When hunting for a great salad at lunch time, we’re usually stuck with the run of the mill chain that offers bland lettuce and overripe tomatoes grown on the other side of the country. That won’t be the case for much longer. Although there’s been reports that Garces Restaurant Group had inked a lease transaction deal for two floors of the Cira Centre, we’ve just been informed that another project will sideline that one for now.

Our tipster has informed us that Garces is personally focusing all of his energies on a salad cafe concept. The name: Lechuga.  After studying recent lease filings at the Philadelphia Department of Records, we’ve found that Garces Restaurant Group has obtained the space at 1760 Market Street, ironically the former location of Salad Works. Lechuga will feature a long list of salads, taking inspiration from all the far corners of the globe. Based on Garces’ previous work, we’re likely to see incarnations based on Spanish, Asian/Latin American fusion, European and New American cuisine. In honor of his Chicago roots, we’re most looking forward to the “Deep Dish Pizza Salad” we’ve been briefed about.

Along with the expansive, all you can eat salad bar, we’re told that GRG is working with a world renowned mixologist to develop an awe inspiring cocktail menu. Much like the salads, all drinks will be made with fresh local herbs and produce; a pickled beet martini is said to be the crown jewel of the bar.

Check back here on Untossed for more details, and an exhaustive review of Lechuga’s salad offerings.

Tucked away between 11th and 12th on Locust is Iron Chef Jose Garces’ latest Philadelphia endeavor, the Garces Trading Company. We’re truly amazed that in just four short years the man has been able to open up six restaurants in our lovely city, with a seventh already on the way in the Cira Centre. Unlike his previous projects which follow more of a traditional restaurant theme, GTC is a one of a kind, pioneer establishment in this city.

Featuring a long list of their own lines of coffee, cheese, house-made charcuterie and meats (the Village Whiskey burger blend is available to-go), oil and vinegar and house-baked breads, GTC is part gourmet market/deli and dine-in cafe with the addition with a very unique, State Store inside the building. Despite the clumsiness of Pennsylvania’s restrictions on wine and liquor, GTC’s special arrangement allows patrons have the ability to buy a bottle of wine and consume it on premises as if it were brought in like a BYO.

Dine-in options feature a nice selection of European-inspired, plates from antipasti, soups and salads, sandwiches, pasta, pizza. The notable exception to the European theme would be the deep dish pizza pies, more than likely a result of Garces being a native of Chicago. Though, we found that their presence on the menu is exceptionally complementary. The plats du jour are complete meals available for dine-in or for take out. Those who opt to take the entrees to-go will find that all parts of the meal are separated and flash frozen to preserve their individual flavors.

We had the opportunity to stop in and try each of the six sandwiches available on the menu. The Spaniard features two respected key players in the modern sandwich world: grilled chicken and bacon combined with crisp romaine, a glorious amount of finely shredded manchego cheese and almond romesco aioli. The Moroccan, from what we can gather, lives up to the name with an authentic taste of Moroccan cuisine. It features roasted lamb loin, roasted pepper, eggplant, bacon and comté cheese.

Tartine Aux Fromage, as the name would indicate to the French-savvy, is an open-faced cheese sandwich using melted tomes crayeuse on fresh brioche and topped with a slice of marinated tomato. The Italian combines bresaola and hot coppa with melted taleggio, it’s then topped with arugula and a lemon confit spread. El Cubano Clåsico is GTC’s delicious interpretation of a classic Cuban pressed sandwich that includes roast pork, ham, gruyere mustard and pickles.

With a great variety of experiences under one roof, the Garces Trading Company is already gaining some notoriety for being a wonderful addition to not only the neighborhood but to the city as a whole. We definitely anticipate some repeat visits to dine on the other wonderful selections on the menu, or pick up a plat du jour to go.

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Garces Trading Company
1111 Locust Street – Philadelphia, PA 19107 (Google Map)
(215) 574-1099

Local superstar chef/restaurateur Jose Garces has now cemented his place on the national level by winning Food Network’s Next Iron Chef.  In honor of our local guy taking home the crown, today we are re-posting our interview with Chef Garces about sandwiches, originally published September 24th, 2009.

Unbreaded: What was the last really great sandwich you ate?
Jose Garces: I was just in New Orleans and had two great sandwiches.  The first was a fried oyster and fried shrimp po’boy was from Acme Oyster House with shredded iceberg lettuce, tomato, and Diablo mayo.  The second was a killer soft shell crab club sandwich on brioche with bacon, tomato, and remoulade at Chef John Besh’s bistro Lüke.

