Distrito Philadelphia Hosts Mock Mitzvah, Inspiring Parties of the Century

On a recent Sunday afternoon, Distrito Philadelphia took the opportunity to flip its two-story Mexico City outpost into an inspirational dreamscape specifically for tweens on the path to planning a bat or bar mitzvah. Since Iron Chef Jose Garces’ University City restaurant oozes with flash and flair (the aspiration of any contemporary mitzvah), it’s only appropriate that they’d host a makeshift soiree of their own enticing potential party-throwers with a chance to role play in the energetic interior.

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Categories - Distrito Philadelphia - Event

JG Domestic Debuts Proper Beer Pairing Education with Up-and-Coming Breweries

Beer pairing dinners have revolutionized the way people approach, taste and appreciate beer. It was just mid-March when JG Domestic’s General Manager Marc Grika, the enthusiast behind Chifa Philadelphia's successful beer dinners, decided to enhance the craft beer focus of the Garces Group’s farm-to-table restaurant concept. By introducing a monthly beer pairing series that highlights up-and-coming brewers, on par with the cutting-edge vision of the Iron Chef Jose Garces restaurant, he has bred a new dining experience amid the dynamic energy of Philadelphia’s food scene.

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Categories - Event - JG Domestic

No Passport Needed: Tinto Restaurant Brings Rioja Wine Experience to Philadelphia

Tinto Restaurant in Philadelphia recently debuted the first of a series of wine dinners hosted by General Manager and Beverage Director Paul Rodriguez, with the premiering event focusing on Aged Rioja Wine.

I wish there was a word to define that moment when a room full of strangers suddenly becomes a gathering of new acquaintances. A term that captures that instant when a person once foreign to you quickly becomes familiar, smiling and raising a glass with you and sharing their memories. Although there may not be a phrase for that point of change, I can certainly name a place where that magical transition occurs: Tinto Restaurant in Philadelphia.

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Categories - Event - Tinto Philadelphia

Garces Group 2nd Annual Bridal Showcase

Sunday February24th , brides-to-be descended on   J.G. Domestic and the Cira Center Atrium to marvel at what their dream Garces wedding would look like at the second annual Garces Group wedding showcase. Any bride will agree, abundant options overwhelm the newly-engaged couple. But those options came into focus at the showcase as the Garces Group presented a complete vision of a magical day filled with delicious food inspired by Iron Chef Jose Garces, gorgeous flowers and decor, and all other bridal trimmings.

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Garces Group Guide for Celebrating National Margarita Day 2013

Dive into our Margarita Guide, which rounds up how the Garces Group properties are celebrating the holiday and features specials from all around the country. Let’s drink to that!

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Categories - Distrito Atlantic City - Distrito Philadelphia - Distrito Scottsdales - El Jefe - Event

The Latin Road Home

In October, Lake Isle Press will release The Latin Road Home: Savoring the Foods of Ecuador, Spain, Cuba, Mexico, and Peru, Chef Garces’ second cookbook and the follow-up to 2008’s Latin Evolution.  The Latin Road Home is more than a cookbook: it’s also a travelogue and a memoir, offering a fascinating and personal look back at the food traditions that have shaped Chef Garces’ culinary career, from his family’s ancestral home in Ecuador to his ongoing work as an award-winning chef and restaurateur across the country.

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Categories - News

Summer Recipe: Tortilla Española; White Sangria

When the weather’s hot, cooking isn’t always the most appealing pastime.  That’s why we love Chef Garces’ Tortilla Española, a staple on Amada’s menu from day one and a traditional Andalusian dish that can be prepared early in the morning, before it gets too hot, and then enjoyed later in the day – either at room temperature, as the Spaniards do, or warm with saffron aioli the way we serve it at Amada.  And nothing goes better with this dish than crisp white sangria, especially in the hot summer months.

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Categories - Recipes

Catering and Private Events Update

With wedding season in full swing and our new partnership with the Kimmel Center complete, there’s no better time to reach out to Garces Catering to plan your next big event.  Our talented team will work with you to develop a menu and timeline appropriate for any occasion, from formal business luncheons to casual cocktail gatherings to dramatic black-tie weddings.  Whether you’re looking for a customized menu for a sit-down meal or passed hors d’oeuvres and stations featuring the food of your favorite Garces Group restaurants – from Amada to Distrito to JG Domestic – we’ll help you arrange and host your dream event.

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Categories - Catering - Event

Garces Family Foundation Update

“My wife, Dr. Beatriz Garces, and I launched the Garces Family Foundation to help Philadelphia’s immigrants.  Our mission is to serve the region’s immigrant population, supporting those who have been less fortunate than we have, primarily by funding much-needed healthcare and nutritional programming. 

On Wednesday, October 10, we will host our inaugural gala at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts to raise funds for Puentes de Salud and to honor our co-founder and Executive Director, Dr. Steven Larson.

Together, Beatriz and I hand-picked a team of our city’s most gifted chefs to contribute to this unforgettable epicurean experience, hosted in The Kimmel’s spectacular rooftop garden.  This one-of-a-kind VIP dinner, $200 per person, will feature the cuisine of:  Marc Vetri of Vetri;  Michael Solomonov of Zahav;  Kevin Sbraga of Sbraga;  Jonathan Adams of Pub & Kitchen;  Michael Schulson of Sampan;  Terence Feury of Fork;  Sylva Senat of Tashan;  Tim Spinner of La Calaca Feliz;  Hiroyuki “Zama” Tanaka of Zama;  Konstantinos Pitsillides of Kanella;  Mike Stollenwerk of Fish;  David Gilberg and Carla Gonçalves of Koo Zee Doo;  Joey Baldino of Zeppoli;  and more.

