After escaping the environs of Fenway during the eighth inning to beat the hoards, C directed us to a spot he’d heard a lot of good buzz about: Citizen’s Public House. Wherever C gets his buzz, I want some. We finagled a great outdoor table, ordered up some adult beverages and started our feast with a dozen creamy, sweet, succulent oysters of various origins. We also treated ourselves to the burratta appetizer. Have you had this treat? It’s basically fresh mozzarella with a creamy center. The plate arrived with a huge hunk of crusty baguette, paper-thin slices of funky, robust duck prosciutto (thereby fulfilling my recent duck obsession), and a little dollop of fig and pepper jam. Each of us built a tiny sandwich that would make glutton drool: bread, creamy, milky burratta, sweet, viscous fig, and salty, chewy prosciutto. I could seriously eat this every day and never get tired of it.
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They serve this with a knife the size of a cleaver so you can truly complete the caveman appeal
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The adbobo pork shoulder tacos, which C also ordered up, were dyn-o-mite. Tender, slow-cooked pork shoulder with adobo seasonings mingled with pickled red onions (one of my favorite taco toppings) and lime crema on sexy little corn tortillas. While I honestly could have used more seasoning on the pork and more lime in the crema, I loved the texture of the pork and slightly crunchy, acidic onions. The portion was really too generous to eat all of, but I did it anyway, because I couldn’t bear to leave any on the plate. And see the ample cilantro spig on top of each? I don’t know why cilantro is one of those ingredients that instantly elevates every dish for me, but I can’t get enough of its grassy brightness.
For me, the fried livers were less successful. I don’t know if they were a bit overcooked or what, but the salty creaminess that I love about livers was here replaced by a minerally flavor and grainy texture. They did have nice crunch, and the mustardy dipping sauce helped a bit, but I did not eat most of the plate – skip these if you visit Citizen.
Melinda sampled a monster burger which she loved, while BLD went for the tuna burger. I loved the slaw on this, and the buttery brioche bun, but the soy-mustard glaze was a little weak for me. BLD loved it, though. Melinda’s burger was tender and juicy to the extreme – I don’t remember the last time I saw a burger that thick. And the fries alongside were done right – hand-cut, crispy exterior and puffy, light as air interior. Delicious.
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Self-assembly required tuna burger |
Once the guys devolved to debating the relative quarterbacking strengths of the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants, Melinda and resorted to taking pictures of ourselves and plotting our partying-hard-without-passing-out strategy for the Buffett concert the following day. But whatever your poison, Citizen provides a great post-Fenway stop for your Boston itinerary. I'd give it a solid seven on the BHS scale. And if chance finds you searching for a breakfast refuge in much more bucolic Norwood, Mass, as it did us on Sunday morning before heading for home, do drop in at the Mug ‘N Muffin to try the Irish benedict, which ditches wimpy Canadian bacon and embraces New England staple corned beef hash with its hollandaise, poached eggs and English muffins. This diner is no frills, but lavishes you with coffee refills, and serves corned beef hash up right, griddled with crispy bits and supreme savoriness.
Hope you had a fun Fourth, Big Hungries! I’m off to Hilton Head, SC, for a girls’ vacation with college buddies next week, so I won’t be posting. I WILL be eating at Chef Robert Irvine’s Eat! Restaurant however, so look forward to that recap when I return. Meantime, enjoy the heat, try not to stroke out, and for God’s sake, eat something delicious. My hunger is big; my personality is bigger!


That Irish benedict looks FABULOUS! I am a huge corned beef hash fan.
ReplyDeleteI'm also into ordering two appetizers recently.
I can't wait to hear about Irvine's restaurant. I love him.