Citizen Cake

We had dinner at Citizen Cake last evening before the symphony. Now I understand why it is difficult to get reservations. I had a soft shell crab salad and Catalan Seafood Stew. The salad was simple: one fried soft shell crab, one mound of sliced and marinated cucumbers, one mound of watercress, and a pool of aioli on a plate. The stew was more complex, a combination of shrimp, baby calimari, mussels, white beans, and pork chop in a transparent, saffron colored, stock. Fabulous! Frankly, it was superior to any bouillabaisse or cioppino that I can remember.

As you might expect from the name of the restaurant, the desert menu was stunning. The choices were:

"Strawberry Pavlova" Walnut date strudel, halva ice cream, ouzo syrup, and candied olives

"Purple Rain" Warm purple corn polenta with avocado ice cream, purple corn ice cream, and mango

"Cherry Pain Perdue" Chocolate Mayan spiced ice cream, brioche, and cocoa nib croquant

"Bananas Foster Parfait" Banana bread croutons, vanilla caramel swirl ice cream, coffee gelee, cinnamon sabayon, and saute'ed bananas

Chocolate hazelnut petite gateau, coffee ice cream, and poached apricots

Rose petal creme brulee with saffron cookies.

These were prepared by one Executive Pastry Chef and three Dessert Chefs. That may be a larger staff than prepared the main part of the meal. Taken as a whole, this restaurant is "over the top".