District

No wonder this place closed down. The interior décor and candlelight may have seemed enticing for a date, but the menu was way overpriced for the portions served up. Good riddance.

District, a Hollywood bistro and oyster bar, reminds me of the mainstays of New York City’s neighborhood dining scene, so I was surprised it wasn’t brimming with people on a recent Saturday night.
And in fact, in some ways I thought it was an improvement on the New York City model. The staff is genuinely warm, and the prices are fair, all $ 3-​$ 4 less than you’d see in Manhattan. The fried chicken appetizer is as good as it sounds and the Spam sliders are better than they sound; both make good entrees after an appetizer. The oyster selection is impressive and very fresh. Order cookies and milk for dessert, and the cookies arrive still warm and gooey from the oven. Their house Cabernet Sauvignon is big and juicy and delicious, and they offer a fun pairing of a pint of Guinness and a shot of Powers whiskey. The lighting and music are just right, and the pace is perfect for long overdue catch-​up with friends.
That said, stick to the script and try to be forgiving. The staff might recommend the crispy duck, but I can’t, especially after the anticipation of waiting a couple extra minutes for my small portion after seeing the rest of the table’s meals arrive and getting (surprise) an anise flavor in the slaw. The chili cheese fries might look tempting, and the venison is predictably lean and flavorful, but the steak fries lack seasoning independently of the sauce, and the starchiness is overwhelming. The Nutella bread pudding is a big question mark for me. Two half-​brick sized orders arrived with their pan edges slightly burnt, sitting in a frothy, salty butter bath. The caramel was another salty element, and the delicious hazelnut flavor of Nutella was completely lost.
Still, the atmosphere is very likable, and I half-​expected the late dinner rush at any moment, with New Yorkers cabbing in from the Financial District and Midtown and slurping oysters in every direction.

review of the drinks & service at the bar only…
we asked questions about the drink menu & the bartender couldn’t really answer any of them. rather than tracking down the real answers he BS’ed. the martini he mixed for my friend was barely chilled & the bartender spilled a couple ounces as he was setting it down on the bar.
overall i suppose the place met our needs in that we were just looking for a spot to pull up a couple barstools, have a drink & catch up, but the inadequate level of product knowledge & poor service at the bar were a bit distracting/​disappointing.

I really wish I could give this place a better review because I love the owner’s other restaurants (Delancey, Mission Cantina, Mercantile…) and was really looking forward to the experience. I’ll admit I’ve only been here one time, but I was disappointed nonetheless.
The interior is lovely and has a very classic feel to it. It’s my favorite thing about the restaurant. The fact that they have no draft beers is a major letdown though. I understand District is more of a cocktail place, but I can’t see a reason for any restaurant that serves beer to not offer a draft option.
We ordered the pretzel bites right off the bat because we had walked there and were famished by the time we arrived. It took nearly 45 minutes to get the pretzel bites. Unless they were mixing and proofing the dough while we waiting, I see no reason for it to take that long to get a simple appetizer. That said, the dish was delicious if not a bit small for the price.
I ordered the venison relleno and it was unbelievably greasy. The idea behind the dish was excellent, but the execution was all wrong. We were so disappointed in the meal so far — especially when we thought about the price — that we couldn’t bring ourselves to order dinner. We had been there nearly two hours already and couldn’t see waiting longer for a mediocre, slightly overpriced meal.
It seems harsh, but this place wanted to do what Wood & Vine has done much better.

Came here on a whim and thoroughly enjoyed myself! There’s a very classic vibe and feel to the place. Definitely a spot I’d love to come back to. Began the course with their Pretzel Bites. They came out hot and fresh since they are made to order. The maple mustard dipping sauce was better than I thought it would have been. It was a great combo and starter.
Their Roasted Kabocha Squash is great! Super light and had a nice bite to it. Also had their Caramelized Brussel Sprouts which were amazing, especially if you do enjoy brussel sprouts. The Crispy Pork Belly was a major winner. After the first bite, I devoured it.
The atmosphere is great, and so is the vibe. The service was fantastic. Our server was on top of everything.