UB: Tell us about an iconic sandwich memory you have from your childhood.
JG: I grew up in Chicago, and I remember my first Italian beef sandwich – brined and then roasted ribeye that’s sliced and put into a beef jus, served on an Italian roll.  I remember having a combo – Italian beef with grilled Italian sausage & giardiniera (pickled hot peppers).

UB: What is your favorite Philadelphia sandwich?  Is there another Chicago sandwich you love?
JG: In Philadelphia, Campo’s in Old City makes a fantastic roast pork, broccoli rabe and provolone sandwich.  I also love the super Persian from Ariana – lamb, feta, tomatoes, spinach and mushrooms on lovash – it’s always fresh and delicious.  In Chicago, I love the gyro from the Athenian Room on Halsted and Webster.  It has sliced gyro meat (a combination of beef, lamb, and spices), onion, tomato, tzatziki, on homemade lovash bread.  I always go for extra tomato and tzatziki.

UB: How did you develop the Village Whiskey burgers?
JG: Our burgers at Village Whiskey are hand-ground beef – we grind it ourselves – and topped with premium, top-quality ingredients.  The Whiskey King has a special place in my heart because I love a burger that is really over-the-top, but our classic Village Burger is fantastic, too, because we make it with the best ingredients we can get our hands on, including fresh tomato slices, Boston Bibb lettuce, and house-made thousand island dressing.  Also, all of our burgers are served with house-made Kirby pickles on the side.

UB: How do you choose which meats, condiments and breads work well together?
JG: That’s actually one of my favorite challenges.  Recently, we debuted a special menu of buns at Chifa, which are essentially bite-sized sandwiches, and choosing the right bread for each filling was critical.  For example, the rich glazed pork belly with hoisin and pickled carrots needed a soft, airy bun that would cradle the juicy meat without overwhelming it, so we chose a steamed white bun.  In contrast, we serve our grilled chicken and bacon with frisee on pan de bono, a cheese-based bun, to complement the savory flavors without adding sliced or grated cheese and changing the texture of the dish.

UB: Garces Trading Company will offer a café and a market selling charcuterie, cheese and bread. If you had to make the perfect sandwich from any of the items sold there, what would it be?
JG: It would be thin-sliced jamon Serrano and lomo embuchado with wedges of manchego, sweet red piquillo peppers and smoked paprika aioli on a crusty, still-warm baguette, perhaps with a green salad alongside to cut through the richness of the sandwich, all washed down with a glass of crisp Spanish verdejo.

UB: Any chance we’ll see IRON CHEF: BATTLE SANDWICHES anytime soon?
JG: You’ll just have to tune in and see…

Chef Jose Garces’ Peruvian-Cantonese hybrid restaurant offers a Buns & Beers menu each weekday from 5PM – 7PM that is both satifying and a good value.  Small sandwiches are paired with draught beers and offered at a very attractive price.  For $25, you can get four beers and four buns, offering you a taste of the pork, chicken, duck or shrimp – or any combination of those.

The most popular bun is the pork belly, which is sous-vide for 10 hours, then grilled and coated in Chifa’s house-made hoisin sauce.  Served with shaved pickled carrots and a spicy mayo on a steamed white bun, the pork belly is currently paired with Flying Fish’s OktoberFish Ale.  Also served on the steamed white bun is the shrimp, which is tossed in a salt-bake crust, flash fried, and then tossed in chile mayo with avocado.  Elysian’s Immortal IPA is paired with the shrimp.

The grilled chicken sandwich with bacon and frisee is paired with Philadelphia Brewing Co’s Kenzinger Lager.  It is served on Chifa’s own pan de bono, which are made of 20% Yuca flour and 80% a mixture of manchego cheese and queso fresco.  The braised duck on a brioche bun is also sous-vide for 8 hours, then pulled apart and tossed with duck jus for a rich and meaty sandwich that pairs with Allagash white.

A great deal, and a perfect meal for those of us who have trouble choosing just one sandwich.

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Chifa
707 Chestnut Street – Philadelphia, PA 19106 (Google Map)

Chef Jose Garces has quickly grown to one of the top restaurateurs in Philadelphia, and has been honored by the James Beard Foundation as Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic.  The owner of Amada, Tinto, Distrito, Chifa, Village Whiskey and the forthcoming Garces Trading Company, Chef Garces has imprinted his mark on the dining landscape in Philadelphia.

