The District CR — Restaurant in Cedar Rapids

Ah, The District. A name that evokes the faint echo of urban sophistication, but within its walls, you’ll find the true heartbeat of New Orleans—a city whose culinary soul refuses to be tamed by geography. This establishment dares to transport the Big Easy's unapologetic vibrancy into the sanitized safety of a repurposed brewery complete with decorative paneling depicting Prague. Whether it succeeds or not is a question best left to the indulgent palate of those who understand that cajun cuisine is not merely food; it is a rebellious act, a crescendo of sensory transgression.

Let’s begin with the shrimp & grits, a dish that in its most elemental form should evoke humid evenings in the Lowcountry, rich with the sound of cicadas and the scent of marshland. Here, however, The District deconstructs that pastoral idealism into something far more calculated—luxurious even. The shrimp, colossal and impossibly fresh, are kissed by a deft char and bathed in a sauce that seems to hover somewhere between creole butter and the soul of a roux-based étouffée. The grits—oh, the grits—are not the humble, coarse grains of a rural kitchen but a smooth, creamy alchemy that borders on ethereal, perhaps too velvety for the purists but impossible to fault in its decadent comfort.

The muffuletta, on the other hand, eschews the brute force of its namesake. The District’s version is a more cerebral affair, an olive tapenade that doesn’t so much hit you over the head with brine as it does seduce you with nuance. The cured meats—mortadella, capicola, and genoa salami—are stacked with a precision that feels almost architectural, their richness tempered by the bite of provolone and the languid sigh of a bread that manages to be both crisp and chewy, neither overwhelming nor shrinking into the background. It’s a sandwich, yes, but in the hands of The District, it’s a love letter to Sicily by way of the French Quarter.

But the pièce de résistance—what lingers in the memory long after the last bite—is Shrug’s Southern Bread Pudding. The name alone suggests modesty, but what arrives at the table is anything but. It’s a dish that respects tradition only in the way a jazz musician respects the melody: by breaking it apart, reassembling it, and ultimately making it dance to an entirely different rhythm.This is not just bread pudding; this is a dessert that redefines indulgence. Imagine, if you will, a luscious mix of sweet creams, pineapple, golden raisins, and a symphony of spices, each bite a perfect harmony of textures and flavors. It is at once tropical and deeply comforting, the pineapple adding a burst of brightness that contrasts with the warmth of the spices. A decadent caramel sauce, drizzled with a deliberate hand, coats the pudding in a sheen of richness, while candied pecans crown the whole affair, their crunch a perfect counterpoint to the softness below. It’s a dessert that doesn’t merely satisfy; it seduces, leaving you both sated and somehow yearning for more.

Service, as you might expect in such a sanctum of curated authenticity, oscillates between aloofness and genuine warmth, as though the staff are conscious they are guardians of something more than just a restaurant. Is The District perfect? Certainly not. But perfection is banal, and The District is anything but. It is a place that exists in tension, at the intersection of homage and innovation, where New Orleans’ culinary ghosts meet modernity and somehow, miraculously,...

I've had two meals at The District CR and look forward to more. The first thing you notice upon entering is the gorgeous space with a small bar area up front called the District CR Mini Bar. Inside the dining area there's a long bar and two floors of space with plenty of booths and tables. It's a grand dining room with lots of wood, vintage tile flooring and beautiful lighting.

My first experience was with friends and I was immediately impressed with the beverage selection with lots of choices for local beers, wine, and specialty cocktails and mules. They offer both Old Fashioned flights, and Hurricane flights, and they they can make many of their specialty cocktails and mules N/A. My Badger Berry Mule was delicious.

I had the Cajun Honey Butter Salmon on my first visit, which comes with your choice of two sides, and I chose a garden salad with blue cheese dressing and garlic mashed. I was disappointed that they don't have homemade dressing but learned that they will soon. The garlic mashed potatoes were the perfect compliment to the sweetness of the salmon. It was a generous filet that was cooked to done. I like my salmon slightly undercooked, but that's a personal preference so I don't consider their preparation a failure at all. It was still flaky and flavorful.

My second experience was with my husband and a small group of friends. My husband had an old fashioned flight, neat, and was very happy with his choices of classic, maple bacon, cherry, and Knob berry. I had a hurricane flight that included a cucumber melon, spicy mango, melon, and pineapple banana. I'm typically not a fruity drink kind of person but I was in the mood then, and they were all so tasty and refreshing, and likely dangerous.

My husband had the Double Down Sausage Bowl that he practically inhaled, and I had the Chicken Parm, which is made the traditional way, but with chicken thighs instead of a breast. I typically prefer thighs to breast's but for this preparation with spaghetti, sauce, breading, and melted cheese, I think a breast is a more neutral and less rich choice to go with all the rest. The preparation was perfect, though, lightly breaded, nice and crispy, and the chicken was perfectly seasoned and tender.

Other entrees from our group included the ribeye, shrimp and grits, and the tasso fettuccine, with all of it receiving very high marks. In addition to the excellent drinks and food, the service was perfect, with just the right amount of attention, efficiency, and friendliness. We all gave 5 stars on the ambience as well.

I love that The District CR has an interesting menu with a variety of choices from Cajun to Italian to burgers. It will likely be our go to spot for a decent meal in a beautiful setting, and I'm looking forward to trying other drinks and menu items there, especially the muffaletta. Oh, and maybe even dessert since they have bread pudding, bananas foster, and affogato.

Cedar Rapids really needs restaurants like The District CR, and I encourage the community to support them as much...

First time visiting with hopeful thoughts. I made a reservation early on in the day for 8:15pm. I was not aware they closed at 9pm, which may have very well contributed to the state of our food. I ordered the Cajun Shrimp Jalapeño Poppers which were visually disappointing. (see photo). For $15, this is not what I expected. There was barely any shrimp in it as well, so it was more of a creamy hot mess. For my entree, I ordered the smothered Tasso Burger in hopes of tasting some delicious Wagyu…however, the burger was dry and bland. It seems like the excess amount of sauce is an attempt to make up for this charred mess of expensive meat. In my honest opinion, I don’t think this is genuine Waygu, and if it is, they do not know how to properly prepare, cook, and serve it. Overall, the service was OK. The waitresses, waiters, and other staff were chatting near the bar and certainly lackluster to serve us. Furthermore, the food was subpar for the price. The drinks were extremely strong, which was nice. You must have to be drunk to enjoy this food… I do not plan on returning here. I wish them the best of luck and hope they learn to serve such a high class meat with care in the future…as well as any other item in their menu, considering how pricey it is for...