Chef Walter Manzke was born and raised in San Diego where his relationship with food was defined early on by the fresh produce grown in his family’s backyard. His passion for fine dining led him to Patina, where he garnered critical acclaim working alongside Joachim Splichal for nearly a decade. His time at Patina afforded him the opportunity to travel and work alongside chefs Ferran Adrià and his mentor Alain Ducasse, among others.
There's no way to describe what dining in Los Angeles is like, but a place like Republique speaks for itself.
They serve an incredible Brunch and Lunch, along with a variety of different types of amazing pastries, however, I want to talk about their dinner because it's one of the best I've had.
First off, start with some bread. They have a delicious Rolophe Le Meunier and a Moulin D'Opio, and if you think that's fancy try getting it with pan drippings. Then move on to the appetizers, if you're an oyster fan they have Kusshi oysters that we like to order by the dozen.
Next try their Hawaiian Kanpachi crudo made with that curry, roasted peanuts, watermelon and basil. It's incredibly light and refreshing.
I'm big into ordering vegetables anywhere I go, and they offer charcoal-grilled Brussels sprouts and sprouting broccoli made labneh, Medjool dates and Santa barbara pistachios. A delicious dish and makes me feel good that I'm eating veggies before my amazing pasta dish that I always plan on digging into.
The Campanelle is made with Maine lobster, Calabrian chili, preserved Meyer lemon, and basil. This dish is beyond incredible and I get it all to myself because my boyfriend doesn't like basil. He goes for the Arugula Cavatelli, made with porcini and morel mushrooms and parmesan. I drool every time he orders it. It's delicious.
You can't leave without trying their Libert Farms Duck, made with roasted breast, confit leg, oven-dried troy regier peaches, and black peppercorn sauce. It's amazing.
We always leave room for dessert, and I opt for the black forest cake with brooks cherries, chocolate cremeaux and vanilla while my boyfriend digs into their strawberry tiramisu made with Harry's berries fresh from the farmers market.
If neither of those sound appealing, try their carrot cake made with brillat savarin and cara cara oranges or their pavlova made with honey-sweet mangoes, passion fruit and basil.