The story of tonight's dinner exemplifies why I love the internet.
Four years ago I was working for a public relations agency in Waltham, MA. I had a co-worker at the time who I really liked, but she left the agency after about three months after I started working there. Though we were connected on Facebook, we didn't really stay in close touch.
About six months ago this same co-worker joined Twitter and starting following me. She began responding to my tweets, reading my blog posts and sending me ideas for restaurants she thought I might like.
A few weeks ago she recommended I try Citizen Public House near Fenway Park and I replied to say, "I have been wanting to go there! Do you want to come with me?" So after nearly four years without seeing each other, we reconnected and met up tonight for dinner! Oh, internet, how I love thee!
We agreed to meet at 6:30pm and at about 6:25pm I parked my car at the Fenway movie theater and walked over to Boylston Street. I wasn't sure exactly where the restaurant was and just as I was passing my junk food mecca, Tasty Burger, I realized Citizen Public House is right across the street! It is also literally steps form Fenway Park. That's a prime piece of real estate.
Even from the outside I could tell the restaurant was warm and cozy. It has an illuminated sign over the entrance and chalkboards with the whiskey flight and oysters specials in the entry way.
We were seated right away at a quiet table for two against the back wall. The tables are all lined up against a light brown, leather banquet.
In the front corner of the dining room there is a round booth with a view of Fenway. This is the star table.
There is also a working fireplace in the corner of the dining room that really gives it a retreat-like feel.
Though there are candles on each table, Citizen Public House definitely suffers from a severe case of mood lighting. In fact, if you are looking to take someone on a romantic date, I'd put this at the top of your list. Excellent date lighting.
We were greeted within seconds by a very friendly, young waiter. In addition to the regular menu, we asked to see their two speciality menus - the vegetarian and the gluten free. My dinner date eats gluten free, so I was very curious what her options would be. She informed me she had been to the restaurant a few times before and they were always very accommodating.
While we looked over the menus we were delivered a basket of bread. The bread was very crusty and came with herb butter. The crust was a bit too tough for my liking, but the center of the bread was doughy and quite good. I stopped after one piece.
When unrolling my napkin, I noticed the unique silverware pattern.
For drinks my friend ordered a glass of red wine and I ordered the St. Germain cocktail. The drink was refreshing and tasted like summer. Always nice on a freezing, cold night.
The drink menu had a section called "Ups and Downs" and labels which drinks are uppers and which are downers. Hilarious!
We each ordered an appetizer. I went with the tofu nuggets. Maybe I am spoiled by all the Morningstar Farm buffalo bites and faux chicken nuggets I eat, but these didn't have a crunchy enough batter and weren't firm enough on the inside. They felt a little undercooked. The best part of the dish was the red honey dipping sauce. It was super spicy and I loved it!
My friend ordered the sunchoke and arugula salad which was served with pink grapefruit. It was a beautifully presented dish and tasted quite good. She was kind enough to share with me and I felt it needed a bit more dressing or perhaps even a sprinkle of cheese.
For dinner I ordered the egg and cheese sandwich. Our waiter warned me it was small, but it turned out to be just a few bites worth! This sandwich was outstanding! The roll was buttery, the cheese was ooey gooey and the egg was cooked perfectly. When I bit into the sandwich the yoke began to drip, which is the best! If this had been served with a side of french fries, it would have been the ultimate plate.
My friend ordered the cod which came over a mushroom and cauliflower risotto and a celeriac puree. She said the fish was cooked and seasoned perfectly and it had just the right amount of crisp on the outside. She loved the flavor and texture of the risotto and she found the celeriac puree flavorful and creamy, even though it's not made with any cream.
She loved the dish so much she literally licked the plate clean. Photographic evidence:
We ordered the one house dessert available, the toffee bread pudding with whipped cream. I'm not normally a bread pudding fan, but as soon as this dish hit the table I could smell the warm toffee and I just wanted to gobble it up!
It tasted like banana bread with caramel sauce. While the whipped cream was nice, I would have preferred vanilla ice cream. Our waiter told us he is lobbying for the chef to add a cheesecake to the menu and that they are also discussing investing in an ice cream maker. Here's hoping!
Before leaving I used the ladies room which had a hilarious sign above it.
Inside, the bathroom had fun black and white wallpaper, a red framed mirror and a chic, silver light fixture. Giving Lolita's bathroom a run for the money!
I really enjoyed Citizen Public House for a number of reasons: proximity to Fenway Park, a warm and cozy atmosphere, friendly staff, the St. Germain cocktail (I could have had at least three of four!) and that incredible egg sandwich! I am going to dream about that egg sandwich.
I also learned that Citizen Public House is owned by the same people who own Tasty Burger and Franklin Cafe! Who knew?
Have you been to Citizen Public House? What was your favorite menu item?
