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Hip casual bar and restaurant specializing in a menu of pan-Asian dishes with a heavy Vietnamese influence (noodle soups, rice bowls, seafood preparations, etc.), plus modern American cuisine with a twist (like "five spice Cornish roasted hen," steak & eggs, fish tacos, or "oxtail fries"). While most of the menu items include meat or fish, there are some non-meat options and many dishes are offered in a vegetable version.
Of the many of choices for Asian food in the area around Spring Mountain and Jones, District One stands out in several ways. Along with the good Vietnamese-leaning Asian-fusion cuisine, District One is a trendy gathering place with a hustling young serving staff and management that comes out to talk, and may even have a drink with you. Big TVs over the bar are tuned to sports, making it a good place to catch a game, especially if you can time it during happy hour from 3 to 7 pm Mon.-Fri., which features oysters on the half-shell for $1 apiece. It’s currently the best oyster deal in town, given that they’re the higher quality Blue Points or Kumamotos (a second happy hour runs Sun.-Thurs. from midnight to 3 am). You have to learn to navigate this menu, which is to say there are a lot of flavors flying around that will appeal to different tastes. You’ll want to experiment on your own, but a sure bet is the soups. Eight versions of pho start at $7.95 and top out at $29.95 for the amazing live whole Maine lobster. Other soups include Mekong River-style noodle, crispy bird-nest noodle, and the “big bone soup” with marrow ($8.95-$13.95). The king crab legs are excellent. A pound for $29.95 won’t fill you up, but they’re worth a little splurge if you’re sampling. Our absolute go-to here is the squid ($11.95). This ain’t calamari, folks. It’s a whole squid—grilled, seasoned, sliced, and served with an aioli dipping sauce (ask for some lemons). And make sure to check the blackboard for always-intriguing daily specials. Hours are 11 am to 3 am daily and the later it is, the busier it gets. District One is located in a strip mall with several other good restaurants (China MaMa, HK Star, Chada Thai), so parking is sometimes challenging. If you can’t find a spot, there’s always room across Jones.
