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More changes at Garces Trading Company

The former wine shop has been converted into a private dining room.

Garces Trading Company, which Jose Garces opened in early 2010 inside the Western Union building at 1111 Locust St., is now a full-fledged bistro.

For its first five years, the place seemingly has had an experimental nature.

Initially, it was set up as a market, with a counter selling charcuterie and such, as well as a cafe. In a novel arrangement, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board subleased a portion of the dining room and installed a wine shop. This allowed patrons to buy bottles of wine at regular retail and simply walk a few steps to their table. Ergo: Garces Trading also was the state's most convenient BYOB. Garces' nearby competitors, who have to mark up wines to make their living, were outraged.

But in 2013, Garces blew out the retail counter, acquired a liquor license and set up a bar. Any patrons who wanted to BYO were charged a $15 corkage.

The state ended the shop last December.

Now, the former wine shop has been converted to a 20-seat private dining room; the space in the window that the LCB had used as a counter is now a 10-seat, semiprivate table.

New chef de cuisine Kyle Baddorf is offering new, Euro-influenced menus for brunch, lunch, dinner and happy hour. (Tartines are the focus of the weekday happy hour menu, served 5 tio 7 p.m.)

The bar also has a new cocktail program developed in partnership with Erich Weiss and Chris Holden, who set up the bar at The Olde Bar, Garces' spot at the former Old Original Bookbinder's.

The wine list, set up by Volver sommelier Gordana Kostovski, includes 50-plus by the bottle and 15-plus by glass.