Distrito

[Carlson1105]

Went to Friend's and Family last night at Jose Garces' new small plate Mexican place at 40th & Chestnut. The food was amazing. We tried a total of 12 things including dessert, and each thing we tried was delicious. The place is really cool, with a wall with 600 mexican wrestling masks going up the stairs. The decor is very pink, with a custom VW convertible in the window as a booth. Open kitchen upstairs with huge rattan chairs that seat 2 in the booths. I was blown away by how good the food and service was, being the 1st night serving the public. I would get over there right away for by far the best Mexican food around.

[andanand]

I know I'm not a friend or family, but I feel entitled to an invitation to the opening of Distrito. I've been woken up every day for the past 6 months or so by the construction on the restaurant going on below me. I hope it's worth the wait.

[etalanian]

My daughter is coming home from college this weekend, and she wants us to take her to a great Mexican. But she wants Tres Leches for dessert. Does Distrito include Tres Leches on their mene?

Thanks,

Eileen

[Carlson1105]

We had probably the best Tres Leches we ever had there. Topped with meringue, mango and passion fruit.

[KatieLoeb]

Wow. All I can say is WOW! The food and drinks here are amazing. It's a humongous space that was mercifully not too crowded when Philadining and I checked it out. It has the potential to be a bit like a stadium during a World Cup Soccer match. Drinks are creative and interesting and the food, OMG the food! It's almost too elegant for the atmosphere, but in a good way. Beautifully composed plates with incredibly complex layers of flavor. Authentic flavors, taken to a new level. There ain't no dumbing down going on here, that's for sure. Service was incredibly pleasant, cheerful and informative as well. You can tell the staff enjoys working there.

I'll wait for the food porn photo spread and comment more then, but for now, get thee over to Distrito. Jose Garces and Chef de Cuisine Tim Spinner have a real winner on their hands.

[philadining]

I have to say that I was really surprised by Distrito. I'd been following all the PR, and had developed an impression of the place that it turns out was wrong on several levels. I like the food at Amada and Tinto, and enjoyed El Vez when Jose Garces was chef there, so I was pretty sure the food would be good, but I was getting very confused about what the overall focus and feel of Distrito would be.

I'm still perplexed.

As mentioned above, the massive space is VERY PINK!!! It's got an open, fun, casual feel, with movie-marquee-style signs over the downstairs bar and upstairs kitchen, a wall of luchador masks along the stairway, rattan booths, some swinging seats, other chairs seem a bit like patio furniture. Overall it looks and feels a bit like a beach party.

To be blunt, I don't like the look. But that's just me, I'm sure that most people will like it, and the lighthearted vibe will almost certainly appeal to the 8 bazillion college students nearby, and surely many others. But it just strikes me as a little too silly, and a bit cold and empty-feeling.

Imagine my surprise when the food turns out to be extremely elegant and refined, tiny jewel-like constructions of delicate flavors and complex textures. Everything we tried was absolutely delicious, often surprising, and very meticulously composed.

On one hand, this should be no surprise, given the level of polish seen on the dishes at Amada and Tinto. Those places are a good analogy for Distrito: there was some grumbling about how the casual, informal tradition of tapas may have been buffed to too high a gloss at those places, resulting in expensive, overly polite versions of the originals. But beyond that conceptual argument about what tapas should be, there was (general) agreement that the food was very well-executed and quite delicious.

The same thing happens at Distrito. The concept is "small plates" and indeed the portions are surprisingly diminutive. But within those compact proportions are some pretty amazing flavors, and extremely artful constructions. I'm leaning toward the position that the portions are exactly right, that these particular versions of dishes should be experienced in measured, intense doses, rather than in massive bowl-fulls. Just don't be surprised when your order of Pork Belly with Mole Verde arrives in a 4-inch Staub mini cocotte, four bite-sized pieces of meltingly tender pork over rice, a dollop of green sauce. It's delicious, but not what one would expect at a Oaxacan restaurant, or quite what I was expecting in this party-like atmosphere.

So if one can get past the cognitive dissonance presented by what's on the plate and the atmosphere in which it's being served, there's some pretty impressive food to be had.

