Elite Introduction to Citizen Public House

It was my DH’s and my first Unilocal Elite event. We had a GREAT time! I am shy in group settings but we made a table full of fast friends.
Atmosphere was GREAT. Very pretty, bar in the middle of the room, comfortable seating, etc. Their waitstaff did not seem frazzled by knowing the room was filled with 100 «reviews to be written» or more.
The food just kept coming and coming — it was a great, great experience. ESPECIALLY coming from someone who hates Scottsdale.
Our take on the food/​beverages:
My husband LOVED their specialty tequila (Mar Azul) — he was torn between the coffee and banana flavors. He also enjoyed their bottled beer selection.
I drank a DELICIOUS sangria that I forgot to stir. Let’s just say my last few sips were quite enlivening. :)
Their adapted lamb burger (into meatballs): I think my husband ate 6 or more. I hope saying that doesn’t get us kicked out of the next Unilocal Elite event, but I didn’t eat any! (As I said, the food just kept coming!) They were his fav and I am sure he will be biting into a lamb burger there soon.
My favorite was the DESSERT! We got to dip banana? bread into caramel and it was delicious. I think my eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store when it came to the table. NOW we’re talking!
Other samplings included a bisque, a sweet potato chicken purée taste, their AMAZING Rosemary roasted nuts, and their bacon fat popcorn. I am sure I am forgetting something but you get the gist:
Go have, fun, eat, imbibe!

Richie Moe. That’s all I have to say.
I mean I could talk about the food — hummus was good, tzatziki was better. Really liked the bisque. Loved the chicken with risotto. Avoided the bread pudding (I’m not a fan of the stuff, even w/​fondue) and sweet potatoes (again, not a fan) but tried the pork on its own and it was good. So was the lamb meatball. Bar was quite good.
I could also talk about the space, which I loved. It had a great vibe. It was open and bright yet still warm.
But I won’t.
Because the reason that this place will be a hit is Richie Moe. This is a man who clearly feels passion for what he does and he shares it, enthusiastically, with anyone who comes within a ten food radius. Fellow Unilocaler Shannon M and I decided to check out his much hyped mixology toward the end of the evening. We were both glad we did. He asked each of us questions about what kind of things we liked. When he asked me what I wanted I just told him «nothing sweet, but something flavorful and wonderful. Surprise me!» Did he ever. He gave me a martini, which I usually don’t like, and it was amazing. It had a pear flavor that was light yet very flavorful and he used his «for special guests only» sour mix that included raw egg white. Yeah, you read that right. Sounds less than «flavorful and wonderful» but it was exactly that. When I asked about the sour mix he told me that sours such as whiskey sour were originally made with egg white and that the recipe he used was the oldest he could find.
Now as someone with singular interest — in my case the written word — I understand this devotion to the unique art of one’s work. The desire to take what you do to the next level and create new art out of the old. That is clearly what Richie brings to the bar at Citizen’s Public House.
It was a great event and the service was wonderful. I went home with a hat (shared) as ½ of the best costumed couple. That was a hoot!
Oh, and having a «whatever you want from the bar is fine» attitude about the drink tickets always makes for a better event.

Another fine Unilocal Event …
Great food is to be had here folks, this place is perfect for hanging out and meeting with friends. The outdoor patio is where the magic happens. I can’t wait for those warm Arizona nights to come so I can enjoy dining in their patio area. But in the meantime I will dine in side where it is equally as beautiful and inviting. I had the Grilled flat bread with hummus and tzatziki; the bread was nice and soft on the inside and warm and crusty from the grill perfect for the tasty hummus and tzatziki for a starter and then tried The Original Chopped salad which was scrumptious with the lovely smoked salmon flavoring each bite. With a well appointed bar right in the middle of the place this is going to make the perfect after the game Spring Training dining spot. Go and be Good Citizen’s check out Citizen Public House.

