Burlington’s Pluckers rebranded as District Kitchen and Bar
Once upon a time, it was Chaps. Then it was Pluckers Wing and Crab Shop. Take a drive on Plains Road and in that space check out the brand new District Kitchen and Bar. Well, a rebrand."
In 2018, partners Awnish Srivastava and Helen Griffiths bought the Unique Restaurant Group (URG) which at present includes Pluckers and Southcote 53, The Dickens, The Powerhouse and Augusta House. Some URG venues were closed. Together, they set out to slowly refresh the rest.
Srivastava has a marketing, corporate background in food and beverage - including Mill Street Brewery and Absolut Vodka. Griffiths has a lifetime's experience in hospitality.
District Kitchen and Bar describes itself as a local, casual eatery featuring American and pub fare, craft beer, and premium cocktails." During the various lockdowns, it had remained Pluckers," doing takeout. In June, the renovated space launched with the new name and an appealing new menu that has retained a few items dear to Pluckers fans.
Srivastava explained that they'd had the goal of doing what they could to keep key staff employed during lockdowns, sensing that it might be hard to find such great people again. One project grew from Srivastava's passion for BBQ - shared by chef Jeremy Eidt - the executive chef for Unique Restaurant Group. Over New Year's Eve, they had great success with small-batch smoking and BBQ, branding the initiative as Smoked." These meats with one of three chef-created signature BBQ sauces are available at District Kitchen and The Powerhouse with summer pop-ups running at Augusta House.
Srivastava stresses that the rebrand aims to serve the neighbourhood with food and beverages, not just wings, burgers and beer. Classics are still on the menu, but a good many items are new and fun. While embracing the neighbourhood that has long supported eateries in this spot, Srivastava notes the rapid (and continuing) growth of condos in the area. This community, he says, needs not only a casual bar, but a casual dining spot with a menu that includes more upscale food and cocktails.
Chef Eidt who has several decades of wide-ranging experience in fine dining, pub fare, and hotels that includes Mill Street to Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, has talents that are put to good use.
The first category on District's menu is Take Flight" which refers to a beer tasting with or without edibles. I regret that we didn't try The Piggy Back Ride pairing which comes with a fun display of bacon finished four ways: Kentucky bourbon spiced, maple glazed, southern fried, and black cherry chipotle glazed.
Instead, we went with the Bao Trio. The soft steamed buns take the place of tacos, and even though I like crunch I'll take bao any day. The bao was filled three ways - smoked jerk chicken topped with mango and fennel slaw; spicy Korean BBQ duck confit topped with pickled daikon; and pork belly topped with beer pickled radish.
The Start/Share section of the menu has much to offer - wings, calamari, pork belly, Brussels sprouts, cheddar ale dip, nachos, sweet potato wedges, ribs, and tuna poke. We went with the Baked Brie Board served with bacon jam, crostini, roasted garlic, pesto and fresh fruit. The full round of brie was well prepared and alone could satisfy as a side with beverages.
Having heard high praise for Pluckers wings, we should have tried them. They remain on the menu to the great relief of fans. Meanwhile, there are various greens and salads, and stone-baked flatbreads - an alternative to pizza (with vegan options).
The menu almost seems like a well-researched list of what pub diners want." No surprise that the next menu section is burgers and handhelds. Beef, turkey and vegetarian burgers are on offer with gourmet toppings. Sandwiches include all the classics - club, Reuben, fried chicken and more - even a pork belly banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich).
For a main course, I was attracted to the Black Cherry Short Ribs, partly because I was intrigued by the cherry sauce. Braised beef short ribs were finished with a sweet black cherry glaze and served over smashed potatoes with heirloom carrots. The short ribs were tender and tasty but I was poking around and could not find cherries. Turns out that the sauce was a clever use of a cherry-flavoured beverage.
It was Friday - the favourite evening for Atlantic Fish and Chips. Diners can select haddock or halibut. Served with fresh-cut fries, creamy slaw and house-made tartar sauce, it was crispy, tasty and supremely satisfying.
The Main District section of the menu also offers chicken, ribs, a noodle bowl and steak frites. They also have a Kids' Menu. The beverage menu includes many handcrafted cocktails. Popular lately have been the fun combos based on freshly squeezed lemonade. Choose from over fifty beers - many from local craft breweries.
The star attraction on the Dessert menu was Deep Fried Ice Cream - French vanilla ice cream wrapped in sponge cake, battered and deep fried, rolled in cinnamon sugar and finished with whipped cream and berry sauce. No room for that, but it must surely entice diners. Visit District Kitchen and maybe eat dessert first.
Diane Galambos is a food writer who shares stories and recipes at her blog kitchenbliss.ca. Follow her on Instagram https://instagram.com/kitchenblissca
District Kitchen and Bar
335 Plains Rd. E., Burlington
289-337-9454
districtkitchenandbar.ca/index.html
instagram.com/districtkitchenandbar/
Hours: Sunday to Tuesday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Wednesday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
What I paid: Bao Trio $15.95; Baked Brie Board $17.95; Short Ribs $24.95; Halibut and Chips $19.95
Wheelchair access: Yes