RESTAURANT REVIEW + PHOTOS: District Fare's pastrami is perfect

Let's start at District Fare, the new sandwich shop and specialty grocery store in Little Rock's Hillcrest neighborhood, with the hit: an out-of-this-world-great Pastrami sandwich ($9.95), the kind of sandwich you praise to strangers.

In my notes, I typed out "melting tenderness" to describe this sandwich. Yes, that's the best way to illustrate this creation from the newest venture from Tomas Bohm, he of The Pantry Crest restaurant just down Kavanaugh Boulevard from District Fare and The Pantry West, farther out west Little Rock.

This is luscious, juicy pastrami; house-cured and smoked, rich with flavors and texture, and a nice marbling between full-bodied beef and tiny stripes of succulent fat. Then, arriving on the back end, there's a hint of pepperiness. These are flavors that linger, causing a diner to allow the meat to melt away while savoring every last second it spends upon the palate.

That a Bohm restaurant is able to produce such depth of flavors should come as no surprise. Diners at his two Pantry restaurants who have sampled the majesty that is The Pantry's Board, a charcuterie plate of house-made meats such as smoked turkey, bratwurst, cured pork belly and more, know what to expect.

But this rave so far is only of the pastrami in the sandwich. It's a winner from the bread up.

About that bread. It's rye from Arkansas Fresh Bakery, the Bryant-based business that supplies District Fare -- and several other central Arkansas restaurants -- with daily baked bread. Arkansas Fresh Bakery's rye is airy but still dense, holding up to the juicy pastrami. Just the kind of bread needed for this sandwich. The lone condiment is a sharp mustard blend house-made at District Fare, and 95 cents extra adds a slice of Swiss to the equation.

And then there are the cornichons. I'm not a proponent of pickles on a sandwich, but these are no ordinary pickles. Cornichons are a tart, pickled gherkin that the French perfected. The acidic complement of the cornichons balance out the sandwich.

I'd continue this rhapsodizing about the 10 or so sandwiches offered at District Fare -- all sandwiches are $9.95 a la carte, minus a $7.95 Two-Cheese Melt/Cheese Panini of Swiss and mozzarella -- if all the sandwiches were equally as great as the Pastrami. Unfortunately, the other ones I ate were not. They are good, but that's it. Just good.

The Cuban -- pork shoulder, pressed ham, that District Fare mustard blend again, Swiss cheese and pickles on a baguette -- took a few bites before proving its worth with the firm snap of the bread's crust uncovering the gratifying subtle flavor of the pressed ham and the fine smokiness of the soft pork shoulder. It just wasn't memorable after the last bite.

I experienced the same confliction with the District Turkey. Besides being a little dry, the promised flavor notes and creaminess of the sparse roasted garlic aioli on the sandwich never materialized and the sandwich was a little one-note. A good sandwich is an orchestra of flavors. This one was more of a backing band for a star pop singer. The other ingredients provided a steady rhythm of flavors, but were either too mild or too meager to add any flash to the smoked turkey.

Once again, it was good, but the smoked turkey lacked the boldness to take the sandwich to greatness.

The ABLT-- house-made bacon, avocado, romaine, tomato and garlic aioli on country white -- is a sandwich I didn't sample but that interests me, as does the Porchetta and the Prosciutto sandwiches. I say this because the meats in this trio of sandwiches have stronger flavors than ham or turkey, which is why the Cuban and the District Turkey were underwhelming compared to the Pastrami (another meat with a robust flavor profile).

There's also a Roasted Cauliflower sandwich on ciabatta for the vegetarian crowd.

A side of roasted vegetables ($2) ordered with the Cuban was mostly just $2 worth of chick peas with a few strands of onion, some tomatoes and something green.

A better side was the packaged-elsewhere jalapeno-flavored The Better Chip whole grain chips ($1), which were similar to SunChips but thinner and crispier, spurring the taste buds with a pleasing heat.

Other sides include salads and seasonal fruits.

District Fare is in the former Hillcrest Artisan Meats spot, facing Kavanaugh Boulevard with a small patio in back with some tables and chairs overlooking the Kroger parking lot. Inside, there is some two-top seating along a wall near the deli cases and more seating in the back.

As diners walk into the hall-like eatery through the front doors, there's a refrigerator with waters, fruit drinks and beer, including offerings from national and regional beer breweries such as Oskar Blues, Great Raft and SweetWater. Sausagefest Hefeweizen from Little Rock's Stone's Throw Brewing also was on tap during some May visits, along with three wines on tap: a rose, a pinot noir and a red.

Besides being a sandwich shop, District Fare is also a specialty grocery store, and the display cases sell deli meats -- dry cured in the store -- including bacon for $13 a pound, porchetta for $16 a pound and bratwurst for $10 a pound. There are also mustard, Arkansas Fresh Bakery bread, coffees, chocolates, sauces and more for sale.

So while District Fare is set up for grab-and-go sandwiches or some specialty groceries, there's also room for sitting, relaxing and dining at the bustling restaurant. And after indulging in that delicious pastrami, relaxing is a good idea.

Here's thinking that under the watchful eye of Bohm, the other sandwiches soon start matching the Pastrami's greatness.

Weekend on 06/01/2017