Special Food at a Special Place

Lizbeth Fausnight admits it: opening a restaurant at the age of 68 is a little bit crazy. Nonetheless, that’s exactly what she did when she converted her clothing store downtown—I Saw Something Shiny—into a full service restaurant serving lunch and dinner. “COVID hit us hard,” she said. “People can do without clothes, but they always need something to eat.”

Truth be told, however, Fausnight had already been moving in that direction. She had spent over two decades in the restaurant business, and had operated a restaurant on Boston’s waterfront, and the decision to open a clothing store had come out of a desire to do something a little less hectic. But her love of food prevailed, and during COVID she began doing catered wine dinners. Now, the clothing store is a specialty foods store (think specialty cheeses, food-related décor, and “an unbelievable wine shop; you can’t buy our wines anywhere else nearby!”), while also hosting a restaurant that seats 50 (plus 32 more in the summer, when tables on her ‘sidewalk cafe’ can be utilized) and wine bar.

Now called The District, locals have been raving about her food; Fausnight said her approach is to come up with dishes that are out of the ordinary. Think duck confit, lamb chops, Asian sea bass, lobster ravioli. Oh, and what’s routinely called “the best burgers in town,” The lunch menu tends toward the lighter side, with said burgers, salads, flat breads and appetizers. The food is so popular, “we always recommend making a reservation.”

And she’s apparently managed to remain a step back from the “hectic” lifestyle she wanted to escape, despite adding small cooking classes for the summer season. “This is my creative outlet,” she said. “I love it.”

The District is located at 313 N. First Ave. downtown. Learn more at www. thedistrictinsandpoint.com

– Trish Gannon