Chef Jose Garces’s most recent incarnation in the Hub building on 40th and Chestnut strays from his more romantic Philadelphia Spanish restaurants — Amada and Tinto — to focus on the color, spice and vibrancy of Mexico’s capital city. While the menu is still tapas style, the food itself varies wildly from Garces’s previous Latin ventures.
The decor of the two-story, 250-seat restaurant reminds diners more of Steven Starr’s restaurant emporiums than Garces’s subdued outposts. The vivacious interior features a downstairs bar complete with fresh fruit on display, an open kitchen upstairs and a rainbow wall of Mexican lucha libre wrestling masks lining the stairs in between. Other authentic flourishes from Distrito Federal, another term for Mexico City, include menu sign boards reminiscent of taco stand advertisements, glittering gold tables, a green Volkswagen beetle taxi cab you can actually dine in and a screen playing Mexican films above the stairway.
The wide range of small plates on the menu include standard favorites like nachos, tacos, tamales, enchiladas and quesadillas. The execution, however, is a far cry from both the Tex-Mex dishes present in most U.S. Mexican restaurants and the authentic foods you would find in Mexico City. Garces has elevated street food into what he calls "modern Mexican,” creating a distinctive and adventurous selection of dishes, perfect for an extreme-eater. Distrito serves many specialties that would be impossible to find elsewhere in West Philadelphia. Miniature soft tacos stuffed with veal cheeks and salsa verde ($8) and tongue with a guajillo chile glaze ($6) build on the standard chicken, steak and fish taco selection. The truly adventurous should try the tuétano, tiny crystals of bone marrow served within the bone, accompanied by fresh tortillas, bacon marmalade and jalapeño cilantro ($8).
Because elaborate meals here can add up quickly, the ideal way to visit Distrito would be with a large group of friends who love to share. If each person orders 2-3 different dishes for the table, you will be able to try plates from each section of the menu and leave completely satisfied. Although the chef offers a tasting menu for $40, it is more rewarding to make your own selections. With so many choices, the best meal here would include a few bites from each category on the menu. Start immediately with the Encarnación nachos ($8), topped with skirt steak, refried beans and gobs of cheese, an order of guacamole ($10) and a pitcher of watermelon margaritas as you decide the rest of the meal. Some favorites include the Guisados, short rib flatbread with a three-chile barbeque sauce ($11), and the yellowtail Hamachi tacos ($11), which strike a delicate balance between the crispy fried fish and creamy avocado textures.
For dessert, chase away the cold-weather blues with a flight of tequila and an order of churros y chocolate — warm, rich chocolate accompanied by cinnamon and sugar fried dough sticks ($7). Distrito is also a perfect spot to come for drinks and an appetizer, as the cocktails are delicious concoctions of liquors, fruit juices and sodas imported from Mexico. Although the décor may be slightly overwhelming, with its warm hues of pinks and oranges, Distrito provides a funky respite from the upcoming frosty months.
