Introducing: The Citizen, an unusually sophisticated sports bar in Brant House’s former digs
Name: The Citizen
Neighbourhood: King West
Contact Info: 522 King St. W., 416-703-2800, thecitizento.com, @thecitizen_to
Owners: An anonymous cabal of investors
Chef: Amanda Walti, previously chef de cuisine at Origin on King Street
The Food: The menu breaks down into gussied-up bar snacks—jalapeño croquettes with tarragon-ranch sauce, for instance—and fancified pub dishes, like a compressed cube of smoked mac ‘n’ cheese topped with quarter-inch-thick slabs of seared pork belly.
The Drinks: Signature cocktails with 1930s-inspired names. The Penicillin, for example, contains two varieties of Scotch, plus ginger, honey and lemon. (It may actually be potent enough to kill a cold.)
The Place: A library bar for sports enthusiasts. Designer-of-the-moment Ian Rydberg outfitted the space with weathered leather couches and a miscellany of vintage sports paraphernalia (bowling pins, skates, badminton rackets). At the flick of a switch, retractable screens descend from the ceiling to divide the space, allowing for private functions.
The Numbers: • 4,500 square feet • $350 for the most expensive decorative sports tchotchke: a pair of weathered hockey gloves • 100-plus items of vintage memorabilia, including polo, cricket and golf clubs • $95 for the most expensive thing on the menu: a 32-ounce rib eye • 40 floating beams salvaged from the Distillery • 32 tufted leather bar stools • 12 street lamps • 8 TVs mounted above the bar • 3 retractable screens stamped with vintage photographs • 2.5 months to renovate the space, previously occupied by Brant House
Caroline Aksich, a National Magazine Award recipient, is an ex-Montrealer who writes about Toronto’s ever-evolving food scene, real estate and culture for Toronto Life, Fodor’s, Designlines, Canadian Business, Glory Media and Post City. Her work ranges from features on octopus-hunting in the Adriatic to celebrity profiles.
