I have to admit that I enjoy eating ribs when dining out.  They may not be the healthiest choice, and neither am I.  I think back in the Old Country, ribs would not have been proper, because they are not listed as proper food in the Bible, and I think that being westernized brought about the other white meat in the diet.  I had discovered a great place to have ribs, courtesy of my dinner club, and over the years I have seen plenty of people that I know, that also don’t eat ribs at home, but enjoy them out.  I am also a pain in the arse, as you have already discovered by now, as I only want my ribs with light sauce and the meat should fall off the bone.  I want to eat my dinner with a knife and fork and not with my hands.  I was upset when my tried-and-true place closed, because of a kitchen fire. I sent out a plea among my friends on social media for a suggestion (not a chain).  Republica is the one that sounded the best and closest to my desires.  Though the restaurant became family owned in 2013, there was a unique display piece featuring businesses and services within the community from another era.

Little did I know, that my Bride decided to have a group dinner with some of her friends and suggested Republica, even though we had not eaten there yet, and we were going on my “say-so.”  One of the other spouses enjoys playing Devil’s Advocate and always finds ways to disagree with me, and frankly I had no desire to go, but the wrath of my Bride would be worse than someone at the other end of the table.  My Bride had the Lexi’s Loaded Caesar with avocado, Parmesan, bacon, tomato, croutons with a Lemony Caesar Dressing topped with Salmon.  I was there for the ribs and they were based on a famous “rib-house” back in the day, so I had the Mitch’s Famous Ribs with Fries and a side order of Onion Rings.  I mean go big or don’t go; but I did miss not having some creamy Cole Slaw.  I will definitely go back there again for the ribs, and my Bride enjoyed her non-classic salad. We were getting a bottle of wine, and we shared a glass with wife of the “advocate” and they had a glass of Bota Box Nighthawk Black Rich Red Wine California NV, the red house wine and owned by Delicato Family Vineyards.  It was a wine that came in a three-liter plastic bladder with a tap, nestled in cardboard box.  I could not find any information about the Rich Red Wine varietals.  Though the wine was written up by the winery on a page as “California-Rich aromas of raspberry, blackberry, caramel, and hints of vanilla.  Extending into lush flavors of fig jam, dark chocolate, toasted marshmallow, and baking spice, this smooth full-bodied wine culminates into a juicy, lingering finish.”

The restaurant had a limited wine carte, so I went with something very basic to go with my ribs, and my Bride could make it work with her salmon.  We ordered a bottle of Daou Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 2022, with the intention of sharing the bottle, but we were the only ones enjoying the wine.  Daou Vineyards is famed for their Cabernet Sauvignon, and their Bordeaux-style blends; as well as Rhone styles and Burgundian style wines.  Their wine portfolio is divided into four tiers at different price points.  The top-level is their Estate Collection, which made from estate-grown fruit and “Soul of a Lion” is their flagship wine.  The estate was established in 2007 by brothers George and Daniel Daou, who previously had a successful IT business.  The initial purchase was for part of the Hoffman Mountain Ranch, and in 2012 they purchased the balance of the estate and now have two-hundred-twelve-acres of vineyards.  The Hoffman Ranch was the first modern commercial winery in Paso Robles after Prohibition.  It was established by Stanley Hoffman with the help of winemaker Andre Tchelischeff.  The wine is a blend of seventy-eight percent Cabernet Sauvignon, fifteen percent Petit Verdot, six percent Merlot, and one percent Cabernet Franc.  After the fermentation the wine was aged for eight months in French Oak, of which fifty percent was new.  A pretty ruby colored wine that offered notes of black fruits, sandalwood, tobacco, and spices.  On the palate tones of black fruits, figs, spices blended with light tannins and a medium count finish of fruit and vanilla.