Superstar Chef Jose Garces has opened his seventh Philadelphia venture, JG Domestic (2929 Arch Street, 215-222-2363), a restaurant and bar serving the finest artisanal food and drink, all sourced from the United States. JG Domestic is located in Philadelphia’s landmark Cira Centre, adjacent to 30th Street Train Station and easily accessible from both sides of the Schuylkill River.
The magnificent restaurant features a “living wall” of herbs, plants and greenery that reflects the Chef’s worthy mission: serving distinctive domestic products in one of Philadelphia’s most beautiful and welcoming settings. For American-born Chef Garces, often perceived as a purely Latin chef, JG Domestic is an important step. It is the culmination of his career so far, and a perfect showcase for his culinary mastery.
“My cooking has always been focused on top notch ingredients, and this is my personal homage to those ingredients that are produced right here in the United States,” says Chef Garces, one of Food Network’s Iron Chefs and owner of six other Philadelphia restaurants including Amada, Tinto, Distrito, Chifa, Village Whiskey and Garces Trading Company. “I want JG Domestic to be a must for anyone who lives in the Philadelphia area, and for out of town visitors too. It may be a little too lofty, but my plan is to have it become a true dining destination – the kind of place that people go out of their way to visit and enjoy.”
Chef Garces is working alongside Chef de Cuisine Dave Conn to exhaustively source the best quality items and present them to his guests via a progressive menu that will change daily. In addition, Chef Garces recently purchased a 40-acre Bucks County farm that will provide much of the produce for JG Domestic following an extensive renovation of the on-site farmhouse and re-planting of the grounds. That farm will begin supplying seasonal fruits and vegetables to JG Domestic as early as Fall 2011.
The 175-seat restaurant’s menu includes snacks, cold and warm plates, vegetables and meat and fish dishes such as: Heirloom Crimson Popcorn with Cheddar and Horseradish, red popcorn kernels from California’s Rancho Gordo, seasoned with sea salt, Jasper Hill Vermont cheddar cheese and fresh horseradish; Strube Wayu Skirt Steak, 100% wagyu lineage beef from Strube Ranch in Pittsburg, Texas served with cider glazed cipollini onions, fried shishito peppers, cider veal jus and Bayley Hazen blue cheese; Smoked Chestnut Souffle, maple butter, braised golden raisins and roasted spaghetti squash; and “Huckleberry” huckleberry ice cream and jam, house-made crème fraiche parfait.
Menu highlights include a section called “Tonight” featuring hyper-seasonal dishes such as Atlantic Big Eye Tuna, caught off the coast of Massachusetts with California baby artichokes, Lola Rosa lettuce, marinated kumquats and creamy mustard vinaigrette and “Whole Animal” one dish crafted by using a farm raised animal in its entirety such as Roasted Suckling Pennsylvania Lamb, roasted leg and shoulder, crispy confit ribs and braised belly. Information on sourcing is carefully documented on the menu, giving guests a deeper understanding of the origins of their food. Menu items range in price from $4 to $28. Guests may also choose the JG Domestic, five-course Chef’s Tasting Menu ($65), which will include selections from the Cheese Cart that is rolled tableside.
“This is true artisanal food that brings exceptional ingredients together in artful, unexpected ways,” says Chef Garces. “I’ll be focusing on thoughtful presentations of these very special products and ensuring that every plate that leaves our kitchen is created and served with respect. Our service, too, will be gracious and our staff will possess extensive knowledge of the farms.”
The restaurant’s beverage program honors American made wines, beers and spirits. Those on the list were chosen for their relevance to the history of American viticulture and brewing. Beers range in price from $5 to $8 and wines range in price from $9 to $13 per glass.
Hand-crafted cocktails also incorporate farm-fresh ingredients, and will change frequently to complement the food. Cocktail selections were developed with an eye toward applying an artisanal hand to traditional American drinks, and often incorporate the restaurant’s extensive collection of bourbons, American ryes and whiskies. Cocktails include: Empire Builder, Garces Four Roses Bourbon, averna and housemade Garces Trading Company coffee bitters; Zephyr, gin, cucumber, orange cordial and salt; The Palmetto, vodka, pepper puree and spiced demerara; and The City of New Orleans, a classic version of the Sazerac. All of the specialty cocktails are named for historic Amtrak routes as a tribute to the adjacent 30th Street Station, and range in price from $12 to $14.
JG Domestic was designed by Chef Garces’ longtime collaborator, Jun Aizaki, of New York-based Crème Design Collective. Ringed with live planters and anchored by a communal table that features three living trees, the space has a vibrant, outside-in feel that reinforces the restaurant’s commitment to freshness. Linen and plaid banquette seating and butcher block tables are nestled against the “living wall.” Custom cabinets display authentic salvaged Americana, while a large blackboard adorned with a “driving tour” map from Michigan to Philadelphia and New York marks the origins of various menu items currently being used in the kitchen. The “Chef’s Nook” dining room, with seating for up to 12 guests, includes views of Chefs Garces, Conn and their team at work in the open kitchen. A private dining space, able to accommodate up to 28 guests, is also part of the design.
“JG Domestic is a vivid showcase of American cooking,” says Aizaki, who is also responsible for all of Chef Garces’ dazzling spaces. “There’s a sense of shared space here, from the communal dining table to airy, wide-open design that makes it a perfect setting for Chef Garces’ extraordinary food.”
Since opening his first restaurant, Amada, in 2005, Chef Jose Garces has emerged as an enormous talent and one of the nation’s most gifted chefs. He has opened seven additional restaurants, in both Philadelphia and Chicago; authored a stunning cookbook, Latin Evolution (Lake Isle Press, September 2008); won the James Beard Foundation’s prestigious “Best Chef Mid-Atlantic” award in 2009; and won the most recent season of The Next Iron Chef, making him one of just six chefs in the country to hold the prestigious title of Iron Chef America.
JG Domestic is the newest of Chef Garces’ Philadelphia restaurants, which compose his eponymous Garces Restaurant Group. In October 2005, he opened Amada; since then, the group has grown to include Tinto, Distrito, Chifa, Village Whiskey and Garces Trading Company. Future projects include Guapos Tacos, a roaming Mexican food truck, and Frohman’s Wursthaus, a fun beers-and-bratwursts joint.
Along with JG Domestic, Chef Garces also opened the Garces Trading Company (GTC) Coffee Kiosk at the Cira Centre, which includes 12 oz. bags of perfectly roasted coffee beans including GTC Reserva, decaffeinated and espresso blends. Salads, sandwiches, boxed lunches to go and an array of GTC’s much loved pastries, muffins, cookies and cupcakes are available, making the Kiosk a perfect stop for guests who don’t have time for a sit-down lunch or need a quick meal to bring with them on the train. The GTC Kiosk is open Monday to Friday from 8 am to 10 pm.
JG Domestic will be open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. and dinner Monday through Saturday from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. Extended Happy Hour offerings will be available from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and will feature a special bar menu. The restaurant is closed on Sundays. For more information, please call (215) 222-2363 or visit www.jgdomestic.com.