Chef Garces will be competing in Food Network’s Next Iron Chef debuting October 4th, and he took a few minutes out of his increasingly busy schedule to talk with us about sandwiches.

Unbreaded: What was the last really great sandwich you ate?
Jose Garces: I was just in New Orleans and had two great sandwiches.  The first was a fried oyster and fried shrimp po’boy was from Acme Oyster House with shredded iceberg lettuce, tomato, and Diablo mayo.  The second was a killer soft shell crab club sandwich on brioche with bacon, tomato, and remoulade at Chef John Besh’s bistro Lüke.

UB: Tell us about an iconic sandwich memory you have from your childhood.
JG: I grew up in Chicago, and I remember my first Italian beef sandwich – brined and then roasted ribeye that’s sliced and put into a beef jus, served on an Italian roll.  I remember having a combo – Italian beef with grilled Italian sausage & giardiniera (pickled hot peppers).

UB: What is your favorite Philadelphia sandwich?  Is there another Chicago sandwich you love?
JG: In Philadelphia, Campo’s in Old City makes a fantastic roast pork, broccoli rabe and provolone sandwich.  I also love the super Persian from Ariana – lamb, feta, tomatoes, spinach and mushrooms on lovash – it’s always fresh and delicious.  In Chicago, I love the gyro from the Athenian Room on Halsted and Webster.  It has sliced gyro meat (a combination of beef, lamb, and spices), onion, tomato, tzatziki, on homemade lovash bread.  I always go for extra tomato and tzatziki.

UB: How did you develop the Village Whiskey burgers?
JG: Our burgers at Village Whiskey are hand-ground beef – we grind it ourselves – and topped with premium, top-quality ingredients.  The Whiskey King has a special place in my heart because I love a burger that is really over-the-top, but our classic Village Burger is fantastic, too, because we make it with the best ingredients we can get our hands on, including fresh tomato slices, Boston Bibb lettuce, and house-made thousand island dressing.  Also, all of our burgers are served with house-made Kirby pickles on the side.

UB: How do you choose which meats, condiments and breads work well together?
JG: That’s actually one of my favorite challenges.  Recently, we debuted a special menu of buns at Chifa, which are essentially bite-sized sandwiches, and choosing the right bread for each filling was critical.  For example, the rich glazed pork belly with hoisin and pickled carrots needed a soft, airy bun that would cradle the juicy meat without overwhelming it, so we chose a steamed white bun.  In contrast, we serve our grilled chicken and bacon with frisee on pan de bono, a cheese-based bun, to complement the savory flavors without adding sliced or grated cheese and changing the texture of the dish.

UB: Garces Trading Company will offer a café and a market selling charcuterie, cheese and bread. If you had to make the perfect sandwich from any of the items sold there, what would it be?
JG: It would be thin-sliced jamon Serrano and lomo embuchado with wedges of manchego, sweet red piquillo peppers and smoked paprika aioli on a crusty, still-warm baguette, perhaps with a green salad alongside to cut through the richness of the sandwich, all washed down with a glass of crisp Spanish verdejo.

UB: Any chance we’ll see IRON CHEF: BATTLE SANDWICHES anytime soon?
JG: You’ll just have to tune in and see…

A burger is a blank canvas, a universe of options and interpretations, and we love the idea of putting the creativity in the hands of the customer.  With Village Whiskey, Chefs Jose Garces and Dave Conn are taking the build your own burger concept to a whole new level.  Toppings include the classic fried egg, crisp applewood bacon, artisanal cheeses, sweet caramelized cippolini onions, artichokes, even white truffles.  So you can try Chef Conn’s favorite combination: avocado, bacon and a fried egg, or create your own signature burger.

With only a few precious seats, and no shortage of burger and whiskey lovers willing to wait for them, it’s a pretty tight squeeze to get in the door. The restaurant offers the basic 8oz Village burger with thousand island dressing and a range of great toppings, each for just a couple dollars.  The all-natural Angus beef comes from Wolfe’s Neck Farm and is ground fresh daily at the new Garces Trading Company Commissary, where they also bake sesame seed buns exclusively for Village Whiskey.  Pastry Chef Ann Giles’ twice-proofed bread recipe yields an airy texture with a light sweetnes and mild buttery flavor.  The restaurant actually shares kitchen space with sister restaurant Tinto, which Chef Conn (who manages both kitchens) said presented a set of organizational adjustments, but they have found the workflow that keeps everything moving efficiently.