I had the good fortune of dining with Katie Loeb, who knew some of the staff from her days working at Amada, so we benefitted from a little special attention, and a couple of complimentary dishes. The first of those was a revelation, it didn't sound all that interesting from the menu description, but after a few bites, we were telling our waiter that they should make this a mandatory item: just put it on the table without asking, nobody will ever complain.

Jicama Salad

It's somehow sweet and savory at once, crunchy and juicy, refreshing and intriguing. Seriously, just get one of these and have it on the table, it'll be a nice starter, a perfect palate-cleanser, it would even be a good dessert.

The chef was also kind enough to send us a Tuna Ceviche

Pristine raw tuna, very gently touched by citrus, if at all, but nicely salted, accompanied by spicy creamy coconut, cool lime sorbet and a nice crunch from crispy micro tortillas. Very nice.

From the "Huraches" section, we ordered the Los Hongos, which featured mushrooms, huitlacoche sauce, cheese and corn shoots.

The huarache itself, a very thin, crispy flatbread, was much thinner than any I've had before, but it worked very nicely, transmitting an earthy corn flavor and nice crunch. The topping was very tasty, the creamy wild mushroom flavors lightened by the corn shoots.

Carne Kobe Tacos

This is one of those dishes that may induce portion size sticker shock: it's two tiny tacos, maybe 4 inches in diameter, with a few slices of beef on each, for $12. Yes it's luxuriously tender beef, yes it's extremely tasty, and yes, I'd order it again. But it's a bit of a surprise when they arrive, looking so... dainty! The flavors are anything but: the meat is assertively beefy, there's a tingle of horseradish, a crunch of potato straws, and a comforting smear of truffled potato.

Mole Verde with Pork Belly

As mentioned earlier, I laughed a little when this arrived, I'm used to Moles being large, deep plates of sauce, with a chicken breast island in the middle. This is obviously a whole different thing. And for what it is, it is quite satisfying. Four bites of pork belly might not seem like much, but what there is is very nicely executed. The rice is light and tender, the sauce vibrant and complex. I could use a little more sauce... I could use a little more of everything in this dish, but it's only $8, and I did enjoy it quite a lot.

Queso Fundido with Duck Barbacoa

I was a little skeptical about this one: I love queso fundido, I love duck, I never thought of them together. I must say, I thought it worked very well. Smear some of that on delicate, made-to-order tortillas, and it's a great flavor combo.

We also got some black beans and rice, also served in a tiny Staub cocotte, which were basic, but good, but didn't photograph well.

We ended with Tres Leches

This was ethereally light, no small trick for tres leches, and had a nice bright flavor from the mango on top, and nice layers of sweetness that evoked the traditional tastes of this cake, while giving it a modern spin.

I'll let Katie go into details about the drinks, but we had a few, all of which were good, and often quite interesting, with surprising elements like tomatillo, or cumin, or chile incorporated.

As I mentioned, Katie was recognized, so I'm not sure how typical of a service experience we had, but our waiter was very nice, very well-informed, and gave us good suggestions. There's a hive of worker-bees waiting to refill your water, clear your plates, or bring you another something, so overall, the service seems quite polished, especially for so early on.

So overall, I loved the food, I'm still a little mixed about the whole experience. It'll be interesting to see how it feels with a full room, maybe the decor won't bother me so much, but or right now I just wasn't digging the visual aspect of the space, while quite impressed by the visuals on the table. Plates and glasses and other serviceware are very elegant, as is the food itself.

It's not cheap. The 4 plates we ordered, and a side of beans, and dessert, with three drinks, came in at about $90. That probably would have been enough food for two, although we might have wanted another plate or two. With the two things the kitchen sent us, we were stuffed.

It's an interesting time for Mexican food in Philly. We've slowly accumulated several good basic taquerias, and the last few years have seen a few more upscale offerings as well with Xochitl, Cantina Los Caballitos, and whatever Molcajete Mixto has turned into as good examples.

