[Photos: R. Lopez]
Paul Ruppert's Petworth Citizen & Reading Room officially opens tomorrow night, after hosting preview nights this week at a 10 percent discount as they fine tune service. Though Petworth Citizen is described as a neighborhood bar, Chef Makoto Hamamura, formerly of CityZen, applies classical technique for a more sophisticated execution of bar food.
Those who attended his menu preview at Hogo will recognize some of the items. There are a variety of burgers: beef, chorizo and chicken sausage, served on soft, buttery brioche. Or go for a house made corned beef brisket sandwich, barbecue beet sandwich with goat cheese mousse on a pretzel bun, or falafel. For those looking for something smaller, there's a selection of snacks including hush puppies, crostini, potato fishcake fritters, and fried chicken wings marinated in soy, ginger and garlic with homemade duck sauce.
The bar program is led by Kristi Green, formerly of Firefly. There will be a daily punch available by the glass, a menu of classic cocktails, and a selection of signature cocktails with Asian spirits and flavors like Midori, plum wine, sake and sesame & ginger simple syrup. Beer drinkers can choose from three craft beers and a cider on tap, and a mix of craft, macro and ciders by the can and bottle. Meanwhile, oenophiles will find three reds, three whites, and two sparkling wines by the glass.
The interiors were designed by Nick Pimentel, and the back of the bar is an original fixture of the building. The Reading Room is still under construction, and will serve as a library and space for literary events and meetings. Work is also underway for another restaurant across the street at 828 Upshur St. NW with French-Japanese cuisine from Chef Hamamura, which they are aiming to open in the winter.
—Jamie Liu
· All Previous Petworth Citizen Coverage [-EDC-]
