Everything in moderation. That applies to clam chowder and NoDoz every bit as much as it does American Idol.

Except, of course, when a little excess is exactly what you need to get yourself balanced.

Take District, for example — the showy new lounge in Boston’s Leather District. Designer John Stefanon has drenched the location (formerly Trio) in a combination of Baroque prints, midcentury furnishings, and eerie adornments (like a giant mirror finished with ten-inch steel nails and hundreds of birch trees on the walls). At first glance, it’s enough to make your head spin.

That is, until the food arrives: palate-pleasing fare like a cool crab salad, fig and duck confit sandwiches, and wonderfully salty fries. Cocktails — like Dante’s Inferno, a fiery blend of vodka and olive and pepperoncini juices — go down just as easily.

Your senses fully engaged, you dive in. All the while chanting your new mantra.

You only live once.

District, 180 Lincoln Street (617-426-0180 or districtboston.com).