
On the heels of Valentine's
Day, chef/owner Jose Garces will
open Garces
Trading Company, 1111 Locust Street, Philadelphia,
his latest venture and sixth location in Philadelphia,
as a gourmet market and café, adjacent to the city's Gayborhood, on February
16.
The
multi-purpose space will feature a host of
house-made and imported foods under the Garces Trading Company label, as
well as Chef Garces' award-winning cuisine, available for eat-in or take-out, in addition to a flower shop, an on-site
bakery, private label olive oils and vinegars, Chef Garces' signature coffee
and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board's first wine boutique, distinguishing it as the city's only all-in-one culinary destination.
"I
want Garces Trading Company to be a first for Philadelphia: perfect for a quick
bite or a casual meal at any time of day, from breakfast until night," said
Garces who was recently named one of Food
Network's Iron Chefs and owns Amada, Tinto, Distrito, Chifa and Village Whiskey restaurants.
Highlights of Garces'
lunch and dinner menu will include European fare such as a
variety of pastas such as Pappardelle with
lamb ragu, sun choke puree and piavecchio and Tuscan Fusilli alla Carbonara with guanciale, eggs, black pepper
and pecorino; thin crust and deep dish pizzas (Chef Garces hails from Chicago); and daily changing
plats du jour such as Coq au Vin,
with pearl onions, mushrooms and potatoes on Mondays and Bouillabaisse with gambas, halibut,
mussels, cockles and saffron ruille on Thursdays.
Working with his longtime collaborator, Jun Aizaki, of New
York-based Crème Design Collective,
Garces has envisioned the restaurant and
market to seat 75 diners at high-top, butcher block tables, while guests
browse the wares surrounding the central dining area.
A florist stall, wine shop, coffee counter, bakery and cheese and
charcuterie seller will ring the u-shaped space much like an outdoor market in Europe, framing the tables with
delectable displays of their wares that include hanging cured meats and
cheeses, sprays of blossoms and cases of wine.
Hours will be open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until 10
p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. The full service
cafe will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The Wine Shop will be
open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 12 noon to
5 p.m. Sunday.
For more information, call 215.574.1099; or visit garcestradingcompany.com
How's this for a recession-proof
meal deal? Lunch is currently being
offered at the upscale Union Trust Philadelphia Steakhouse, 717 Chestnut Street,
for only $7.17 per person. The
specially priced selection of lunch items will include the Union Trust
signature Kobe
burger, crispy calamari with sweet and spicy citrus dressing and hot Italian
ham and cheese sandwich.
The menu is available to diners, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday
through Friday.
It's a great opportunity
to impress your business clients, your
friends or that someone special who you've wanted to give the "wow" factor to
because Union Trust's ambiance is awesome!
For more information, call 215.925.6000; or visit uniontruststeakhouse.com
It's definitely well worth the trip, even in the cold weather, Rat's
Restaurant at Grounds For Sculpture, 16 Fairgrounds Road,
in Hamilton, New Jersey, for Spanish Wine Dinner, created by Executive Chef Kevin Sbraga, 6 p.m., February 25, $85 per person plus tax and
gratuity.
Sbraga's inspired menu will
begin with a selection of Spanish-inspired tapas: Pan con Tomate
(toasted bread with tomatoes, garlic and Manchego cheese); Jamon con Melon
(Spanish ham and melon); Tortillas with egg, potato and onion pinxto; and
Tigres (mussels in a spicy tomato sauce), and all paired with Cava.
Diners will be offered an
impressive selection of entrees including a Pulpo en Escabeche (grilled octopus,
capers, lemon, potatoes, and smoked paprika) paired with a 2007 Morgadio Rias
Baixas from the Northwest corner of the Spain. Chef Sbraga will also serve
a Conejo con Castanas (braised rabbit with chestnuts, figs, fennel and sherry)
and a Chuleto de Cerdo (pork chop with green onions, romseco, chorizo, and
morel mushrooms), and paired, respectively, with a 2007 Muret Granacha and
Condado de Haza.
For a sweet finale,
Sbarga's menu will offer diners Cana de Cabra featuring apples in a spiced
honey drizzle paired with a 2004 Pedro Ximinez 2004 vintage.
Outside the restaurant, Grounds
For Sculpture is a whimsical thirty-five
acre sculpture garden and arboretum on the former site of the New Jersey
State Fairgrounds. Founded by Seward
Johnson in 1992 to promote an understanding of and appreciation for
contemporary sculpture, the park features more than 250 contemporary
sculptures, and two 10,000 square foot museum galleries with rotating exhibits.
Currently, there is a special retrospective of the Philadelphia-born
sculptor, "Albert Paley: Dialogue with
Steel," through April 18.
For more information, call 609.584.7800; or visit groundsforsculpture.org
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