The Case of the Missing Booze at Citizen Smith

The empty bar shelves last night

A friend walked into Citizen Smith on Cahuenga last night only to find the place Prohibition Era-dry. No booze, no bottles, no taps, nothing. No customers either, natch. Our tipster says the server kind of whispered the no-drinky situation to them either out of embarassment or desperation to keep some, any, business. A call to CS confirms: No alcohol because new owners (James Sinclair and company) are in the midst of getting the liquor license switched to the rightful party. Hmmm. We hear through the Hollywood grapevine that they received a couple heavy citations for serving alcohol without a license, which is currently suspended, over the weekend. They think it will all be booze-a-go-go by tonight, "probably even today," but that sounds like wishful thinking. We suppose there's no easy way to deal with this kind of situation: You don't want to close, but you don't want to announce you don't have booze, even wine or beer, to serve, and you can't let people bring their own when matters of this sort are pending. But, damn, this happening right after ABC7 does a story about your half-off deals at the restaurant? Timing is everything.
· Dining Deals [~ELA~]