Garces Trading Co.

This is one of many times I wish Unilocal have half stars because this is really a 4.5 star to which I’d happily return.
Five stars for:
— the lovely simple but inviting and warm atmosphere, friendly but not overbearing service;
–delicious summer cocktails (my husband had the Edgar Allen Poe cocktail with rye, absinthe, lemon juice, thyme, and ginger beer; I enjoyed the blue coat gin, lillet Blanc, grapefruit, and Rose brut cocktail); and
–the star of the evening, the Saffron Trenette with shrimp, clams, tomato, and bottarga. This was the best seafood pasta dish I think I’ve ever had. And I’ve had a lot. It had a seafood gravy that was luscious yet light, and seeped into the fettuccine. Just divine. I couldn’t get enough. It paired perfectly with the Vinho Verde.
Slightly less incredible yet still delicious were:
–the roasted carrots over a subtle yoghurt sauce;
–the lentil fritters which were just perfectly crispy almost falafels paired wonderfully with a pickled cauliflower, though I think the fritters lacked seasoning and just a bit more salt would have made them unforgettable; and
— the salmon Nicoise which was beautifully presented and light, but wasn’t particularly memorable.

Had an early dinner there while «Happy Hour» was going on at the bar. They wouldn’t let us order drinks for the «Happy Hour» price. I think that is poor customer service. We were the only ones on the restaurant side… Appetizers were good, but not phenomenal. We had the cheese plate and meatballs. The trout and the pappardelle lamb ragu were both excellent dishes. The wagyu steak was average and so not worth the exorbitant price. The lasagna was fine; would deem it «average». The wine, cocktails and dessert were all quite good. Overall experience was positive with the exception of the «happy hour» rules and the sub-​par steak (for a restaurant of this caliber). Jose Garces can and should do better

Came to Garces Trading Company around 1pm with one other person. Lots of space in a big open restaurant– no need for a reservation during lunch time.
We both went with the Santa Maria Express– an antipasta/​soup + sandwich for 14.50 which is absolutely a steal. You first get bread with over 20 olive oils + vinegars to try. Our personal favorites were the strawberry balsamic vinegar + the honey serrano vinegar but there’s a huge assortment to try.
For our antipasta, we went with the home made mozzarella & the wild mushroom pizza. The home made mozzarella is absolutely delicious & a must order; creamy & chewy with a perfect consistency and pairs well with their bread. The wild mushroom pizza was good but had a very lemon-​y flavor which was odd– overall it was enjoyable but not something I would go back to the restaurant to try.
For our sandwiches, we both got the Spaniard; grilled chicken, romesco aioli & bacon. The star of this sandwich is the bread– the outer crust is crispy but the inner portions are wonderfully soft and put you into carb heaven. The grilled chicken was tender without being rubbery & the romesco aioli ensures that the sandwich is as far from dry as possible and there’s no need for further condiments.
All in all, great food and would definitely come here again. And you get 10% off with a student or employee ID!

Came here last Friday night with a friend. We caught the end of happy hour and then stayed for dinner. It was fairly empty when we arrived, so it would be a good place to stop by without a reservation. The happy hour drinks were ok, I had a glass of the house red which tasted oddly watery. It wasn’t very good, and I’m no wine snob. The house made mozzarella was delicious, and we enjoyed trying out many of the unique balsamic flavors that were available on tap!
Our dinner wasn’t anything spectacular. I had the pappardelle pasta which was very tasty, my only complaint would be that it was just a little bland. I would have given this place 4 stars just based off of my food experience, but the bill came out to be way higher than expected, even with happy hour specials on our drinks. Our experience was overall fine, but definitely overpriced. I’ll be back for happy hour drinks and appetizers, but I wasn’t wowed enough to want to spend that much again on a meal that wasn’t anything extraordinary.

One word. Food coma.
Went for brunch here. My friend and me are vegetarian, but that wasn’t a problem at all as we had decent choices and the waitress offered modifications on some of the items on the menu.
Food was ridiculously good. Loved the Baked eggs and potato rosti.
Love the place and ambience too, will be visiting again.

