Citizen Cafe

2403 E 38th Street

Minneapolis, MN 55406

(612) 729-1122

www.citizen-cafe.com

The Citizen Café was a pleasant surprise. Going in, everything about the place seemed simply ordinary, from the neighborhood—a few blocks west of Hiawatha on 38th Street—to the building, which was, let’s be honest, so ordinary as to be almost ugly. What we’d been hearing about the Citizen Café was similarly ordinary: positive, but nothing out-of-this-world. In fact, thinking back, I can’t even remember why we wanted to go so badly. But we did, and I’m glad we did.

The dining room was nice enough to alter expectations right after we walked in. Small, but inviting, dimly lit and designed with the arts-and-crafts style that seems to be such a fixture of so many restaurants.

We were a bit early that night, so we had our pick of any table we wanted. We took a seat by a window and looked at our menus. The first thing Sarah noticed was the design: a really interesting revolutionary-themed logo at the top (Citizen Café, get it?), and the dishes and descriptions laid out below in a really interesting and pleasing way, slightly skewed on the page. I, meanwhile, noted the number of dishes (just enough to give the impression of variety, not so many as to paralyze with an excess of choices) and the prices (much lower than I thought they’d be).

We went against tradition ordering drinks, Sarah getting a beer and I getting a glass of wine, rather than the other way around as usual. For an appetizer, we decided to give their paté a try. It, along with a basket of bread, came out very quickly. The paté was good enough, spiced up a bit by the addition of capers and a really hot mustard. The breads, meanwhile, were nothing amazing, although they did come with some interesting spreads.

Sarah ordered a Citizen Joe a kind of sloppy-joe type sandwich that came in a puff pastry. She let me try some of it, and if we ever go back (we probably will), that’s what I’m getting next time. It sounds so simple, but something in the combination of tangy seasoned meat with a buttery puff pastry is just amazing. The homemade potato chips on the side were also really good.

I, meanwhile, ordered the three-day pork roast, which sounds kind of gross when you first hear it (three days of what?). The menus described the process thus: “Day 1: Roast, Day 2: Braise, Day 3: Rest.” Whatever the process, it was good, just lightly seasoned and so soft that it fell apart in my mouth. It came with garlic mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables, the perfect combination for a late winter night.

We were too full for dessert, so we simply asked for the check, which was relatively small given the amount of food we’d just consumed. In the middle of a recession, restaurants that deliver good food in a nice atmosphere at a low price are to be treasured—oh, and did I mention that everything is locally sourced?

Andrew and Sarah’s Verdict: A-. Some of the reviews have been lukewarm, but don’t listen. Citizen Café is a good place to go for good, honest, no-frills cooking in a laid-back atmosphere.