Garces Trading Company — Restaurant in Philadelphia

I went to Garces' JG Domestic for the first time for dinner on a Tuesday night. The restaurant is in the Cira Centre, sitting beneath crisscrossing escalators and tall windows, adjoining 30th Street Station. The decor is all crates and checkered cloth and fake chalkboards--which clashes almost spectacularly with the gleaming chrome of the skyscraper that houses it. I'm not sure whether this was the right choice. Why not embrace the modernity of the space, instead of trying to insert rustic ambiance where it jars? There's something hokey and forced about it. And despite attempts to make the restaurant feel small and cozy, this is a losing battle. The soaring ceilings, the sunlight pouring in: it's inherently airy and open, and I'd say it'd be near impossible to change that short of major architectural alterations.

I ordered the Maine Lobster Cappuccino and the Jidori Chicken. I also tried the asparagus with quail egg. I love lobster bisque, and the idea of vanilla emulsion with it fascinated me. It arrived in a steaming mug, a thick layer of foam on top. Floating in the soup were hunks of lobster and a couple of butternut squash dumplings. Taking a bite was a confusing experience as my tastebuds kept expecting it to taste like coffee. The soup was thinner, closer, actually, to the consistency of cappuccino. Add to that the sensation of foam on the tongue and the mild sweetness of the vanilla, and it was like eating a seafood latte, which sounds disconcerting, but is actually pleasantly strange. The dumplings were rich but a little too heavy. I don't know if they're necessary; the lobster pieces would have been sufficient. Although it was an interesting twist, the soup was already a new perspective on the classic. Adding dumplings was less putting it over the top and more overdoing it. The chicken, served with baby carrots, fingerling potatoes, and cipollini, was delicious and well worth the price. It's a lot of food; comparatively, the portion of the lamb loin was paltry. The chicken was submerged in a thick, homey-smelling sauce. The carrots were packed with flavor, the meat juicy, the potatoes golden. Upscale comfort food at its finest. Of course, I can't not mention the amazing, flaky, melt-in-your-mouth rolls, which came to the table warm and buttery. I didn't get a chance to try the desserts, sadly. It was a good meal, but apart from the lobster bisque (which was more gimmicky than truly sensational), not really a...

My husband booked the Chef’s Table Experience with Chef Joe from Amanda for my heat and serve birthday dinner and I have to start by applauding him and his team for making my birthday dinner an experience I will never forget.

I walked into the house to a personalized kind and sincere video message from Chef Joe.

I then had the opportunity to follow perfectly laid out and easy to follow instructions for putting the finishing touches on a varied and spectacular tasting menu, where the comment was made more than once while we were eating it that the food we were eating was the best we had ever tasted the main ingredient (the roasted cauliflower with its peppery, crunchy crumble, the supple, buttery scallops in that complex broth, and the lemony asparagus paired with the richness of the cured egg yolks particularly stood out, but each and every dish made me close my eyes and simply take in and enjoy the perfect marriage of flavors and textures and the genius that went into making that perfect bite).

I got to feel like a professional chef (a lifelong dream - I always say that I am going to go to culinary school when I retire so I can make truly delicious meals for those I love) while plating these culinary delights and doing my best to do justice each and every one.

The end result was the true experience of a Garces Group level tasting menu in the comfort of my own home with my family and with the pride of feeling like I somehow contributed to the food I was eating.

To add to it, we found a new favorite wine thanks to General Manager Joseph’s spectacular wine pairing, which included a 2011 Alvaro Palacios "Finca Dofi,” which somehow was the perfect pairing to each and every dish, no small feat given the wide variety of ingredients ranging from spicy chorizo to delicate scallops, filled with tangy citrus-laced salads and a rich steak course with smoky grilled radicchio in between. The wine was light, yet complex and filled the palate with lush, dark berries when consumed on its own, and seemed to temper the acidity as needed to marry perfectly with each course. This instantly became one of my all-time favorite wines.

On the whole, this team turned my birthday dinner into an experience that brought to life this food lover's dreams with dishes that re-imagined the way I thought of many of the ingredients....

We got off the train and wanted lunch before our 4 o'clock appointment. We were in no hurry and decided on JG's. Easy walk over from the station. It was 2 p.m. and there was no one to greet/seat us, so we just walked into the bar and were told to feel free to sit anywhere. Menus and water showed up quickly, but no one came to take our order. Finally caught the eye of the bartender and she came over. She was what I'll call 'short' with us on any questions, but got our order turned in. It showed up in a reasonable time and was nice & hot........ a big plus these days. The cauliflower soup might be one of the best soups we've had. It was definitely 5-star and we are hoping they have next week when we are back. My wife's accompanying chicken salad sandwich was also excellent, served on a multi-grain bread. I had their burger & fries. Again, excellent, cooked as ordered, with what appeared to be a home-made patty. The fries were just to our liking and the mayo/malt-vinegar sauce was near perfect for both the burger & fries. We would give 5-stars for food, but only 3-3.5 for service as we had to chase down the server 3-times for more water, the bill, etc. We will go back for the food, which...