I think I’m going to create a 5-​star template to use for 99% of the Elite events. Great food, great staff, great company, great time. I’ve truthfully only been to one disappointing event, through no fault of Unilocal!
What a great intro to CPH! My favorite app was the pork shoulder, although I seemed to consume quite a bit of that addictive bacon fat popcorn. Ooh, and that bread pudding. I normally don’t even like bread pudding! Bartenders were fantastic, although I have a bone to pick with the one that served my husband five Makers Manhattans without clearing it with me. No wonder he gave me his drink tickets. I should knock a star off for that.
So thanks Lindsey, Unilocal and CPH for opening your doors to us. I’m looking forward to dinner there soon!

OYE Introduction to Citizen Public House, you had me at «Hello»…or really, you had me at «Free Guinness.»
Citizen Public House seems like a really cool gastro-​pub, and I’d like to return soon and explore more of the menu. I don’t think the appetizers told the real story of CPH though, because much of what was served wasn’t on the menu. However, it was all very high quality — it appears the head chef takes a lot of pride in what he serves. I especially liked the Parsnip Bisque, the Toasted Nuts, and the Bread Pudding Fondue.
The staff on duty were fantastic — very friendly and helpful. And, as always, it was very cool to see my fellow Unilocalers again. The vibe was a little mellower than some of the other OYEs I’ve been to, but it was also pleasant & relaxing. Perhaps everyone was saving their energy for the big Ultimate Science shindig coming up. As usual, I enjoyed myself; it was a great time out. Big thanks to Citizen Public House, Gabi, & Lindsey!

This event was indeed a well-​executed «Introduction» to Citizen Public House. And as usual, Lindsey and the rest of the Unilocal crew put together another fantastic event!
I must say that the staff at CPH is oh so friendly and accommodating, and I could tell that they all really enjoy what they do. It’s refreshing to meet restaurant owners and staff that are so upbeat, sociable and enjoyable to talk to. Plus, they knew everything about the food that they were serving. A knowledgeable sever always make the difference between a so so restaurant and a fantastic one. Overall, I was very impressed with the CPH customer service. Thank you all!
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to try everything, as it seemed like I was being offered the same menu item over and over again. However I did get to try the fondue dessert, and it was amazing! This Unilocal event sparked my interest in this place, and I really want to come back and give the actual dinner food a try. I also enjoyed two glasses of wine, and I have to thank the bartender as he was very generous. I love a huge glass of wine! No wimpy or stingy pours here! I would especially like to come back and sit at the bar to try some of those award-​winning mixologist cocktails! That sounds amazing.
This place is new, and I’m sure they are still settling into their location/​identity but I have to admit that I’m very confused by the décor of CPH. When I think of an «upscale tavern» atmosphere, I don’t think of white walls or ugly light brown chairs. Also, I think they need to dim the interior of the restaurant just a little bit to really give themselves a tavern-​ish vibe. I also think that they need to nix the white table cloths, maybe a darkish red would work better? The walls around the restaurant are also peculiar to me. I think the interior would give off a better vibe if they painted one of the walls a darker color and put some more picture frames on the wall. The frames just looked awkward and strangely spaced. And I promise this is my last comment on what «I think» about the interior… get rid of the fake plant. Fake foliage really doesn’t work in any type of tavern.
Aside from my interior decorator comments, (I can’t help it, I just want to help!) I’m super excited to try this place out again because it has so much potential. And with a staff as customer service oriented as theirs, I know this place is going to be a hit! Thanks again to Lindsey, Unilocal and all of the fabulous CPH individuals that put this event together. You guys are awesome!
P. S. My Great Dane puppy would like to thank Unilocal for the sparkly bouncy ball that I snagged off of one of the tables, he’s been playing with it all morning. Also, at the last event I was able to pick up a couple of Unilocal fake tattoos… and of course I put those to good use! I mean who doesn’t love a good fake tattoo. I have to hand it to Unilocal,I just love all of the small quirks! It’s the little things that make Unilocal events unlike any other. It is oh so fun to be elite =)

Another superb event.
While I did not try everything on the tasting menu that evening (missed out on the Chicken and the fondue dessert that I can recall) I can say my favorites were the Popcorn, Meatball and the parsnip soup (tip a few bits of popcorn with the soup was quite tasty).
Before we left they brought out a brittle (Tracy Dempsey?) and I brought out a napkin to take a few pieces home for later. Some tables around us had the little fondue pots but we didn’t see one on our table before we left.
The staff was friendly and quite accommodating. The ambiance was mellow without pretense. [Could be all the cool Unilocalers.]
Great event! Great intro to CPH.

