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
265598 <strong>The Citizen</strong> takes over the old <strong>Brant House</strong> space at 522 King West (Image: Caroline Aksich) Introducing: The Citizen Introducing: The Citizen https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-14-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-14.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-14.jpg 667 1000 [] https://torontolife.com/food/the-citizen-toronto-restaurants/slide/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-14/ the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-14 0 0
(Image: Caroline Aksich)
265589 Designer <strong>Ian Rydberg</strong> turned the space into a library-slash-sports-bar with weathered leather couches, a huge central bar and lots of TVs for watching the game (Image: Caroline Aksich) Introducing: The Citizen Introducing: The Citizen https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-05-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-05.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-05.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/the-citizen-toronto-restaurants/slide/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-05/ the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-05 0 0
(Image: Caroline Aksich)
265590 (Image: Caroline Aksich) Introducing: The Citizen Introducing: The Citizen https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-06-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-06.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-06.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/the-citizen-toronto-restaurants/slide/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-06/ the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-06 0 0
(Image: Caroline Aksich)
265585 The 4,500-square-foot space can seat almost 200. Retractable screens section off different areas for private events (Image: Caroline Aksich) Introducing: The Citizen Introducing: The Citizen https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-01-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-01.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-01.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/the-citizen-toronto-restaurants/slide/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-01/ the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-01 0 0
(Image: Caroline Aksich)
265600 (Image: Caroline Aksich) Introducing: The Citizen Introducing: The Citizen https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-16-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-16.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-16.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/the-citizen-toronto-restaurants/slide/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-16/ the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-16 0 0
(Image: Caroline Aksich)
265587 (Image: Caroline Aksich) Introducing: The Citizen Introducing: The Citizen https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-03-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-03.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-03.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/the-citizen-toronto-restaurants/slide/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-03/ the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-03 0 0
(Image: Caroline Aksich)
265588 (Image: Caroline Aksich) Introducing: The Citizen Introducing: The Citizen https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-04-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-04.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-04.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/the-citizen-toronto-restaurants/slide/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-04/ the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-04 0 0
(Image: Caroline Aksich)
265586 Shelves and walls are adorned with vintage sports memorabilia, like old skates and badminton rackets (Image: Caroline Aksich) Introducing: The Citizen Introducing: The Citizen https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-02-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-02.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-02.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/the-citizen-toronto-restaurants/slide/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-02/ the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-02 0 0
(Image: Caroline Aksich)
265599 (Image: Caroline Aksich) Introducing: The Citizen Introducing: The Citizen https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-15-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-15.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-15.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/the-citizen-toronto-restaurants/slide/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-15/ the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-15 0 0
(Image: Caroline Aksich)
265591 Jalapeño-popper croquettes, served with tarragon-ranch sauce for dipping ($8) (Image: Caroline Aksich) Introducing: The Citizen Introducing: The Citizen https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-07-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-07.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-07.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/the-citizen-toronto-restaurants/slide/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-07/ the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-07 0 0
(Image: Caroline Aksich)
265592 Smoked mac ‘n’ cheese is compressed into a cube and topped with slabs of pork belly ($18) (Image: Caroline Aksich) Introducing: The Citizen Introducing: The Citizen https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-08-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-08.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-08.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/the-citizen-toronto-restaurants/slide/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-08/ the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-08 0 0
(Image: Caroline Aksich)
265593 An eight-ounce burger (half chuck, half brisket), topped with aged cheddar and charred-scallion mayo ($16) (Image: Caroline Aksich) Introducing: The Citizen Introducing: The Citizen https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-09-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-09.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-09.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/the-citizen-toronto-restaurants/slide/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-09/ the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-09 0 0
(Image: Caroline Aksich)
265594 Deep-fried chicken livers and thighs, served with sweet potato mash, coleslaw and a chive buttermilk biscuit ($20). Walti brines the chicken for 12 hours before marinating it in buttermilk, dredging it in cornmeal and tossing it in the deep fryer (Image: Caroline Aksich) Introducing: The Citizen Introducing: The Citizen https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-10-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-10.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-10.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/the-citizen-toronto-restaurants/slide/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-10/ the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-10 0 0
(Image: Caroline Aksich)
265601 Black truffle and mushroom poutine, topped with goat cheese and fried leeks ($14) (Image: Caroline Aksich) Introducing: The Citizen Introducing: The Citizen https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-17-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-17.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-17.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/the-citizen-toronto-restaurants/slide/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-17/ the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-17 0 0
(Image: Caroline Aksich)
265602 (Image: Caroline Aksich) Introducing: The Citizen Introducing: The Citizen https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-18-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-18.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-18.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/the-citizen-toronto-restaurants/slide/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-18/ the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-18 0 0
(Image: Caroline Aksich)
265595 Lemon brûlée tart with pistachio meringue ($6) (Image: Caroline Aksich) Introducing: The Citizen Introducing: The Citizen https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-11-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-11.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-11.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/the-citizen-toronto-restaurants/slide/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-11/ the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-11 0 0
(Image: Caroline Aksich)
265596 The W.H Carrick: gin, Aperol, blood-orange syrup and lemon ($10) (Image: Caroline Aksich) Introducing: The Citizen Introducing: The Citizen https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-12-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-12.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-12.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/the-citizen-toronto-restaurants/slide/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-12/ the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-12 0 0
(Image: Caroline Aksich)
265597 Chef <strong>Amanda Walti</strong> with her kitchen staff (Image: Caroline Aksich) Introducing: The Citizen Introducing: The Citizen https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-13-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-13.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-13.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/the-citizen-toronto-restaurants/slide/the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-13/ the-citizen-toronto-restaurant-13 0 0
(Image: Caroline Aksich)