Honestly, one of my favorite places to eat. I’ve been here a few times and each time it has been very consistent and very good.
The menu is always changing and every thing that I have ever eaten there has been very good to outstanding! The food is a little slow coming out of the kitchen, but that is one of the joys of taking your time with a wonderful bottle of wine. We usually order in phases there any how – an appetizer or two to start with, then another, then another as we figure out what we has a taste for as the wine is sipped. Eventually we may split an entrée just snacking along as we go. Yes, the dinner takes a couple hours and YES it is meant to be slowly savored.
I do adore the flavors here and sure it may be pretentious and if it is then slap me up side the face with ostentation as often as possible. The flavors are that good.
Last time we were there we ate half of the appetizers that they offered that day (maybe 6 different «small» plates – try the duck fat Yorkshire pudding – to die!), a large plate to share, a bottle of a really wonderful malbec $ 45, another couple of fancy drinks, beers and dessert too for around $ 150. It was so good we just kept eating and eating. Gluttony embraced in the most decadent way.
I love the atmosphere, I love the food and I love the wine.

We had a great time at the District on 2.13. Great service. Casual but nice environment, fried black eyed peas were a-​maZing. Will go back!

My opinion:
The pasta sauce had too much butter and cream.
The Fish sandwich was drowned in sauce.
The brocollini were drenched in butter.
The $ 27 bottle of wine was just on the good side of passable.
All in all — it seems like the kind of place that doesn’t really have any particular flair or talent for cuisine, so they drench everything in butter. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing — the stuff does taste pretty good. Just know what you’re getting into.

A relaxing space, District is lavished in rich tones of wood and some metal accents. It’s the type of place you want to drink a good beer with dinner and enjoy friends’ company.
We sat up at the bar and planned on trying a few items off the menu with our drinks. District does some very interesting takes on oyster shooters (The Mexican: Mezcal, tabasco, lime, cilantro) and offers a few fresh oyster catches. While our bartender wasn’t too knowledgable about the food (where do these oysters come from, how is the octopus?) the food was delicious. Here is our order:
The Mexican Oyster Shooter —
Complex flavors, which at moments I felt were a bit too bright, but a really delicious finish. The heat at the end along with the briny aftertaste were like a cinco de mayo party on the beach.
Octopus —
Served with roasted fingerling potatoes, green olives, and a burnt garlic sauce. The garlic sauce was black in color, and sweet. I’m a bit torn on the octopus, because it was very tender and the garlic sauce was the predominant flavor. The issue is it didn’t taste all that much like octopus. Most people would prefer this, but when I order octopus I want to taste octopus.
Venison Relleno —
Incredible! The pepper was cooked perfectly, and complimented the tasty venison ragu quite well. For those who haven’t had venison, it is a bit gamier than beef, but very delicious. The chili peppers brought perfect heat to this rich and spicy dish.
Bottom Line: Great place to stop in with friends for a drink and a bite.

Cool space, nice bartenders, good drinks… not a lot of people in there. Both times I’ve come to District it’s been totally dead. I actually don’t mind that because I prefer to sit at the bar anyway but it did feel a bit odd when I was one of four customers in there.
I’ve only had the drinks and can’t comment on the food but I liked the cocktails. I don’t remember the specific ones I’ve had but they were all great and everyone I was with liked theirs as well. Even though it was a well-​crafted drink, I did think it was about $ 2 more than it should’ve been. Honestly, I’d come here more often if that was the case. The interior is old-​school with tin ceilings, big bar, outdoor patio, and what looks like a good food menu.
I hope that, in the future, they would consider a happy hour or some kind of drink deal because I’d come here a lot more…

I love that I came here on a rainy Sunday evening because I think it makes the experience ten times more cozy and memorable. The lovely woman at the front with an accent also made me feel like I was in an old Dick Tracy comic. We saddled up to the bar and since we had been drinking wine before, we couldn’t mix it with their specialty cocktails, yet they sounded like something the weather doctor ordered. Instead we opted for some delicious beers and contemplated doing the oyster thing but also decided that it might not sit well given our earlier culinary adventures. The bartender was friendly and young so it made for quite the entertaining conversation.
My vision and clarity were clearly impaired by this whole experience because I mistakenly used the men’s restroom instead of the women’s. Ooopsie. Teehee. Luckily the place was empty and the bartender just chuckled at my foolishness. I think this is a mistake people make often, but he assured me it was the first. I love leaving my mark, so I will take it!