woot enjoyed my first OYE as actual Unilocal Elite, and CPH was an awesome debut for a former «+1» anywho, thank you to Lindsey for hosting an awesome OYE and the CPH for showcasing what makes their establishment a good place to come back to.
The cocktails of their mixologist were delicious, Gabi did mention that their mixologist was good and I must say I enjoyed a delicious Sangria, as well as a very creative tequila-​colada. Both were fruity and will be yummy delights when summer rolls in, I just loved the Sangria since it was so visually appealing that I knew at first sight that I had to order one.
As for the bites that I got to enjoy with my plus one, we both enjoyed the chicken breast with the spinach risotto, it was yum and I really liked their brittle mainly because I do love granola, lol. The bread pudding with the butterscotch or was it banana pudding fondue (?) was a delight in terms of presentation and taste. I can imagine stopping by in the near future for a Sangria or a creative cocktail concoction and enjoying the bread pudding dessert.
Overall it was a good experience, got to meet other awesome Unilocalers, and CPH has won another fan. hasta in the future CPH!

This was a great event. Let me break it down for you:
The good:
1. The service– The entire staff was fantastic, they were very helpful and did an excellent job of introducing the food they were serving.
2. The Venue– I am excited about this place, it has potential. I love the indoor/​outdoor patio and the modern yet rustic vibe.
3. The food– What I could try (being a vegetarian) was pretty tasty. The pita bread served with fresh Tzatziki and pickled cucumbers were superb! The parsnip bisque was hearty and delicious, and the rosemary nuts were addicting (I was tempted to dump them in my purse on the way out ;-).
4. Event Management– After the initial wait to get in, the event ran very smoothly. There was no wait for drinks, the tables were kept clean, and the food kept coming. I would definitely consider this a venue for a future event.
The «Not so» good:
1. The wait– The check in process was a little absurd. It took about 25 minutes to get in, I wasn’t feeling so «Elite».
2. The dessert– I was so excited about the fondue, but it was sweet. The bread pudding tasted more like banana bread (but I ate 3 pieces though so I guess it wasn’t too bad!) The «brittle» was just okay; it was a little chewy and reminded me more of a granola bar. Where was the chocolate?
All said and done, we had a really nice time. The «little taste» of Citizen Public was enough for Hottie and I to want to come back to check out the full menu. Plus, if they can maintain that level of service, people will come back… we are dying for some good food AND good service in Old Town!

I ate so many lamb meatballs it was shameful.
The other bites were pretty tasty too. I stayed away from the tequila (although it looked mighty good) more so for everyone else’s sake and not my own.
Great drinks from the bar. The best. Hands down.
I may not have had the day off, but this event made my day.
Thank you Bernie, Richie, Andrew and staff for allowing us into your house! I had a blast!

Almond infused tequila… if you didn’t get to try it let it sink in, remember it & I promise that when you taste it you will LOVE it :) I had a bad tequila experience in my early 20’s that I’m still not quite over, so I normally stay away from anything that contains it. I was lured back in by the promise of 5 shots of different flavors all for my 1 little ol’ drink ticket. This is probably how my bad experience started all those years ago, lol, but this time I was older, wiser & I had no designated driver: D But I digress! I got to taste the following flavors: Almond (my all time favorite!!), pomegranate (which tasted a bit like the NyQuil I was living off of a few weeks back), banana (much too much for my taste buds), coffee (a pretty good caramel coffee taste, but strong) & coconut (a REALLY strong sweet taste).
The food was also very good. I loved the Grilled flatbread with hummus and tzatziki, the salad with corn (I forgot the name of it, lol) & the little lamb meatballs were to die for. The bread pudding fondue was also yummy.
I think what pushed this event/​restaurant to 5 stars most definitely was the service. In one word, impeccable. Everyone, from the servers to the bar staff were just awesome. They did their job & went above & beyond to make sure we had everything we wanted. They accomplished that while being both professional & approachable. Not always an easy task, lol.
All in all, great experience. Can’t wait to go back! :)

What a really nice event!
The chopped salad and the lamb balls with tzatziki sauce were my favorites.
Well, OK, the Kiltlfter (s) were my favorites.
Thanks Lindsey!