An expansive whiskey list is the headliner at Village Whiskey, but the burgers are the real stars of this show, led by the Whiskey King.  A hefty 10oz patty with award-winning Rogue Creamery Oregon Blue, crunchy bacon, maple glazed cippolini onions and a serving of foie gras, the Whiskey King will engage culinary thrill seekers and expense account eaters alike.  Less ambitious diners can get the same cheese, bacon and onions on a Village Burger.  The meat is tender and melts in your mouth, juicy and peppery.  Rogue offers the first blue cheese ever produced on the West Coast, smoked over hazelnut shells, with a tangy flavor and melts creamy over the burger.

A heaping portion of shaved white truffles on your burger, a far cry from the “fixins bar,” costs $30 for 5 grams (varies according to market price).  Chef Conn recommends skipping the Thousand Island when you order the truffles, and simply getting a fried egg on top of the burger to get the full taste of the truffles.  The cheese selection offers a range of flavors: Rogue Blue, a balanced aged cheddar from the Cellars at Jasper Hill in Vermont and creamy, lemony Haystack Mountain Chevre from Boulder Colorado.

Pickles are a big part of the experience at Village Whiskey.  A selection of pickled tomatoes, beets, carrots, artichokes and onions are the product of more than 8 vinegars and unique seasonings, plus the house pickled kerbies that accompany the burgers.  Besides the burgers and veggie burger, the menu includes the BBQ Pork Sammy, a braised and shredded pork butt with a sweet-heat BBQ sauce; and the Lobster roll, a 1lb lobster poached to order in butter and served on a brioche hot dog bun.

Aside from the Whiskey King, the most popular combination so far has been caramelized onions, egg and avocado. And some customers like bacon on their veggie burger.  The toppings list will evolve over time, and Chefs Garces and Conn are tinkering with some new menu additions, including pickled root vegetables this fall and maybe a South Philly inspired hot dog.  With such a robust pickling operation, we’d like to see some pickle options for the burger, or perhaps a Chicago style dog in the tradition of Chef Garces’ home town.  But in the meantime, there are plenty of burger combinations still to try.

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Village Whiskey
118 South 20th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103 (Google Map)

Chef Jose Garces and Chef de Cuisine Dave Conn have brought a taste of San Sebastian to Philadelphia.  A tapas and wine bar modeled after the Basque region of northern Spain (purported to have the most bars per capita in the world), Tinto is a bit more upscale than traditional pintxos bars, casual dining and drinking establishments where people go from bar to bar, grazing their way through the night.  Spanish pintxos bars serve an array of small bites on bread – seafood, cured meats, ham, chorizo – all laid out on the counter for patrons to serve themselves.  Patrons collect the skewers and toothpicks from each small bite they eat and present them to a cashier in lieu of a bill from a server.

Tinto offers a number of bocadillos (sandwiches) at lunch and dinner; though dinner portions are actually smaller sandwiches.  Only the shortrib and oyster bocadillos are available on both menus.

The short rib bocadillo, a sandwich characterized by big flavor and tender, flaky meat, is the result of a complex braise composed of grain mustard, smoked paprika, Spanish beer, and some other secret ingredients.  It is served on a Metropolitan demi baguette with frisee, bits of crisp bacon, shaved asparagus, a cracked pepper caramel sauce that balances the savory meat, and a cool celery root aioli.

The fried oyster bocadillo features seasonally fresh oysters dusted with smoked paprika and fried golden crisp.  In summer, Tinto uses Wianno oysters from the cold waters of Cape Cod; in spring and fall, oysters are sourced locally; and in the winter, oysters are brought in from the West Coast.  The oysters are paired with a sweet pickled red onion escabeche and a spicy-tangy tartar sauce.  Fresh aioli with cornichons and capers is married with a Basquaise sauce flavored with choricero and espelette chiles that are traditionally used in the production of chorizo.

Tinto sources its meats, seafood and produce as locally as they can, working with local farmer co-ops to get seasonal ingredients like Jersey tomatoes in the summer.  The menu has evolved since opening in 2007, incorporating modern American influences using Basque flavors and techniques.  At the end of the night, Tinto’s staff gets to enjoy what’s left of the braised shortrib, as new pieces are cooked fresh each day.  Chef Conn gets a smile on his face talking about the occasional 2-foot sandwich he wolfs down after the restaurant closes.  He also enjoys falafel from Mama’s Vegetarian and a roast pork sandwich from George’s.

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