HKR Gives Republic Kitchen & Bar a B+

Las Vegas Review-Journal food critic Heidi Knapp Rinella had two thoughts as she walked into Republic Kitchen & Bar. "Oh, how fun, and also, Oh-oh — the former because, well, who doesn't love sidewalk chalk, and the latter because I was wondering if this was really a serious restaurant.”

And so begins her review of the Henderson restaurant, where the server offered to turn down the music. She found the Buffalo chicken and pigs in a blanket “well-executed and appealing,” the pot pie “a certified comfort food” and the short ribs ”had a nice strong kick (that's a good thing), but the short ribs, while tender, were oddly dry.”

She gave the food a B, the atmosphere a B+ and the service an A- for an overall B+.

Over at CityLife, food critic Al Mancini revisits Kabuki, the original Vegas restaurant that served Japanese with an Italian twist. The original concept moved to Chinatown to become Nakamura-Ya, and now Kabuki serves up sushi. “Perhaps the most intriguing part of Kabuki's menu is the dessert section, which seems to be the only area that retains the creativity of its original incarnation.” [CL]

Vegas Chatter takes a look at Carlos’n Charlie’s at the Flamingo Las Vegas and found “the mood, though, was more siesta than fiesta inside.” While the servers weren’t entertaining, the prices perplexed them most. “The biggest knock against Carlos'n Charlie's was the dining experience being more pricey than priceless. ?we definitely were not in Mexico anymore, Carlos.” [VC]
Republic Kitchen & Bar [Photo: Courtesy]