I think it was the way Gabi explained the drink tickets… I believe she said something about amazing or incredible mixologist drinks and, so, my 2 drink tickets were put to good use! I did not get to sample the beers or the tequila but I had two fantastic cocktails! The first was a vodka martini with pear and ginger flavors, served with a stick of rock candy to stir into the drink if it wasn’t sweet enough. I liked it just the way it was! The second was quite possibly the best Manhattan I’ve had in town. Y.U.M. Citizen Public House is definitely on my radar for a cocktail happy hour!
In addition to that, the food samples were enjoyable. In particular, I thought the meats were cooked perfectly! While I heard a lot of people raving about the lamb meatballs, the pork and chicken were the real stars for me.
Thanks to everyone involved for a nice evening! To quote Ah-​Nold, «I’ll be back!»

What do the Secret Service, a Political Dissident, an Award-​Winning Mixologist and Bouncing Unilocal Balls all have in common? The Elite event at Citizen Public House!
This event was a great five-​star introduction to the CPH menu and staff. To be truthful, they really had me at the Tenderbelly Bacon Fat Heirloom Popcorn, but I digress…
In addition to beer and tequila samples, we were treated to the work of the bar’s Masterful Mixologist. After learning I liked bourbon, he prepared a beautiful elixir including egg white sweet and sour — amazing!
Of course no Unilocal event would be complete without food, and CPH really took excellent care of us. We were greeted by plates of the previously mentioned popcorn, grilled flatbread with hummus and tzatziki as well as two types of chopped salads. The friendly staff circulated with samples of other menu items including a parsnip purée, pork shoulder, roasted chicken breast, and lamb meatballs. If that weren’t enough, dessert included plates of bread pudding and warm fondue. I wanted to grab one and run off with it, but that would have been just rude. ;)
I was so impressed by the staff at Citizen Public House — everyone was very professional, welcoming and knowledgeable about the menu. I am looking forward to returning very soon, especially to try the Gorgonzola-​Emmental mac-​n-​cheese…

Thanks Lindsey for setting up another great event!!!
I thought Citizen did a great part in hosting us Unilocal Elites as well.
They planned a great tasting menu and had tons of options to wash down the food with.
My fav’s were:
Lamb meatball with cucumber
Tender Belly bacon fat popcorn (bacon flavored popcorn so yummy)
Berkshire pork shoulder with sweet potato purée
Pecan bread pudding with prailine fondue
Hand Crafted Sangria (several came inquiring what my drink was)
I will for sure be back to try out this place for dinner service as their menu looked great.

Maybe it was my table (shout out to Linda, Tina, Amanda and Andrew) but our service, food and drinks were all pretty great.
This was the first elite event for some, and I think it was a great choice because I’m never usually trying the new fare in Old Town. CPH has Lagunitas IPA on draught, and this should be noted. It’s one of the better IPAs that I’ve had — full of flavor and each sip is crisp. That being said, again, it’s on draught. Some of the food was great, some of it was okay, but it kept coming, and I know some Unilocalers start getting pissy when the food well dries up. That didn’t happen one bit at CPH; the food kept coming until the stroke of 8pm. Speaking of food, the popcorn w/​bacon was surprisingly fantastic, and so was the flat bread and tzatziki and the brioche w/​fondue. I was expecting that this event was going to be quite the cocktail occasion, but those gems stood out in the food category.
I had a great time and got the chance to meet/​welcome a few new Unilocal Elites. I couldn’t be too much happier with the way the two hours of Unilocal mayhem that ensued at CPH. Here’s me looking forward to the next time I’m in the neighborhood and craving a good beer. I know a pretty solid place to go, and I’m looking forward to the Unilocal Science Fair coming up next week. Here tipsy Nader comes, Body Worlds! Here I come!
PS: Thanks, Citizen Public House, Lindsey, Gabi and Unilocal PHX!

