The Inquirer's Craig LaBan awards three bells to Garces Trading Company, the casual cafe/market/BYOB restaurant from Jose Garces, which has a State Store-operated wine boutique within.
LaBan writes that the partnership with the Liquor Control Board isn't even the most exciting part of Garces Trading Company. "What I'm most intrigued by is how the Garces Trading Co. is testing the boundaries of fine dining by pushing it toward an ever more casual setting," LaBan writes. "Just how far from old formalities can Garces go and still deliver high-end food, where the sublime fusilli carbonara with house-cured guanciale and plats du jour crocks of bouillabaisse aren't just camera-ready gorgeous but also available for takeout?"
Not everyone is enthralled with the wine boutique. As I reported Saturday, competitors, the Washington Square West Civic Association, and State Rep. Babette Josephs have sued the LCB, accusing the state of playing favorites. The complaint, filed by lawyer David Kwass, who also owns the wine-cheese-beer cafe Tria, wants Common Pleas Court to end the arrangement. Should Garces have to apply for a liquor license for Garces Trading Company, the Wash West Civic president Judith Applebaum told me last week, the group would not object.
It should be emphasized that Garces is neither the target of the suit or accused of any wrongdoing.
The rumored back story of the arrangement is that the LCB first approached Marc Vetri with the idea, but he turned it down. LCB officers did not return my call for comment last week, and an LCB rep told me there would be no comment about the lawsuit because LCB had not been served.
The LCB rep did say that other such wine boutiques are being considered for undisclosed locations but are not imminent.
Post edited: Brownstoner was first to report the lawsuit, two days before its actual filing.
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