We hope that you will join us for this landmark event.  To inquire about tickets, sponsorship or other information, please contact Corie Moskow at corie@glosspr.com or call (215) 518-5526.

Best,
Chef Jose Garces”

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Categories - News - Garces Family Foundation

Luna Farm Update

The spring harvest is over at Luna Farm, Chef Garces’ 40-acre Bucks County paradise – which will mean no more lettuces, spinach, arugula, broccoli, peas or most other salad greens until the cool weather returns in the fall. But even through the hottest part of the summer, we’ve continued to harvest lots of beets, carrots, turnips, radishes, Swiss chard and six different kinds of basil (who knew there were that many??).   We’re also seeing the first cherry tomatoes, a few peppers and tomatillos, summer squashes (and squash blossoms…yum!), garlic and lots of herbs (everything from sage and rosemary to cilantro and dill, thyme and chives to lemongrass, peppermint and tarragon).  In the coming weeks, we’ll also begin harvesting leeks, fennel, oyster mushrooms, cucumbers and haricots verts, while eggplant, melons and sweet corn are now ready through the second half of summer.

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Categories - Luna Farm

VW Adult Shakes

We’ve got the coolest grown-up treats in town at Village Whiskey (118 South 20th Street, Philadelphia, PA;  500 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ): Shakes.  Perfect on a sultry summer’s day, shakes are available either “spiked” or “virgin” – and topped with fresh whipped cream, of course.  The amazing milkshakes vary by location (contact the restaurants directly for the latest offerings), and may include:  Irish Car Bomb, house made devil’s food cake brushed with Negra Modelo beer, layered with dark chocolate pastry cream that has been flavored with Jameson and Bailey’s, blended into a mix of vanilla and chocolate ice creams and topped with a piece of cake;  S’More, toasted marshmallow ice cream with chocolate sauce garnished with a graham cracker and house made toasted marshmallow;  and Cherry Garces, which is this.  Basic Vanilla and Chocolate shakes are also available (and can, of course, be spiked with your liquor of choice!)  Shakes range in price from $6 to $9.

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Categories - Village Whiskey Atlantic City - Village Whiskey Philadelphia

Tinto Tuesdays

The next time you’re out for happy hour, why not check out Tinto Tuesdays?  Travel + Leisure magazine selected Tinto (114 South 20th Street, 215-665-9150), as one of “America’s Best Wine Bars” in their annual “World’s Best Awards” issue (March 2012), and Philadelphia magazine has named it the city’s best happy hour in their annual Best of Philly issue.

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Categories - Tinto Philadelphia

This year, Garces Group expanded into three new cities:

Scottsdale, AZ;  Palm Springs, CA;  and Atlantic City, NJ.

First, we headed west to Scottsdale, where we partnered with New York-based hotel developers The Sydell Group, Ltd. and California-based boutique hotel group Joie de Vivre to open Distrito, Old Town Whiskey and Garces Trading Company Coffee Kiosk at The Saguaro, a lively new hotel in Old Town Scottsdale adjacent to the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. 

With the success of The Saguaro Scottsdale, we were invited to partner once again with Sydell and Joie de Vivre on their second collaboration, The Saguaro Palm Springs.  There, inspired by the Old Hollywood charm of our surroundings and the relaxing nature of the pristine resort community, we opened El Jefe and Tinto.  

We enjoyed ourselves out west, but with summer fast approaching, it was time to get back to our East Coast roots.  And we did, in a big way: opening Amada, Village Whiskey and Distrito Cantina at Revel in Atlantic City.  This project was a huge one for us, and very near and dear to our hearts with the debut of our second-ever Amada, the restaurant that started it all for Garces Group back in 2005.  

As you can see, it’s been a busy year so far!  If you’ll be traveling this summer, we encourage you to stop into any of the new restaurants and say hello to the team.  They’re hard at work making sure that every meal is a memorable one, and we always love to see friendly faces!

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Categories - Amada Atlantic City - Distrito Atlantic City - Distrito Scottsdales - News - Revel - Village Whiskey Atlantic City

GTC Carbonated Cocktails

The coolest trend in cocktails has come to Center City, just in time to beat the heat, at Garces Trading Company (GTC) (1111 Locust Street, 215-574-1099), where Beverage Manager Brandon Thomas is creating Hand-Bottled Carbonated Cocktails.  Join us for lunch or dinner and enjoy three seasonally-changing varieties of the tipples, for $12 each, mixed and then bottled with carbonation in-house. 

These bubbly bottles are opened, poured and garnished to order, making them a perfect accompaniment to a meal of our refined cafe-style cuisine – or a refreshing drink while sitting al fresco at one of the sidewalk tables.  Cocktails will change with the seasons.  For now, we have three varieties:  Americano, Campari and sweet vermouth with orange oil, garnished with orange peel;  Avenue 1111, Tanqueray with house made lime cordial, ginger beer and mint leaves, garnished with fresh mint;  and Pepino Fresco, a version of the drink Chef Garces’ prepared during his Tortillas and Tequila battle on Iron Chef America, which mixes Cuervo Gold and St. Germain elderflower liqueur with celery juice, cucumber juice and lemon juice, garnished with paper-thin cucumber wheels.

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Categories - Garces Trading Company