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| - We really enjoyed our meal at Citizen Public House. Our first move was to order drinks - my wife's sangria was particularly refreshing. Our first bite was the optional bread service, served with a notably good olive oil. For starters we had the much acclaimed chopped salad. I typically don't address salads much in my reviews, but this salad was one of the highlights of the meal and our trip - it was awesome for a couple reasons. First, the flavors were great. I didn't catch all the components, but the freeze-dried corn added crunch, and the protein came from smoked salmon. Second, the theater of the salad presentation and preparation was awesome. The server presented the salad with its ingredients nearly arranged in rows, and he added the awesome buttermilk dressing and tossed it at the table. The results were amazing. Our second starter was the Chia Seared Tuna, with purple sticky rice, asparagus purée, fried leaks and greens. The colors and presentation were great but the flavors were more muted. We liked it and it was fine but it was far overshadowed by the salad.
For entrees my wife had the scallops and I had the filet. The scallops were exceptional - perfectly cooked and perfectly seasoned on a puddle of creamy and buttery grits. Loved them. The filet was fine but not really exceptional. I liked it a lot and the preparation was fine but it wasn't really all that memorable. I did like it though. I really wanted the scallops but decided not to order the same entree as my wife.
For dessert we had the brownie sundae, which was good but not exceptional. The brown butter ice cream was a little icy - not offensively so, but it didn't taste like it was made same-day. The brownies were ok too.
The bartender was particularly attentive (in a good way). My brother-in-law (to be) was interested in trying a couple varieties of Scotch and the bartender came to our table and delighted in detailing his thoughts and letting him taste several options.
One more comment on Citizen Public House is that it could really be anywhere - from the menu you wouldn't know you were in the Southwest - I didn't see even a single solitary chili pepper on the menu.
Recap: chopped salad, scallops and service were all high points. Great place. Thumbs up.
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