Citizen Cafe *** 3/5 stars

Not gonna lie...I woke up this morning feeling pretty rough. Yesterday's festivities, including but not limited to house cleaning, art sledding, northeast meat raffle crawling and Scrabble wars somehow lead to extreme overindulgence. But I still managed to drag myself out of the house and down the street to the charming Citizen Cafe. This is how you know I'm dedicated to my brunch or now more specifically to this blog.



So I've been wanting to hit the Citizen for a while now. I've driven by so many times and have been drawn to its strikingly printed awnings that boldly state "cafe for the people." But, good design also makes me suspicious. A lot of the best breakfast places are divey diners with ripped up booths that reek of bleach and grease and old cigarette smoke. Gross, really, but somehow that makes the experience more "authentic." This adorable building with its well-designed awnings, and craftsman style exterior could very well house sub-par cooking and dry ambiance.



Step inside. The design on the inside is just as good as out and the atmosphere is warm and inviting. Not very big, but not too crowded either. We had to wait a couple minutes for a table. During that time my hangover was progressively getting worse. I was afraid I might have to bolt...




As a graphic nerd, I am totally in love with their logo and their menus. Bold, simple, colorful, and easy to read. The fresh yogurt smoothie of the day was triple berry, which sounded perfect and tasted amazing. I slammed it down. I was starting to come around.



The citizen seems to be famous for their hashes. But they've got pretty much anything you would desire for breakfast. I chose the veggie hash, B chose the frittata.



Wise Acre should talk to the Citizen's chef about how to make a good hash. Really flavorful and the roasted veggies were cooked perfectly. Bonus points for including beets. The fried egg on top was salty and delicious. I'm feeling revived.
B said the frittata was frittasty. Okay, he didn't exactly say that, but he did enjoy it. They also brought us a small plate of breakfast bread - fresh scone and a berry nut bread with maple butter. Yum!



We noticed a couple that looked like they were on a brunch date. This place is pretty romantic (not overtly so) but it's cozy and intimate and just makes you feel warm and happy. I'd recommend it for a date spot or a great place to bring your parents when they're in town. I can't wait to try out their dinner menu. Major brunch love for the Citizen Cafe.