The also-new Cantina Dos Segundos offers an interesting contrast to Distrito - they too are doing serious cooking, based on traditional recipes, tweaked with high-quality ingredients, but the presentations are very different. Their portions are huge, prices lower, and the overall feel is a bit more relaxed. The food there is surprisingly refined as well, I've been really impressed by a couple of recent meals, but it's presented in a more low-key way. I'm pretty thrilled to have both options.

I like the food at both places, and their approaches are different enough that I don't think I could say one is "better" than the other. I suspect I'll find myself at Dos Segundos more often, as a regular stop in the dining rotation, and reserve Distrito more for special occasions. I'm not sure that's what Garces intended, but by the middle of the meal, it was feeling a bit more like a destination restaurant, not an everyday spot to drop-in on frequently. It'll be interesting to see how others use it. I'm very curious to see what the university community of Penn and Drexel students and staff makes of it. It's got the look of a perfect party spot, but the prices and elegant presentations may dissuade some of them, this is not really a spot for nachos and beer. They do have those things on the menu, along with a few other not-so-challenging dishes, and who knows, maybe that crowd will embrace expensive tiny Kobe beef tacos.

In any case, it's a good time to be in Philly if one is interested in Mexican food...

Edited July 24, 2008 by philadining (log)

[andanand]

It'll be interesting to see how others use it.  I'm very curious to see what the university community of Penn and Drexel students and staff makes of it.

←

As one of those Penn students, I actually really liked it. I had a few disappointments (the corn esquitos were really heavy on the mayo and light on the chipotle much to my chagrin, the scallops were mushy and the grapefruit somehow tasteless in the alambres de callos), the food was actually extremely good. I loved the sangrita sorbet that came with the hamachi ceviche, adding a nice spice element to the dish, I loved the absolutely melt-in-your-mouth carnitas tacos, and the bacon marmalade with the bone marrow? Well I could eat a bowl of that for dinner most days. I also found it cheaper than I expected compared to what I paid at Tinto and Amada. Two of us got out stuffed for about $50. I donno about the decór, it's ridiculously hokey, but at restaurants my focus is generally on the plate in front of me.

On my must-try-next-time list: Kobe, veal cheek, and tongue tacos and the duck and the pork belly moles.

[brescd01]

I had a slightly different take on this place, and I have to concede I am no connoisseur of Mexican food. I thought the food was very good though never great. Well, the octopus ceviche was pretty wonderful. I think Mexican is one of those earthy cuisines that loses something to preciousness.

I was surprised at the service, I really expected it to be a lot more attitude-inal given the pedigree of the place, but the servers, waiters, and hosts were never anything but warm and sincere.

I do have one complaint though: the chairs were uncomfortable enough that I had to sit next to my wife on the bench (rather than across from her) because I got sore.

[mattohara]

Jicama Salad

It's somehow sweet and savory at once, crunchy and juicy, refreshing and intriguing.  Seriously, just get one of these and have it on the table, it'll be a nice starter, a perfect palate-cleanser,  it would even be a good dessert.

This does sound perfect. Reminds me of how surprised I was by the chopped salad at Horizons.

It's an interesting time for Mexican food in Philly. We've slowly accumulated several good basic taquerias, and the last few years have seen a few more upscale offerings as well with Xochitl, Cantina Los Caballitos, and whatever Molcajete Mixto has turned into as good examples. 

I believe the Xochitl people are taking it over in the next couple of weeks and renaming it Paxia.

In any case, it's a good time to be in Philly if one is interested in Mexican food...

←

Thanks for this great review, philadining. This is now on my list!

Edited August 11, 2008 by mattohara (log)

[KatieLoeb]

I believe the Xochitl people are taking it over in the next couple of weeks and renaming it Paxia.

I don't think it's the Xochitl "people" (who are also the Marigold and Zahav "people") but the chef there and some of his family members. The sign has already said Paxia for a couple of weeks, at least.

[Buckethead]

I believe the Xochitl people are taking it over in the next couple of weeks and renaming it Paxia.

I don't think it's the Xochitl "people" (who are also the Marigold and Zahav "people") but the chef there and some of his family members. The sign has already said Paxia for a couple of weeks, at least.

