District on the Bloc

In my experience with eating food from a hotel restaurant, I'm usually not swept off my feet by write-home-to-mom flavors. Given, I have a had a couple exceptions to that "rule" but usually the food is super simple and the food is just decent enough and overpriced. District on the Bloc has moved its way very close to the top of the exceptions list. It boasts an approachable menu inspired by the extraordinary sustainably-grown ingredients purveyed by local farmers.

First of all the happy hour (3p-7p) was just too bomb. Drinks were good but the food specials is where they shined. They have a 3 for $20 deal on several popular items that include the Brocollini Bruschetta, Avocado Hummus, Tamari Deviled Eggs, Truffle Fries, BBQ Chicken Quesadillas, Shishito Pepper and Mushroom and my personal favorite, L.A. Tacos (2 per order). I ended up with two orders of the tacos and the quesadillas (fatness overload). I

These L.A. Tacos were bursting with flavor and stuffed with a more than fair portion of marinated beef tenderloin, sautéed kimchi, cilantro crème and queso fresco. Talk about a bang for your buck! I polished off all four tacos (which I have no pictures of my own because: hunger. But here's a good one from Linda H on Yelp) and followed them with a good pour of Magnolia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon for $6. I met a cool chick at the bar and talked for a good 2 hours about life with her and gave offered her the far less tasty quesadilla (she ate it gladly).

I didn't eat for the rest of the evening after that happy hour and not until the afternoon of the next day.

I decided that I wanted to check out the dinner menu that following night. I thought about it for half the day (that's some GREEDY sh*t)!

I opted for the Mussels (Coconut Curry Broth | Cilantro | Bacon | Grilled Crostini)... crazy delish! I don't even care much for coconut but since I'm living golden and trying new sh*t, I went for it and it was some of the best mussels I've ever eaten. The coconut didn't over power the curry broth and that cilantro permeated every sip. The bacon gave it that smokey, meaty component. It was a delectable mixture of flavors that didn't interfere with each other. They worked together to create a fiend out of me! The crostini bread they provided for dipping was perfectly toasted and they gave me an endless amount of it (carb lover in the house).

Oh and almost forgot about the mussels in this perfect broth LOL. Healthy portion, easy to open and overflowing with flavor.

In addition to that dish, I ordered the Kale Cobb (Avocado | Shredded Chicken | Bacon| Egg | Tomato | Gorgonzola Dolce | Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette). Bomb. Best Kale salad I've had next to the Kale Caesar at the Mondrian in Miami. That vinaigrette was HITTING (of course I had to get extra because I like my salads dressed - dry kale is a no for me).

I can't wait to go back to this spot. Happy hour drinks and food are fairly priced, the restaurant was clean, the waitstaff was welcoming, and the menu items were varied and mouth-watering. I didn't even ask to even SEE the dessert menu because I was that satisfied (rarity).

If you're at the Bloc in DTLA or you happen to stay at the Sheraton give this restaurant a chance to make you fan!