Have you ever met someone who was so pretty that right off the bat you just wanted to like them? But then, after they start talking and their personality begins to show they get uglier and uglier and you can’t figure out why you’re spending another minute talking to them?
THAT was my experience at District last night.
My wife and I were en route to Umami Burger on Cahuenga when we passed by District and it seemed like a nice, happening place, what with the enormous patio outside, so we decided to try something new in a formerly desolate section of Hollywood. Upon walking up to the place, we realized that there are actually two separate restaurants side-​by-​side. One (District) is more upscale and the other is a bit more casual. My wife likes fine dining and the place looked cool, so I figured let’s stick with District. But I did feel like the «enormous» patio, which is actually two separate patios (one for each restaurant) was kind of like a bait-​and-​switch.
Let’s start with the décor/​ambience: the place is reminiscent of a classic NY-​style subway station. Soaring ceilings, exposed metal beams, white tiles on the walls, metal gates on the booths, wood bar, candles, very dimly-​lit. It doesn’t feel like an LA restaurant at all, and I absolutely LOVED the look of the place (the mini-​tunnel you walk through to get to the restrooms was simply the coolest). The patio area is, frankly, barren by comparison, but it’s outdoor-​dining, how much can you really do? If we were judging this place just on the look and feel, it’d be a five-​star place.
The hostess, Sidelle, was very pleasant and accomodating, allowing us to peruse the menu to decide if we wanted to eat there with no pressure at all. She, too, didn’t look like your typical Hollywood-​hostess, so plusses for that and kudos to her for her pleasant demeanor and non-​attitude.
The menu: this place seems to be the kind of place that «foodies» would like. The menu appears to change daily (it was dated) and it has a selection that I’m not used to seeing too often: Octopus with fingerlings, Venison Relleno, Spanish Blood Sausage, Braised Beef Tendon, Frisee Salad, Pork Shank and Cheesy Grits with pork belly, corn and bacon drippings were among the selections. That’s cool if those kind of dishes are your sort of thing, and I get that it is for some people, but it would be kind of nice to have a few recognizable dishes for people who aren’t quite so discerning or adventurous.
Price Range is $ 8-​$ 15 for the small dishes, $ 18-​$ 28 for the large dishes and $ 8-​$ 11 for the desserts. So, keep in mind that dinner for two with drinks and desserts will probably run you in the $ 125-​$ 150 range. I’m not opposed to spending that kind of money for a fine dining experience, but understand that now my expectations are raised as well.
Our server, Kelly, was super-nice…when she was around. By my count, she only stopped by our table once to ask about drinks, a second time to take our order, a third time to briefly ask if everything was okay and a fourth time to ask if we wanted dessert/​give us the check. But that’s over an 80 minute dinner. She had a great attitude, but for the price, I really thought the level of service could have been better. Drinks took 10 minutes to arrive, there were long stretches of time where no one really seemed to care whether we were there or not. And it’s kind of annoying to have to pay for bread, especially since your dishes won’t come out for like 40 minutes.
I have severe nut allergies and literally half the menu had nuts of some sort on the dishes, so i played it safe and ordered the Bistro Steak with chard, duck fat potatoes and jus ($ 24). My wife had the Duck Breast with Oatmeal, apples and Pearl Onions ($ 22). The steak portions were good, but as I informed Kelly, I was kind of disappointed. It tasted pretty bland. Honestly, I’ve had tastier steaks at Norm’s (really, I mean that) and that bothered me, considering the price and the fact that it took a good 40 minutes to arrive at our table. To be fair, the Duck Breast dish was well done, but even the taste of that dish got old after a few bites. Ultimately, you’re going to a restaurant for food, right? How can you truly enjoy a place if you’re not satisfied with what you’re eating and you’re somewhat annoyed that you spent a decent amount of money only to be unsatisfied?
The crowd was mostly young, 20’s professionals, but a few tables of people in their 50’s, which was nice to see.
Bottom line: the décor is truly beautiful, but the more time you spend at District, the uglier the place gets.
Note: apparently bottles of wine are half-​off on Sundays, so if wine is your thing (and they did have quite the selection), then maybe that’s the day you want to come here.

I’m still steaming after a horrible dinning experience here last night.
I’ll start by saying the food was very good. However, the cuisine was completely negated by terrible service. No joke, it took us an hour and a half to be served. Our waiter rarely came by to check on us an refill drinks. Our cocktails were mostly disgusting (note: avoid their honey and gin mixed drink — toxic). We never send back a drink and there were six cocktails for our party of five that went back to the bar.
For me, the corker was when my girlfriend told the waiter we were there for my birthday dinner and he responded right in front of me «we don’t care that it’s your birthday.» Stunning. Why would you ever say that to anyone, let alone a paying customer? — I don’t care to come back to District, ever.