Honestly, I just wanted the panella sandwich.
But I didn’t realize it was on the lunch menu only. And the dinner options were like… real plates, not sandwiches. Steak frites, pappardelle with lamb ragu, duck things.
So that was my fault.
I ended up ordering the mozzarella and charcuterie. The mozz was a bit tough, and heavily salted in my opinion. It’s probably not fair to compare it to previous mozzarella experiences in Italy, but I could not help it. The country pâté was very nice, something I don’t eat nearly as often as I would like. The pappardelle was also good, but I would’ve liked it better had it been $ 14.
I was disappointed with the service. The bar was uncleared in multiple spots, yet there was only one couple sitting at the time. Even at a mostly empty bar, the bartender forgot to bring us one of the 2 drinks we ordered.
Overall, it just did not pan out how I thought it would. But, I still want that sandwich, so maybe I’ll come back for lunch. Maybe…

Service was a little slow. Homemade mozzarella was great! Warm with live oil salt and pepper. Duck fries were good. Cheese steak was too salty.

Stumbled onto this place with the wife and kids. We had the brunch and the GTC burger. The brunch options were great. The burger was very good. The pastries were good too.
I would rate them 5 stars if not for the mimosa scandal. We ordered the mimosa that comes with brunch. The waiter brought another 30 minutes later. We didn’t ask for it. But an extra $ 8 dollars was charged to the bill. I asked and he said the first was free. I just paid for it but they need to either tell you beforehand or just don’t automatically bring a second.

High-​end casual dining that will only break the bank if you let it, Garces Trading Co. is perfect for a classy date night out.
Garces Trading Co. strikes that perfect balance between offering an upscale dinner experience without a whiff of pretentiousness or entrée prices that makes your wallet cry out in terror. A Jose Garces creation influenced by his travels through Western Europe, you see the French, Spanish, and Italian influences throughout the entire menu and even in the classy yet congenial wine bar feel of the place.
My girlfriend and I came for dinner during the week, and although we made reservations ahead of time, you can usually just show up and get a table. After weighing the Chef’s Tasting ($ 40 – 55 per person), my girlfriend and I began with Charcuterie & Cheese board, selecting the $ 15 option to pick three cheeses/​meats — Country Pâte, and two cheeses, one goat cheese and the other a blue cheese blend of goat and cow milk. I loved the blue cheese served with local honey the best, followed by the goat cheese with sweet mashed figs, and the Country Pâte with its own sauce to compliment. If you like fancy meats and cheese, it’s a must order. We also got the marinated olives ($ 5) topped with Thyme and, strangely, orange shavings, which I wasn’t a fan of at all.
For our main course we ordered the Pan Roasted Scallops ($ 24) and the Salmon Nicoise ($ 18). The salmon was a bit too overcooked for my taste and cooked inconsistently, although even with these nit picks it was still very favorable. The scallops was the better of the two dishes. Yes you only get three half dollar size pan seared scallops, but it’s surprisingly filling with the savory pine nuts and scallop jus (a thin gravy or sauce made from meat juices). These were perfectly prepared, and the rich and flavorful jus really added to the dish. We paired both dishes with the Pinot Grigio, Al Verdi, Molise, Italy 2014.
All in all, we really enjoyed our dinner, and the bill only came to a little over $ 100 for all that great food. Fans of good western European food and/​or wine will find a lot to like at Garces Trading Co.

I’ve been here twice for brunch now and enjoyed what I ordered so much that I ended up getting the exact same thing both times — the house made mozzarella and lyonnaise duck salad. The salad is delicious. the duck confit and poached egg make it a pretty filling meal.
My sisters had the pumpkin seed granola, baked eggs, and GTC burger. Everyone was happy with their choices.
My latest visit was in April and the 2-​course brunch menu also included a mimosa for $ 25. It’s definitely a great deal for all the food and drinks you get!

The food was delicious. Can’t beat the lunch prices and portions! The service was really good. I like that the courses were timed out perfectly. I wasn’t overwhelmed with food and I had enough time to to eat each course.

