“We are working to get it fixed,” she says. “It’s a temporary problem and it will be fixed.” The Republic, Bohdan says, could reopen this week.

Several orange notices posted on the doors and windows state that the restaurant at 2053 W. Broad St. was closed by order of the Virginia tax commissioner, citing nonpayment of $26,584.62 for which a “memorandum of lien” was recorded in Richmond Circuit Court in May of 2011.

The Republic has been closed since Monday, according to its Facebook posts. Inside, chairs were up on the bar and tables today, but the lights were on and ceiling fans were running. A poster announces a beer dinner set for July 31 featuring brews from Devils Backbone. Let's hope the problem is resolved by then — it will be fun to see what executive chef Auggie Lopez comes up with. When we last spoke, he was updating the restaurant's menu with new entrées and side dishes.