This place is like an upscale restaurant’s ugly step child — you assume it’s upscale because they price their menu high and use words like «confit» or «agnolotti», but once you sit down and get the taste of it, you realize it’s all a crock of shit to get you to pay premium dollars for a mediocre meal.
Went there for dinner the other day. They charged $ 6 for some tap water in a bottle, which we weren’t aware of. $ 3 for some bread that most restaurant, even at Spagos would give it to you for free. Then I asked for a gray goose martini, to my surprise, they don’t carry it, they only carry «boutique» liquor… Whatever that means. So my drink came, without ANY olives, in a small martini glass, and tasted like it’s Popov brand… (strong taste, not smooth) and guess how much it was? $ 13!!! Not happy.
Here’s what we had, food wise:
Amuse-​bouche: Scallop cerviche — a tiny bay scallop came in a small plate, it would’ve been ok if they didn’t add corn in the mix… cheapens it in my opinion…
Jalopeno Chedder Biscuits — $ 3 bread that should’ve been given for free. It’s also kind of dry, feels like it’s a dough boy biscuit you can get from the grocery store, but in a smaller scale.
Steamed Mussels — some are fishy, some are ok. Don’t think the batch they used was too fresh.
Shrimp — came in soaked in oil and herbs (like a pesto), with a piece of bread soaked in it too. The oil and the spices over powered the taste of the shrimp. Shrimp has head on it, when I broke it open, some kind of brown stuff came pouring out… not sure if it’s the brain, but I did not want to eat it.
some kind of corn Agnolotti — I guess they got a big batch of corn on sale that day, every dish used corn. This is actually pretty good, the best dish out of all of them.
the bill came out to be 87 dollars and some change, not worth it in my opinion, we didn’t even get entrees, just 3 small plates.
It’s pretty safe to say that I will not be returning to this place.

–The stars are for the beautiful space and location (Sunset)
–the popovers ($ 4) were so small you needed a microscope to see them in the dim interior
–most of the apps (6) were good (not great)-love the corn agnolottis with pea shoots, hazelnuts, lime brown butter although some were cooked perfectly, some were underdone
–the entrees were basic (did they have a first year culinary student create them?)
–the peach clafouti was the hottest course by far, but not liking the aged vinegar cream sauce on top
–the server was attentive and well educated on the menu– A+

Don’t get excited about having a modern restaurant/​bar within Arclight walking distance. I will tell you, they’ve been open 3 weeks, wait another 3 months for them to get a system down!
Menus: Not enough on hand for a table of four, or for the restaurant for that matter.
Drinks: Specialty artisinal cocktails that take 45 minutes to crank out, and that is not counting your wait time to order. One glass of wine came within 10 minutes of ordering, another 15 minutes after the cocktails.
Food: BLD, Lazy Ox, Vinoteque offer the same thing, small plates, ambiance, AND great service.
Service: Nice accommodating staff, understood our quandry, comp’d the deserts, but hey, if 2 large parties with reservations show up 30 – 45 minutes late, that is not my fault, first come first serve, I want to be out before them, that just tells me they are concerned with the $$$ that the 10 person table is shelling out than the $$ the 4 person table is.
Ambiance: Candles, massive mahogony bar, stools, unfished wood tables, nice, but not really worth the wait.
Let’s be realistic, if the service will take time, then keep the drinks flowing, at least, then you wont notice that it takes an 1hr.30mins for the first small plate to arrive, otherwise the conversation turns to the service and the experience.
With about 15 tables and a wait staff of 3, I’d wait unitl this place cuts their teeth on few more patrons, if this persists after 3 – 6 months of business, take your Benjamin Franklin’s somewhere else to look hip.

It’s fairly poorly lit inside and furnished in a dark brown tone. Apparently they shipped the 100-​year old mahogany bar from Europe. District has the feel of an old New York bar and even reminds me a little of sister bar the Bowery. I like the high ceilings which makes the place very lofty.
Here’s what we got:
Amuse bouche of ceviche
1) Duck fat Yorkshire pudding with thyme
These were absolutely delicious. These little popovers were airy and buttery with a spongy consistency
2) Home made dinner rolls with a choice of truffle butter or garlic chive butter
You could tell the bread was baked in-​house; it was fresh and soft. The truffle butter was aromatic. Some reviewers complained that you had to pay for the bread. I get where they are coming from but after tasting this, I wouldn’t hesitate to shell out the $ 3 for it.
3) Squash blossoms with mushrooms, oxacan cheese and spicy pepita sauce
Just like tempura vegetables. The batter was light and wasn’t oily
4) Bone marrow pierogies with potato, onion and green sauce
The marrow was well seasoned and was buttery and fatty
5) Corn agnolotti with lime brown butter sauce, English peas, hazelnuts and scallions
A++ loved the butter sauce and sweet corn
6) Soft shell crab open faced sandwich with tomato bacon jam, frisee, deep fried pickles and ranch
Not very good. The crab did not seem like soft shell at all! The shell didn’t crumble when you bit into it.
7) toffee napolean with caramel parfait, chocolate and sesame
I thought the food at District was pretty good, specifically the starters. The crab sandwich unfortunately did not do it for me. I loved the ambiance. Unfortunately, the service was lacking. There were only another party in the whole restaurant, yet it took them over 10 minutes before anyone came over to take our drink orders. Then it took an additional 10 for them to make the sangria. Water which I asked for never arrived.

