Introducing: The Citizen, an unusually sophisticated sports bar in Brant House’s former digs

Introducing: The Citizen, an unusually sophisticated sports bar in Brant House’s former digs

Introducing: The Citizen

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 snacksjalapeño croquettes with tarragon-ranch sauce, for instanceand 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