←

Paxia has been open for a month or so. I don't know anyone who's been there yet, though. I tried to check it out one day but they are closed on Tuesdays, which I wasn't expecting.

Tried Distrito recently too, the food and service were both excellent, some dishes (the bone marrow, for example) were noticeably inferior to others though. The hamachi ceviche was incredibly good, so were the carnitas tacos (though the tortillas are way too small to actually eat them like a taco). I'm not sold on the pink-on-pink interior of the place yet, but it's certainly much different than the atmosphere at Amada or Tinto. I'll have to try that jicama salad next time..

[lights19]

Hubby and I went to Distrito last week. I was expecting the pink decor to be much more abrasive, but the low lights and reviews thus far may have contributed to me not being that shocked. The bathroom/communal sink did throw me off a bit.

We had the jicama salad, octopus ceviche, tongue tacos, pork belly mole, bone marrow and churros, along with a number of drinks. I thoroughly enjoyed the octopus (I love all of the delicious options for octopus in the Philly area), tongue, pork belly and desserts. The drinks were enoyable as well.

Service was slightly off in that we ordered chilango huarches and didn't receive it. We initially thought it was the pacing of the meal, and then realized that it wasn't coming - and we were pretty full, so we didn't say anything to our waitress. We mentioned it when the check came and the huarches were there. I'm excited to explore the rest of the menu.

[Tim Dolan]

Went here last night with two friends. This place ROCKED. Everything that came out seemed very carefully prepared, and there was not one item that was less than good.

Between three of us we got an order of skirt steak nachos, the hamachi ceviche, all 3 huraches, the kobe tacos, the queso fundido, the bone marrow, and an order of churros for dessert. Also polished off a pitcher of margaritas and a few other drinks. We were STUFFED by the end.

For me, the highlights were the kobe tacos (which now come 3 to an order instead of two), the ceviche, and two of the huraches, one with short rib and one with chorizo, serrano ham and peppers. And it might seem pedestrian, but we all agreed that we would've been perfectly fine just continuously ordering the steak nachos and drinking all night. All of the other items were very good, but the ones I just mentioned were just awesome.

The thing about this place that appealed to me is that most of the food seemed relatively simple to prepare, but at the same time there was a lot of care taken to make sure that it wasn't just thrown together. That goes a long way. Service was great, we had a nice, friendly waitress and people were always stopping by to give us fresh plates and fill our water.

I do have one question, however, and this has everything to do with my inexperience as opposed to how something was prepared (and is a different topic altogether). I think I was expecting something different with the bone marrow. I have never had bone marrow, and I made it a New Year's resolution to try it (also did this with uni, both now taken care of). From what I read and have seen pictures of, I guess I was expecting something along the lines of a spreadable meat-like substance, like a meaty cream cheese (just bear with me). Instead, this version was an almost clear, gelatinous substance. I thought it didn't have much discernable taste. Again, this has everything to do with me being completely unfamiliar with it. It wasn't bad, just not what I expected and didn't take away from anything else in the slightest.

After all that food, the bill came to about $73 pp after tax and tip, including alcohol. Everyone agreed it was totally worth it. I'm definitely excited to give Chifa a shot, as our waitress said that they were getting a ton of positive feedback about the place. She didn't seem like she was posturing either, even though some people here have had a mixed experience on the other thread. And even if it's bad, at least I know I'll have this place to fall back on.

[mrbigjas]

I do have one question, however, and this has everything to do with my inexperience as opposed to how something was prepared (and is a different topic altogether).  I think I was expecting something different with the bone marrow.  I have never had bone marrow, and I made it a New Year's resolution to try it (also did this with uni, both now taken care of). From what I read and have seen pictures of, I guess I was expecting something along the lines of a spreadable meat-like substance, like a meaty cream cheese (just bear with me).  Instead, this version was an almost clear, gelatinous substance. I thought it didn't have much discernable taste.  Again, this has everything to do with me being completely unfamiliar with it.  It wasn't bad, just not what I expected and didn't take away from anything else in the slightest. 

no, you're right, that's basically what it is. if you roast it longer than they did it gets slightly beefier tasting, but yeah, that's pretty much it.