a dab of Polynesian cuisine. The menu offers classic Thai, Chinese and Japanese restaurant dishes (pad Thai, Shanghai chicken, teriyaki, big-fat maki rolls); the highight is the delicious, super-fresh sashimi.

But actually eating here was like chatting with Playboy's Girls Next Door. So pretty, but so vacuous. From the beef capriccio spring rolls ($7) to the green curry (tofu, $14) to the kobe shoulder loin ($28, which actually is from Oregon, making it Kobe-style), all were terribly bland in a way that suggested the kitchen had test marketed away any trace of personality, as if the chef didn't want to offend anyone. C'mon, if you put a big, bright red Thai chile on top of that green curry, I'm expecting a little bit of hot tongue action.

Even the scrumptious-looking desserts like the green tea creme brulee ($9) and the mango tart ($10) were a mere tease; they tasted like something I'd expect from an geriatric facility's dessert cart.

But Republic says not to worry too much about it. After less than a month, they're still tweaking those recipes. "Yes, we did go a little bit mild," general manager Stephanie Berger admits. "We wanted to start out mild, but from our guest feedback, we're going to take it to the next level."

So the moral? Maybe testing does work. If this place studies up on that spice, I'm willing to give it another exam.

VIDEO:

Chris LaMorte is the metromix dining producer.

Originally published April 12, 2007.

You will be prompted to register or log in when posting.

Comment

Please note that by clicking on "Post Comment" you acknowledge that you have read the Terms of Service. Be polite. Inappropriate posts may be removed by the moderator.