April 21, 2014

The District

Tucked within the up-and-coming Buena Vista neighborhood north of the Design District sits The District, a new restaurant dedicating itself to serving a blending of fresh and local ingredients through a contemporary Pan-American-influenced menu. The owners of this restaurant decided on a neighborhood historic home as the location for their venture, making it clear that they came here to help develop the area further. By combining both old and new interior decorations to furnish their restaurant, the owners have achieved an atmosphere that speaks the the evolving area while making a nod at how historically important Buena Vista is to Miami in general. Inside, leather couches adorn the dining area surrounded by walls made of bricks and wood. The effect of making a rustic look is flawlessly achieved, making you feel like you are in a southern home. Although the atmosphere is rustic, it does not detract from the fact that this is indeed a level of dining above what you would usually find in the area. Grandiose pieces of art decorate these said walls, adding a level of sophistication that surprisingly fits with the vibe the design is attempting to recreate. The outside dining area is made up of wooden communal-like tables with wooden benches being decorated with pillows similar to what you would find at grandma's house. Overall, the atmosphere is very properly exuded to the point of not seeming pretentious while maintaining a level of urbanity.

Brunch here is one of the main sellers that they seem to advertise. On my particular experience during a weekend brunch, I was allowed to sample the Chopped Salad and the Steak and Eggs. The Chopped Salad is composed of a mix of baby spinach, manchego cheese, heirloom tomatoes, radish, hearts of palm, boiled egg, and grain mustard vinaigrette. The ingredients used to create the salad were of upmost quality and only accentuated the strong flavors that came from the produce that was chosen. The bitter spinach and robust manchego cheese seemed to be too overbearing at first, but the juiciness and freshness being produced by the tomatoes and hearts of palm were refreshing. The radish provided that crunchy aspect to the salad that surprisingly paired well with the texture of the hard boiled eggs. The dressing was a great choice for the salad, as the acidity coming from the mustard cut through the strong flavors being produced by the rest of the ingredients. The Steak and Eggs yielded a satisfying dish as well, as the skirt steak was of apt size and paired with the duck eggs led to a classically decadent combination that is hard to go wrong with. The fact that the eggs came from ducks was an interesting take on a dish that can be found on most brunch dishes. Just like any good brunch destination should do, The District offers bottomless mimosas, which are expertly prepared and constantly being refilled.

Although The District does not seem like it should belong in the neighborhood, it is a welcomed addition to an area desperately looking for an upscale-scale take on Pan-American cuisine. It allows for mindless hours of people watching and encourages you to just sit down, sip on mimosas, and take it the atmosphere.