Another smashing event hosted by our great organizers, Lindsey and the Unilocal crew. Poor Gabi had to manage the check-​in table by herself. She did an amazing job. I love the question on the bingo ice breaker. Lindsey, you’re so creative. Congrats to Audrey and Jim for winning the best dressed couple! We all received two tickets for drinks. I had ordered the Four Peaks Hefeweizen and a Sangria. You can never go wrong beers with Four Peaks. The Sangria wasn’t too fruity, which was perfect. As for the food, they were so yum, yum, especially the bacon popcorn and bread fondue. I am already craving for more bacon popcorn as I’m writing this review. Citizen Public House is located in Old Town Scottsdale. I will definitely be back for more drinks and food. An excellent place for late night hangout! It was wonderful chatting with the Elite Unilocalers and meeting new ones too.

I would once again like to thank Lindsey for setting up another event. While I had a pretty good time catching up with some friends I haven’t seen since the Holiday Event in December, I have to be honest, this was first Elite event that I left feeling a little disappointed.
The food was pretty good at Citizen Public House. Nothing I had blew me away, but I’ll definitely head back sometime to give its full menu a try. I may have been happier if I had had the opportunity to actually try everything that was being served. The problem is Citizen Public House decided to have its servers bring food around. They also were only given the same items at the same time. I was also told by people who arrived before me, that some things were sitting on the tables waiting when Unilocalers arrived. My girlfriend and I were a little late, and had to wait in line to get in, so we ended up missing out on nearly half the food that was served.
My advice to the owners of Citizen Public House is that if they ever host an event like this again, think of it as a cocktail hour at a wedding. Give each server a different item, or set up serving stations. That way people can have what they want in the order they chose.
I did try the pork shoulder which was wonderful. Well cooked, and the sweet potato served with it is amazing. The lamb meatball was fantastic. The chicken was alright. The piece of breast itself was great but the cor risotto onion and mushrooms didn’t impress me. The bread pudding and fondue bourbon sauce was a big disappointment.
I would have loved to have tried the flat bread with hummus and either of the salads, but none of those came around. Maybe the table we were seated was in a bad spot. Perhaps I should have asked a server if they had any more. I understand that this was a tasting, but who’d have though that when the event starts at six, things would disappear before 6:30?

As a registered voter who had the day off I really enjoyed this event, A great end to my 3 day weekend.
I really like the waiter setup, I only left my table, (which there were enough of for most people) For drinks.
A few apps were on the tables waiting for us, a great prelude to the tasting courses that followed.
Many items are similar to those found at Cowboy Caio as the chef is a ex pat from there.
The beer selection was great with many local craft brews.
I also liked the fact there were special menus for the event so we knew what we were eating and could be drinking.
Upon exit we were given a menu with a coupon a great way to remind us what we had and why to come back.
Over all a very well planed event and great new place.

I came to the Unilocal Elite event on President’s Day as a Secret Service Agent so I had a unique perspective on the whole event.
We arrived at 17:45 and I quickly secured the frontal approach, checked in with Unilocal officials Gabi and Lindsey and maintained a brief post at the main entrance.
Unilocal CO Gabi began checking documentation at 17:55. I continued to secure the main entrance through this period.
Unilocal official Lindsey began admitting the public at 18:05, with each being duly verified upon entry to the establishment.
Upon entry I was greeted with the opportunity to utilize my drink tickets.
From roughly 18:10 until 20:15 I was repeatedly presented with the following:
–flatbread with tzatziki and hummus, which I found to be tasty and enjoyable
–popcorn flavored with bacon which I also found to be good
–a parsnip bisque with toasted almond. I must admit I wish I had more of that even as I complete my report
–pork shoulder with sweet potato purée, which was indeed a savory and delicious sampling
–roasted chicken breast with risotto
–Pecan bread pudding with fondue
I admit that there were other samplings which I may not recollect.
The service was outstanding throughout the event.
Although I was on duty, I did also partake offerings from Four Peaks Brewery, but only at the urging of Unilocal officials.
It must also be noted that there was a political dissident in attendance and through some unforseen circumstances both the dissident (she claimed to be representing «Free Speech») and I were awarded a prize and proclaimed by Unilocal officials to be «Best Dressed.»
We departed the area and 20:30 hours and made rendezvous at the home operational base by 21:30 hours.