Considered the flagship of its restaurant group, República represents a devotion to "Mexico-forward" cuisine and multi-course culural storytelling. by Suzette Smith By way of his newsletter Between Courses, Angel Medina has announc ed plans to close Portland's revered fine-dining restaurant República in February. Considered the flagship of the local mini-empire República Co., República also represented an idea—"Mexico-forward’"cuisine, tasting menus with culinary storytelling—that laid the groundwork for a conversation the food world should have had long ago about the way larger culture thinks of Mexican cuisine. "The Mexican cuisine you celebrate today did not arrive by accident." Medina wrote in the announcement. "It exists because of the labor, memory, and courage of the people in this kitchen; the tortilleras, the tortilleros, the cooks who brought recipes from home, who cooked from nostalgia, from history, from pride. They changed this city’s culinary landscape. We simply helped hold the door open." With his partner pastry chef Olivia Bartruff and chef Lauro Romero, Medina opened República in November 2020, in the Pearl's Ecotrust Building—next door to his Reforma Roasters-run coffee counter, La Perlita. In the years that followed, the restaurant moved into its own, more central building on NW 10th. Other ventures and ideas emerged under República and Co.'s broadening umbrella, like the now defunct coffee shops Matutina, Electrica Coffee, and La Perlita, along with De Noche, a small plates restaurant devoted to Mexican cuisine made with hyperlocal ingredients. Over the summer, Dani Morales essentially moved De Noche into República, as she assumed the flagship's executive chef role. Lilia Comedor took over De Noche's former roost in the North Park Blocks, next to Mezcal-focused cocktail lounge Comala, both still part of the República Co. family. The reasons that Medina gave for República's closure ranged from decreased demand—which he says seemed to immediately follow Donald Trump's return to being president—to rising costs, and Medina wrote that "one issue rose above all others." When the safety of my staff; people who built this place with their hands and their memories—could no longer be assumed, when their dignity and security were treated as negotiable, silence stopped being an option. We stayed quiet for a year, hoping things wouldn’t worsen. They did. And they will continue to. In a previous newsletter from January 19, Medina related a story of federal agents dining at a small, family-owned Mexican restaurant in Willmar, Minnesota before later returning to the restaurant to detain three of the staff. "Minnesota is not an outlier. It’s a rehearsal," he wrote. Those same concerns appear to be at the forefront of the decision to close República. Now for a few caveats: First, República won't close until February 21, so if you're really feeling this one, go eat about it. Second, Lilia Comedor and Comala will remain open and more than able to furnish you with your Mexican-forward tasting menu fix. Reforma Coffee Roasters—the beans that started the whole business—appears to still be going strong. And Medina continues to move forward with his media company Todos, which we wrote about earlier today, as it is trying to fund an early release of a documentary episode focused on Minneapolis Chef Gustavo Romero. Finally, Medina writes: "should the situation change—should we be spared what our colleagues in Minneapolis are facing—we will do our best to extend a little longer." So, it's not exactly done and dinner'd that República will absolutely close. It's hard to say what sign could encourage the place to stay. Like I said, if you're bothered by this, consider eating it out. ...read more read less