Line Cooks Aurora Dowell (foreground) and Chris Ward do prep work for the day at The District

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The District Pub & Eatery

The sign outside the door reads “A watering hole for foodies who like to drink. Locavores wanted.” Cutesy? Sure, but for once a promise is ringing true.

Visiting The District Pub & Eatery on a quiet Tuesday night, my boyfriend and I enter the former Red Door Bistro space expecting to find another faux gastro-pub puffed up on its own marketing. It hasn’t changed drastically from its Red Door Bistro days. The original wood booths are still intact, but the room has been dressed up. It’s now a classier saloon.

What we encounter is a knowledgeable server and great pub grub.

My only bone to pick with The District is the menu, or rather menus. Dish descriptions are splayed across five chalkboards and it makes it tough for us to get our bearings. Only after getting up to walk around and take a closer look at the features (poutine, starters and shares, mains, salads and sandwiches and burgers) do we start to get excited.

From the starter board, my boyfriend insists on beginning with the bucket of bacon ($4) — a tin pail lined with checkerboard paper and filled with crisp, house-cured and smoked bacon with a side of maple syrup. It’s greasy, salty and everything it should be. This bacon’s for sharing — no need to hoard here.

We also get a small poutine ($7.95) with aged white cheddar ($2.50). What’s interesting about the poutine menu is that there are plenty of options for toppings — caramelized onions, Spring Creek sirloin and Gruyère, to name a few. Offered in three sizes, you can get almost anything you want on it (for an additional cost). Our server tells us if you get every item on the poutine board it comes out to about $78, but will feed up to four or five people. Yowsers.

The poutine’s good. Not mind-blowing, but definitely tasty with a spiciness to the gravy and thinly cut fries.

To wash it all down, my boyfriend selects Tree Hop Head from B.C. ($7 per pint) and loves it. It’s a nice blend of floral hops flavour with a great aftertaste. I want to get a cider but the selection is limited (more options to come this fall), so I go with a glass of Cline Viognier — which is good because wine is half price this evening ($7 for an 8 oz. pour).

We also try the cold pork tenderloin medallions ($5.95), a flavourful little dish that features five chilled, spicy pork slices with cherry tomatoes, gooseberries and yellow mustard beans. With vibrant colours and fresh ingredients it’s a thankful departure from our artery-clogging starters.

For our entrees, my boyfriend has the house specialty — Broek Acres pork chop with apple jam, corn on the cob and roasted fingerlings ($19). Cooked medium, the chop is hearty and tender with a nice smoky flavour. The corn is cooked to perfection and the local potatoes are nicely roasted.

I opt for the Ewenique Farm lamb burger with sweet pepper relish and Zamorano cheese ($13.49). It’s awesome — the patty is juicy and flavourful and the pepper relish offers a good amount of heat. The Zamorano cheese is a nice addition, providing a smooth creaminess and savoury kick.

Only a couple of months in, The District has started with a bang (they even had a midnight pancake breakfast to launch the restaurant). And while I think it’s admirable that they’re encouraging diners to ask questions and explore the dishes, they may want to rein it in a little by trimming down the vast menu. Our server definitely had a passion for pairing brews with local cuisine — with any luck, his co-workers share that enthusiasm.