Meet the urban and chic Citizen Beverly Hills, which we had an opportunity to review earlier this month during our luxury escape to this trendy and upscale Los Angeles neighborhood.
Ahi Tuna & Avocado
Citizen Beverly Hills – Chic & Trendy
We love the ambiance of this Beverly Hills foodie gem. Located in the heart of Beverly Hills, Citizen Beverly Hills is more like a social dining experience and their bar program draws inspiration from iconic 1960’s Americana. The menu features tiki cocktails and irreverent straightforward drinks. Oh so yum!
Inside Citizen Beverly Hills, it gets funky through its rebellious style and glamour of the 1960’s and they echo this in the music they play as well. The site is the former location of celebrity tailor Jack Taylor, and the ambiance is as great as the dishes, cocktails and service.
Although we sat inside at one of their bar-facing booths (cozy and romantic, although large enough to seat a family of four or two couples), their large open-air lounge and fire pit is a great spot to sit if you want to people watch. We love this feature of the restaurant, especially during warmer evenings.
We had to start with this scrumptious appetizer, the Ahi Tuna and Avocado concoction which they serve with fingerlime and mustard frills.
Citizen Beverly Hills chef Seth Greenburg came from L’Orangerie in Los Angeles and Cuisine Francais in Chicago, training under his mentor Michelin starred chef Gilles Epié. Greenburg also served as opening Executive Chef at the Dakota Restaurant in the Roosevelt Hotel before becoming Executive Chef at The Penthouse in Santa Monica for a number of years.
And, all of this experience shows in his culinary magic at Citizen Beverly Hills.
The watermelon salad with cucumber, heirloom tomato, chili and lime
They insisted we try the Watermelon salad, which was oh so fresh, and so…. we did! Other great appetizer call outs include the Albacore Crudo with pear, marcona almonds, green kimchi gazpacho and chili threads, as well as the Mexican street corn with mayo, chili and cotija. It has a kick to it but is incredibly scrumptious.
Below, the local halibut with sunchokes and black butter, had us at hello.
Not a halibut fan? They’ve got you covered. Opt for the salmon (pictured below) or their Brick-Pressed Chicken with brown butter, spaetzle and veggie hash or their Short Rib Stew, with heirloom baby carrots, fingerling potatoes and red wine.
The Salmon with long beans, water spinach, ginger, thai chilis and coconut broth — to die for!
If you’ve been reading my restaurant reviews for awhile now, you know that a meal isn’t complete for me without a salad. This simple but delicious Caesar was divine — there’s a little twist to it in that they add bacon, a fried egg and brioche croutons.
Their Brussels sprouts were too hard to pass up. And, they tasted as good as they present!
Order a side of their Crispy Brussels Sprouts, which they serve with Aged Balsamic and Pecorino (my favorite) cheese!
Comfort food traditionalists will appreciate that they have Mac & Cheese as a “side” on the menu as well as Hand Cut Fries with herbs and smoky aioli. We kept things light for the most part, except for the banana split decadence that the manager insisted we try at the end of our evening. OMG – it was exquisite!
While we applaud their cocktail menu as it’s one of the things that sets this great eatery apart (think watermelon fresca, serrano infused tequila, bourbon, grapefruit & lime, a Barrel Aged Manhattan, a Mai Tai made with 8 year old rum, Jungle Bird black strap rum, campari and pineapple) and the list goes on, we ended up drinking wine all night instead.
That said, please ORDER one of their cocktail delights as we regret not trying one.
We paired our fish with a White Queen Chardonnay though the Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc Voignier would also make a great choice. Their offerings by the bottle will make any wine lover happy so be sure to try Citizen Beverly Hills next time you’re in the Los Angeles area.
Also, because we stayed at the Montage Beverly Hills (which we’d recommend btw and their upscale restaurant Georgie is also a must for your Beverly Hills dining list as well), we could walk to the restaurant – yup, Citizen Beverly Hills is that centrally located.
Be sure to check out our Beverly Hills Food Guide – Citizen Beverly Hills is on it of course! A big two thumbs up from We Blog the World!
DETAILS:
Citizen Beverly Hills
184 N Canon Drive
Beverly Hills, CA
90210
The Citizen Beverly Hills website
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Note: we were hosted by the Citizen Beverly Hills restaurant but all opinions expressed are entirely our own.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