Met my parents here for brunch. The bartender was fantastic, even offering to make my boyfriend another drink while he completed the homemade Bloody Mary mix just so that my boyfriend could have a drink with everyone and not be left out.
We tried a few different things off of the specials. Some were hits, others misses but it was a drink preference, not that the bartender messed up.
Eventually we decided to move to a table and eat. They have a ‘pairing’ that worked out for my boyfriend and I to share. I had steak and eggs, as did my Dad. It was fine but super salty. The food was, again, hit and miss. Some was really good and some was just alright.
Table service left a lot to be desired. She mumbled, had gum in her mouth, didn’t ask before trying to take things away, wasn’t attentive, etc. It really was poor compared to the service we experienced at the bar.

Officially my new favorite restaurant in Philadelphia.
When you first walk in there is an olive oil and vinaigrette bar with all different flavors and styles. I was an easy sell with the black truffle oil.
Must trys:
–scallops
–mozzarella
–any and all deserts

GTC has become one of my favorite dinner destinations. The menu is reasonable enough for a weeknight meal but also a great option for a weekend dinner with friends. You can BYO wine with no corkage fee, even though there is a full bar.
As far as the menu goes, the house specialty frites is always a great choice. The butcher’s steak option comes with 7 ounces of delicious, perfectly cooked steak, topped with butter and served with a choice of three sauces. Duck fat fries come standard but I haven’t had any problems subbing a salad instead. The salsa verde is basically a chimichurri sauce and it is perfection.
On my most recent visit, I opted for the trout almondine, which was incredible. I only wish that it was served with a side salad since it was basically just the fish, with a whole lot of fresh parsley on top. GTC should consider adding a section of sides since many of their entrees are served a la carte, like the trout.
Of the smaller plates, you can’t go wrong with the house made mozzarella or the French onion soup. I look forward to my next visit!

This place is YUM, YUM — only IF you are willing to spend the money. I went for brunch with 4 others and we all ordered the $ 22 fix that comes with pastries and your choice of two dishes. I ordered the quiche and it was SO amazing, but I think my favorite might have been the pumpkin seed yogurt parfait my friend ordered. We also ordered lavender mimosas and they were mostly champagne (yay). I ordered tea with the $ 22 fix I got and the waiter gave me mint tea twice when I had ordered green tea. He was apologetic and served us well the rest of the time. I would definitely come back here again!

Visited during Restaurant Week 2016 and I have to say this was one my least favorites, out of all the restaurants I tried this week! We made reservations for 8:30pm and arrived on time but ended up having to wait 20−30min to be seated. This wasn’t too bad since it was busy and I was thinking what the heck, if it’s this busy the food my be great! Wrong!
Ambience: I would say it was very «European Chic» meets winery! The place was well lit with nice wood tables and nice wood barn doors, leading to what appeared to be some sort of wine cellar and a area for dining. The crowd was lively and loud on this particular night, I constantly had to lean in hold a conversation with my dinner mate.
I enjoyed the different olive oils you could try at the bar area as you waited to be seated. As well as their array of different oils and sauces you could buy and enjoy at home. This helped with us having to wait to be seated!
Food Presentation: Nothing really to write home about as the food look good on the plate, but no over the top artistry, which is ok too!
Taste: we started with bread that was given out to the table. Some sort of country style bread to use with the olive oil that was left out for the table. They ran out of the country style bread and started bringing of some thick sliced bread – which I called «Pound Cake Bread» because it look like a slice of pound cake and had a sweet buttery taste – I’m glad they ran out because this I enjoyed more than the food.
First Course – we started with the chef’s selection of cheese: Manchega was my favorite but my friend like the cheese that was similar to Brie and then house made Mozzarella, this was just ok for me! However, I did enjoy the Lavender Honey and the Roasted Garlic sauces that were paired w/​the cheeses.
Second Course– Meatballs and Pork gravy, Parmesan, and basil. Also, the Masala Vadai, black lentil, pickled Cauliflower, and smoked tomato aioli – again just ok for me. The black lentil was good.
Third Course — I tried the Pan Roasted Scallops – these were cooked well and tasted ok.
Fourth Course – chocolate cake and hazel nut ice cream, again just ok for me!
Server: was great as he offered and gave me a complimentary beer, since we waited so long to be seated. I’m guessing he felt bad. Overall it was a full house and he had a huge party to attend to at another table. So he, and other staff seem to be scattered all over this night! I’m hoping management plan better for next RW.
Revisit: No time soon! Food wasn’t that great for me!