I came here with a friend last week and we had dinner. When we walked in for our 8:30 PM reservation the restaurant was only 25% full, if that. I LOVE the décor, my chair was too high for my table though. I could barely touch the ground so it felt like I was sitting in a bar stool (which I dislike).
I ordered oysters, which were a-​ok. Then I had the Shrimp & Grits, which I was expecting more from. It was just, ok.
BUT I also ordered the cheesy rice agnolotti and that was AMAZING.
I would pay the $ 38 I spent on my entire meal, JUST for the agnolotti.
Also, they were out of the yellowtail when I got there, which pretty much irked me seeing as how the restaurant was fairly empty. :(I’d come back JUST for the agnolotti and to try the yellowtail.
The wines were overpriced, especially since they’re the sister restaurant to The Mercantile and the wines there are way more reasonable.

Came in with a lady friend for a couple of beers or maybe a bottle of wine if anything looked good.
Overall design of the place is really nice. These guys know how to do that well (same owners at Bowery, Delancey, Mission Cantina)…
However, these guys are outta their mind with the wine list. WAY overpriced, and nothing recognizable. Which is usually kinda cool, as I like to try new things, but I’ll pass on the $ 96 bottle of Lebanese red.
The selection of wines by the glass was super-​tiny, so you almost HAVE to pick out one of their random pricey bottles.
The beer selection is small too — a small bottle of La Chouffe is $ 11. REALLY?
We didn’t stay long enough to eat, but we had a look at the menu — one word — WEIRD.
I don’t get this place. With all of the owner’s other spots here in town, you know what you’re getting. this place is just an expensive hodge-​podge.
Skip it.

Deeelicious new restaurant near the Arclight/​CNN building. I think they’ve only been open about 10 days.
Here’s a look at my meal…
— Started with 3 things:
house made rolls with truffle butter… perfectly executed white dinner rolls. just-​out-​of-​the-​oven fresh. recommended.
the pork belly with apricot mostarda, farrow verde, green garlic and almonds… very good, the flavor of the belly with the apricot was a knockout.
cheesy rice agnolotti with crispy arugula, hazelnuts and porcini mushrooms… holy crap. this was sort of like little rice ravioli… the crispy arugula changed my life forever. remarkable.
— The entrees:
Hanger steak with braised peas, fondant potatoes (braised in duck fat), thyme jus — fantastic. the potatoes were gorgeous golden lumps of melty, fatty, buttery, potato-​y heaven. and the steak was terrific, too.
Turbot with asparagus, pea greens in a green garlic sauce — this was served bone-​in (which wasn’t a problem to deal with) and was very nice.
— Dessert
Black forrest soufflé with amarena cherries — takes 25 minutes and worth EVERY minute. finding the cherries hidden at the bottom was like winning the lottery. my dining partner and I fought over every one of ‘em.
The service was great — the restaurant wasn’t that busy (like I said, they just opened) and only about 6 tables were taken at 10p on a Sunday night. (or maybe nobody goes to nice restaurants late on «school nights,» lol)
Trevor was our server and he was great, totally on the ball and attentive to low water glasses, dropped silverware and that sort of thing, plus he knew the menu well… sometimes he was assisted by a really charming woman named Danni. (I think maybe he was training her, or vice-​versa. They both seemed to know the menu and the service was great, so maybe they were just both serving my table since it wasn’t so busy.)
I have absolutely no idea how to describe the décor. European, maybe Parisian? Dark woods with lots of lacquer. I don’t know the style but it was very warm and inviting. I tried to take some pictures with my iPhone and put them here on the Unilocal review– see what you think. (Hopefully someone with a better camera will get some better pictures up there!)
Full bar, and I only glanced at the wine list but it looked fairly complete and with a lot of choices for price.
Oh, and after dinner? Walk a couple doors west to the crazy-​ass (Scientology-​owned-​and-​operated) Anti-​Psychiatry Museum. You’ll laugh so hard you’ll burn off all the calories you consumed at the restaurant. ;-)