Feb. 16 the day for Garces Trading Company

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Feb. 16 the day for Garces Trading Company

POSTED: Monday, February 8, 2010, 8:20 PM
Filed Under: Booze | Openings

It was just announced that Garces Trading Company (1111 Locust St.), Iron Chef Jose Garces' gourmet market/café, will open to the public next Tuesday, Feb. 16. (Garces shared some preliminary details on the project with Meal Ticket back in September '09 , and Jamie of Midtown Lunch recently poked her head in for some in-the-works photos.) The space'll act as a shop for Garces-branded food products (cheese accompaniments from Amada; Garces' own roasted coffee beans; house-cured charcuterie; house-baked bread; "GTC at Home" heat-and-serve dishes) as well as a sit-down to grab fresh-made sandwiches, cheese plates, housemade pasta dishes (pappardelle with lamb ragu; fusilli alla carbonara with guanciale — cheektastic!) and comfort-food-y daily specials (Monday will be "coq au vin day," for example). GTC wil be open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; the café will serve from 11 to 10 daily.

Perhaps the most noteworthy (and controversial) aspect of GTC is its PLCB-leased wine boutique, which'll feature more than 200 international wine and spirits selections. This partnership between a restaurateur* and the state-run Liquor Control Board is the first of its kind, and it's been met with protest by a number of local bar/restaurant owners who feel the union creates an unlevel playing field. The issue is discussed further on the Web site of the PA Restaurants for Fair Competition coalition.

* This post has been edited to properly reflect the nature of Garces' partnership with the PLCB.


Livia
Posted 2010-02-08 18:26:23
First of its kind? There was a PLCB boutique in Food Source at rt 1 & 202 (back when it was still open). I thought that was just one of several in a pilot program.

Drew Lazor
Posted 2010-02-08 21:42:51
Livia:

The wine boutique at Garces Trading Company is the first example of the PLCB's initiative involving the Board teaming up with local chefs/restaurateurs. The PLCB boutique in the Food Source was a "One Stop Shop," aka a Wine & Spirits operating out of an existing grocery store, as opposed to a free-standing location. Sorry for the confusion. I've edited the post to make this more clear.

uberVU - social comments
Posted 2010-02-08 23:19:54
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Garces Trading Company’s menu :: Meal Ticket :: Food Blog :: Philadelphia City Paper
Posted 2010-02-15 14:17:10
[...] morning. We’ll have more soon, but for now, peruse what’s up above and check out our previous coverage.   Garces Trading Company’s [...] 
Posted by Drew Lazor @ 8:20 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
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