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closeWednesday, Sep. 09, 2009
2 for $20: Republic Grill builds an appealing cheese steak
The northeast corner of the Chapel Hill shopping plaza would seem to be cursed. Other dining destinations in the area, including Mi Cocina, Buttons, Purple Cow Diner and, of course, Central Market, are always bustling. But this particular west Fort Worth spot has seen Crescent City Beignets and Texadelphia come and go in just the last five years.
Can Republic Grill, a sandwich, burger and cheese-steak joint, finally break the streak of bad luck?
Here’s hoping: Based on a recent lunch visit, Republic — which set up shop here just a few months ago and has two locations in Dallas — might not be the kind of place that rocks your culinary world. But it presents modest food at decent prices, and serves it up with a minimum of fuss.
Our meal started off on a somewhat inauspicious note, with an order of chips and queso ($4.95). The chips were an underwhelming, undersalted tricolor mixture of black, orange and traditional. The queso lacked heat and creaminess and arrived at our table lukewarm.
Fortunately, Republic quickly hit its stride with our sandwiches. The Republic cheese steak ($6.95) is an accomplished variation on a familiar dish, with chopped and sautéed mushrooms neatly incorporated into the meat and topped with a generous layer of fresh jalapeños. The meat is flavorful, and the jalapeños give each bite a terrific kick. A few minor quibbles on this one: We probably would have preferred a tad more melted cheese (what’s the point of a cheese steak that’s modest about its cheese?); and after a few bites, the soft hoagie roll began to get a little soggy. All told, though, this was an appealingly decadent choice.
Even more distinctive was the turkey and guacamole spinach wrap ($6.25). It’s not much to look at when it arrives — imagine a pale-green log sliced in half — but the ingredients are notably fresh, and the guac never overpowers the turkey. The accompanying wasabi cucumber dressing lends marvelous tang and just a hint of heat; that dressing is so good that we even thought of using it as a dipping sauce for the fries.
Speaking of fries, be certain to take the $1.65 upgrade with your sandwich — otherwise you’ll get a side order of those pesky chips. The extra money is worth it. These are waffle-cut fries dusted in traditional curly fries seasoning, warm and just a little country.
It’s order-at-the-counter service, and our food was delivered with speed and friendliness. We finished things off with a seven-layer bar ($1.75). Although slightly on the dry side, it also wasn’t as cloyingly sweet as these treats can be sometimes.
We headed out the door with our bellies full, and a sense of optimism: The place had suddenly become overrun with Arlington Heights High students, suggesting maybe that a once-cursed location has turned a page, and that Republic Grill is here to stay.
817-737-2700
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