Restaurant News

Today Rosie tells us about Union Republic in Jersey City.

UNION REPUBLIC, JERSEY CITY
“Uh-Oh,” I said to Lowell as we dug into our appetizers at Union Republic. “If the rest of this meal is as good as these apps we are going to have a “belly buster” evening. Yep, it did turn out to be a belly buster, belt-loosening evening, at this recently opened restaurant featuring ramen as well as prime meats.

Union Republic is owned by Noah Sexton and chef Greg Torrech. They were the team behind Modern American Eatery in Jersey City, which closed in October 2012 because of a dispute with the landlord. We were impressed with the food then, as now.

Two captivating live herb walls are at the rear of the restaurant, where locally sourced, organic and natural fresh produce, sodas, and gourmet items—Brooklyn Kombucha, Mother In Law’s Kimchee and Sugar Hill Farms Maple Syrup—are available for purchase. The space also houses a small butcher shop featuring prime meats, and an on-staff butcher. A couch and a few chairs providing comfy seating and some high tops, as well as seats by a counter, where you can watch the chefs cooking, all add to the casual ambiance. Tables are clothless and dishtowels are used as napkins. Wine glasses are stemless.


Octopus salad.

Starters were a warm octopus salad with chorizo, fingerling potatoes, frisee and cherry tomatoes beautifully presented on a flat, rectangular piece of slate. A spicy citrus dressing provided exuberant flavors. Many restaurants say they make their pasta in house, but Union Republic really does. The irregular pieces of pappardelle with herbed specks not only looked house made but tasted that way. It was available with spring ramps (yes, the restaurant serves seasonal items) in a cream sauce spiked with Parmesan cheese. We were very happy and full at this point. But Union Republic is known for their prime meat sourced locally and ramen, which is available in six different manifestations. We opted for “A Hen Full,” which contained a soft egg, chicken meatballs, dashi, and shoyu broth. The ramen noodles are from the very well respected Sun Noodle Ramen in Totowa. I asked a neighboring diner what he was slurping up, and he said that he had the nose-to-tail ramen bowl, which contained pork, heart belly, sofito and shoyu broth. A 28-day, dry-aged, prime rib-eye steak on the bone was also ordered. It came perfectly cooked medium-rare, and you do want to try this if you are a steak lover. Two sides are included and we picked forchette potatoes, which were similar to a smashed potato with herbs and a colorful plate of baby root vegetables (yellow beets, turnips, spinach, and carrots). Dessert was a yummy crème brulee.


Ramen with an egg, chicken meatballs, dashi, and shoyu broth.

Union Republic serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily from 9 AM to 10 PM; Saturday and Sunday till 11 PM. They are in the process of getting a liquor license, so check to see if they are still BYO before you dine here. The merging of different cuisines and different techniques definitely make a most gratifying union at Union Republic.


Prime rib-eye steak.


Potatoes and baby root vegetables.
Photos courtesy of Lowell Saferstein

Union Republic
340 Third Street
Jersey City
201-279-5094
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