Where Citron used to be and before that, Brewed Awakenings used to be, we can now enjoy Luxe Burger Bar. Luxe is the latest creation from the Chow Fun Food Group who also operate Chinese Laundry, Rick’s Roadhouse, Cafe Noir, and other local establishments and ran Citron at this location prior.

Word around town was that Citron was not doing so well, I had enjoyed eating there in the past, but for whatever reason, it was totally off my Providence dining radar (maybe that says as much or more about adjacent Waterplace Park as it does about Citron). So Chow Fun closed down Citron for a few weeks (I noticed it was closed a couple weeks ago and meant to mention as much here), did a minimal renovation, and re-birthed Citron as Luxe Burger Bar. Citron already having a quite nice interior, Chow Fun was smart not to gut the place. Having been to Citron before I can still see it peaking through into Luxe, but they did just enough to change it (though they need to nix the orange and yellow umbrellas outside and see about getting some red and black ones, or just some new ones).

Luxe is a burger bar, it is all about the burger. You can build your own burger with a checklist at the table, or order one of their menu burgers. Other items include a nice selection of affordable appetizers, specialty sandwiches, “make your own” mac & cheese (which I will be trying on my next visit), an assortment of salads, and “haute” dogs. To wash down your meal, they feature hard shakes (the s’mores, burnt marshmallow, Bailey’s, Godiva chocolate liqueur, graham crackers, and vanilla ice cream, looked tempting, but I opted for a 22oz. UFO Hefeweizen), signature cocktails, wines by the glass or bottle, and a nice selection of beers both on draft and by the bottle.

I opted to make my own burger. You can choose your meat, I went with the house “Gold Label Beef,” but you can also choose from Kobe beef, chicken breast, ahi tuna filet, veggie falafel, or lean turkey. I chose my selections of cheese toppings, sauce, and bun and decided to go with sweet potato fries straight up. You can choose to “pimp” your fries as well with various toppings such as chili or cheese sauce.

My burger was served without undue wait just as ordered.

The staff was friendly and attentive without being overly so (which I hate). I found the make your own burger concept to be fun (I basically made a Trinity brewers burger, those who know me well would expect no less).

For dessert I had the teenie tiny chocolate mouse for $1.99. Really, my arm had to be twisted hard on that one.

The Teenie Tiny Chocolate Mousse, photo by Jef Nickerson

Their menu appears to not be online yet, but they do offer daily specials. Tomorrow (Wednesday) may be a good day to check them out as it is Buy One Get One special night.

My dining partner has already declared this his new favorite restaurant in Providence. Burgers, 22oz. beers, and dessert for two came to $35.03 before tip.