Tried the famous brunch at GTC. The first course appeared to a very small portion, including the pastry plate. The 2^nd course — pecan pancakes/​French toast, was humungous!!! We couldn’t finish the dish! GTC burger is very filling and delicious as well! Definitely worth a visit! 4 stars because it’s a little on the pricey side.

I’ll get right to the point.
Portions were shockingly small. Nice ambiance, appealing menu, good service. The portions were just so small as to pretty much ruin my dinner experience.
Short rib lasagna came in a shallow 3 inch pan. $ 25 seafood stew (which sounded great on the menu) came in a small shallow bowl, with about 5 – 6 mussels and 1 small piece of fish.
My wife and I generally don’t stuff ourselves at restaurants, and almost always have some leftover food wrapped up to go. We had no wine or dessert, and still paid almost $ 80 for us two and our 3yo son who ate a little bit of the dishes. We definitely left the restaurant wanting more and still a little hungry.

Great drinks. Good food. Worth the visit. Order the rio tinto if you like honey flavor drinks. The scallops were pretty awesome, charcuterie board was sort of small for the price.

My meal here left me feeling conflicted. As we were waiting for our table I got a chance to check out the bar area and sample some of the olive oils that they sell. Selling the oils, vinegars, and dipping sauces that are served in the restaurant is a cute concept. The feel of the restaurant was a little impersonal for my taste. The place was crowded, with high noise levels and while the staff and servers were friendly, they seemed scattered and a bit unfocused. I’m not sure if this was due to a restaurant week crowd or not. The cheese and dipping sauces were very good including the house made mozzarella. My second course was masala vadai (black lentil fritters), also very good. I wasn’t crazy about my main course of Tuscan fusilli that they prepared vegetarian for me.

Amazing spot for brunch! I love the look of this place and don’t know how I didn’t come sooner! My roommate and I had my farewell brunch here before I moved out of Philly.
It’s cozy and contemporary with a touch of french. The restaurant week brunch options had 3 courses. I went with a soup, which has meat and the waitress didn’t tell me about even though I asked her if it was all vegetarian. This is a little annoying as I read all the ingredients before hand (even looked it up on Wiki) and still nowhere did it says it had meat in the dish. *SIGH
I ended up giving it to my roommate. The mozzarella dish was delicious but way too big for 1 person since it was just a big ball of cheese. The quiche was the 2^nd course and the BEST I’e ever had. It was flakey, fluffy, perfectly seasoned. MMMM. Definitely a choice for next time.
The meal ended with a small plate of macarons. Satisfactory, but I’ve had better.
Still a great spot for brunch and I heard their market has amazing olive oil.

I had been trying to go here since over a year and finally I started off my new year with a sumptuous brunch at the GTC. I was pleasantly surprised to see the arrangement of tables more than anything else in this restaurant. Unlike most comparable restaurants in the city, this place has tables with at least walking distance between each other. I went with three friends and we were given a high table by the mirror wall. The hostess was very nice and the food was yummm. Soooo worth all the talk and rave reviews ! The baked eggs, pancakes and the quiche were all deliciously the coffee was strong and the mimosa was good overall a great start to my new year!

Pissaladiere
Culotte
Scallops
Philly has become a terrific restaurant town, and Garces is a testament to that. The menu is eclectic, with a heavier «Mediterranean» influence, but also some Asian/​Indian dishes. The night we went, we tried Pissaladiere (caramelized onion & anchovy tarte) Steak Frites made with Culotte, (French name for the cut of beef butchered from the top of the sirloin) served with duck fat french fries, and an order of pan-​roasted scallops.
The pissaladiere was acceptable, but not typical of what is served in the south of France. The crust was soggy (probably because of the overabundance of onions seeping into it). But we at some of it anyway! The pan roasted scallops served with a white wine reduction along with their own juice, were perfectly cooked, and delicious. The duck fat fries served with the culotte were the star of the evening. Twice fried, perfect balance of crispy outside, tender inside, and salted right out of the second frying. The beef had great «beefy» flavor, however the fat cap could have been trimmed a little closer before grilling/​slicing. No worries however, they brought a nicely serrated knife, and I did it on the plate myself!
Nice selection of reasonably priced wines. Knowledgeable staff provides great service. Garces is a keeper

