Whiskey, Wine And A Real Good Time
District Welcomes Patrons With Open Arms.
As California’s residents make the move to Texas, so too do its restaurants. District, a West Coast-based concept, opened a new location in Addison earlier this spring.
“Addison’s got a great vibe as far as what District is all about,” says chef-partner Aaron Staudenmaier. “It’s a great social place, it’s a place to gather for drinks, it’s a food hub. This specific area of Addison feels like District already.”
The Addison location is District’s first outside of the Golden State. The restaurant is a homegrown, down-to-earth concept focused on making great experiences for its guests.
“District is, at heart, a local bar that has some really good food,” Aaron says.
As guests enter the establishment, they are immediately greeted with a large horseshoe-shaped bar that serves as a gathering centerpiece for enjoying great drinks, food and interactions. From there, half the restaurant offers high-top seating while the other half harkens back to a speakeasy with comfy settees and oversized chairs. District’s dog-friendly patio is also open year-round and is surrounded by large glass doors that the restaurant keeps open whenever the weather allows.
As you slip into your seat, take a gander at the restaurant’s drink menu. Plenty of delicious options ensure every choice is the right one.
“Our cocktail list here is about 80% unique,” Aaron says. “There are a couple of [drinks] that throw back to California, but realistically, District Addison is an experience unto itself.”
The Come And Take It features Texas Ranger Whiskey, Cherry Heering, Amaro Nonino and fresh orange, and the Briar Patch showcases Ford’s Gin, Cassis Liqueur, Creme de Violette and fresh mint. For those looking for a light and fruity drink, the Pretty In Pink combines Nue Vodka, elderflower liqueur, ruby red grapefruit and fresh lime.
District also has an extensive whiskey and wine list, thanks in part to the on-staff sommelier who ensures only the best wines make it to the table.
“When you talk about great food, you talk about a great wine list,” Aaron says. “That does not necessarily mean the most expensive thing on the planet. There is a lot of food and wine out there that is really fantastic but still very approachable. And we try to make sure that we can meet our goal of being a daily hangout for a certain type of person by not going insane on the wine list.”
With a half-dozen sparkling wine varieties and dozens of white, rose and red bottles available, every bite of food comes paired with a great sip. Some of the options include SIMI Chardonnay, Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon and Daou Rose.
As for its whiskey offerings, guests can sip on a glass of Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year, Kentucky Owl Rye 11 Year and Macallan 18, among other selections.
When it comes to mealtime, District is open for both lunch and dinner, and guests can expect elevated bar food.
“The menu is approachable, although we do add a couple of adventurous little twists here and there,” Aaron says.
Instead of mozzarella sticks as an appetizer, guests can dig into crispy squash blossoms with goat cheese filling, wild arugula and Aleppo pepper agrodolce while tater tots turn into sweet potato pakoras, made with crispy chickpea batter, zucchini sweet onion and jalapeno-lime cream.
“About 50% of our menu here in Addison is a Texas creation,” Aaron says. “Being here in the heart of Texas, we needed to meatify our menu a little bit. We added some beef short ribs, steak, things like that. We also increased our seafood program just a bit, so the menus are actually fairly, significantly different.”
Those heartier meat options include dishes like Korean BBQ pork belly with a gochujang glaze, kelp kimchi and grilled scallion, and lamb meatballs made with Moroccan-spiced lamb, chermoula, tomato sauce and manchego cheese.
On the seafood side, ahi tuna poke is served with passion fruit dressing, avocado, seaweed, black furikake and crispy sushi rice while the pan-seared gulf shrimp comes complete with Spanish chorizo, smoked tomato sauce and sweet corn-creamer pea succotash.
“It’s all the traditional favorites with a fun spin on them,” Aaron says. “I think we’re doing really well.”
If you can’t get enough of District during lunch and dinner, then make plans to stop by during Saturday brunch. Alongside your mimosa or bloody mary, the concept serves up both familiar and new breakfast dishes like chicken and waffles and brunch pizzas.
“We’re just glad to be here,” Aaron says. “We enjoy making people happy.”