Riverton Restaurant, District, Quietly Reopens

The wait is over: District—formerly District 611—had a soft opening Wednesday night, four months after its predecessor closed.

Janet Branderburger, a partner in the restaurant along with her husband, Jim, manager Ken Merriman, and executive chef Dan Maher, said the group also held a friends and family dinner over the weekend, which brought in about 150 people.

They chose not to promote the Wednesday opening, but plan to hold a grand opening of sorts in another week or so, Brandenburger said. 

The restaurant, at 710 Broad St. in Riverton, is open from 5-10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 3-9 p.m. Sunday. 

District is currently only open for dinner, but the owners plan to add brunch and lunch in the near future. 

District 611 closed at the end of May after the original owners—which included Jim Brandenburger, along with three Stephen Starr alumni—struggled to make the high-concept eatery successful.

The new team kept much of what made District 611 popular, while tweaking some features to ensure its success.

Merriman said the menu has been expanded to be more “customer friendly," with options like crab mac & cheese, country meatloaf, Taleggio grilled cheese, and stuffed French-cut chicken, as well as the restaurant's popular wood-fired pizzas and several gluten-free options. 

Despite the changes, Merriman stressed the focus is still on “good, straightforward food, as fresh as we can get it.”