Garces and his return to Atlantic City (and how about his new pizzeria)
Persistent buzz has Garces in talks to open at least one restaurant at Tropicana Casino.
Jose Garces returned to Atlantic City last weekend - but only for an afternoon, as he did a cooking demonstration at Resorts Casino Hotel as part of its inaugural food-and-wine event, Klink.
As Garces and his righthand man, chef Gregg Ciprioni, made three dishes from his cookbook, the questions flew:
Chiefly, when is Garces returning to Atlantic City?
Garces has been out of the market since late 2014, when the Revel Casino debacle forced the shutdown of his busy branches of Amada, Village Whiskey, Yuboka noodle shop, and Distrito Cantina. The closing left more than 2,800 casino workers out of work.
Garces told the Resort crowd that he wanted to be back this year. He would not - at the event or during an interview - disclose a location. "I like the people here," he said. "We have great relationships."
Persistent buzz has Garces in talks to open at least one restaurant at Tropicana Casino.
Meanwhile, Garces and his crew have a lot on the table, including a big catering deal soon to be announced in the Philadelphia suburbs:
The New York branch of Amada should open at the end of April.
The concept of 24 - the health-conscious grill restaurant being readied for a late June or early July opening at 2401 Walnut St. - is being tweaked. He's calling it an American pizzeria, as the wood-fired oven will turn out pies, and there will be a large selection of salads, plus vegetables, grains, and proteins. Coffee and wood-fired bagels and bagel sandwiches will be offered during a walk-up breakfast. Lunch and dinner will be full service and takeout. The location, which happens to be the home of his corporate offices, will have a bar, plenty of parking, and a deck overlooking the Schuylkill.
A Washington, D.C., outpost of Village Whiskey is on the books for fall.
He is scouting Center City for an additional location of Buena Onda.