I returned to Garces Trading Co. a few days ago and I had an experience that made me rethink every 5-​star rating I’ve ever given out. Our group of four sat down for a meal, a round of drinks and some dessert. The experience was truly excellent, we were given great seats in the wine room, our waiter, Leo, was extremely attentive and accommodating, and the atmosphere was perfect (I really enjoyed the tasteful Christmas décor).
Of the dishes and drinks we ordered, I couldn’t pick a bad selection. But, the one that truly stood out (and the reason I’m writing an updated review) is the Tuscan Fusilli Alla Carbonara. I can’t remember ever tasting a dish so delicious. It’s a pretty simple dish, long fusilli pasta, guanciale (it’s like bacon), pecorino, peas, and black pepper. The result of that combo is a deliciously cheesy, bacon-​y dish that really hits the spot without leaving you feeling heavy. Also, at only $ 16, this isn’t anywhere near the most expensive option on the menu.
Go to Garces Trading Co., eat the Carbonara, be in Heaven.

I haven’t given 2 stars before, so this was difficult for me and I’ve been waiting a couple days to post this…
Short version: drinks: good, service: great, but the food was totally mediocre and I would never come here again for anything other than an overpriced happy hour.
Longer version: We came here on Thursday night. It was raining and about 6:30ish but we got a table right away. The place was relatively empty, which should have been our first clue.
The setup inside is nice, but it is small. If you wanted to bring a large party you should definitely call ahead.
We ordered our drinks (I got the cherry whiskey drink and it was noms) and the cheese plate. The jams were the best thing about the cheese plate. We went with the option of getting 3 cheeses selected by the chef. We’re not really into soft cheeses so we just had that as a stipulation. The plate came out with 3 cheeses, but we’re pretty sure none of them were on the menu or maybe we just couldn’t understand the guy who brought them out (super thick spanish? accent). I could have overlooked a surprise platter if any of them were really good, but they weren’t. They were all really bland cheeses. No super nutty or smoky flavors, nothing interesting. We’ve walked by this place before with folks outside enjoying drinks and cheese looking super happy, so maybe we just had raised expectations. I don’t know. But I was really disappointed.
We then ordered the Margherita pizza to share. It’s sicilian, so we knew it would be thick. And the menu indicated pepperoni (which, the excellent server pointed out to us as well since typically margherita pizzas don’t have meat), which was fine. But the pizza literally came out looking like a Stouffer’s frozen dinner had been popped in the microwave. The dish it was in was metal but looked exactly like one of the black plastic microwavable dishes you’d get with freezer aisle pizza. Just rip the plastic off, microwave, and you’ve got 100% authentic Garce’s Trading Post pizza. It was okay pizza.
I wasn’t impressed with the oils and vinegar station (you can sample flavored oils and vinegars with your bread basket), but there was an interesting maple one that, when paired with jam from our mediocre cheese platter and bread from the free bread basket on our table, tasted like breakfast. But I’d have not missed it at all had our pizza had more of a presentation on it.
I’m sorry I had to post a 2-​star review here. But I get upset when I pay $ 30/​person for one drink and sharing some light snacks before a show only to find out I could have gone to Super Fresh and gotten the same exact experience.
The server was over the top though. He was the ginger fellow.

1^st time and well worth the stop. Nice fresh plates presented with artistry
I enjoyed the fresh house cultivated mozzarella as my antipasto and a healthy size Spaniard sandwich– which blends roasted peppers chicken and pesto on ciabatta bread Works well on all levels.
Great friendly service
The antipasto and French bread (with a wide selection of olive oils) were the most exceptional item s and may make this worth putting in my rotation when visiting philly. This is not a negative about the restaurant but more a statement about all of the exception dining in phillytown. So many good bites not enough time in the day

DELICIOUS! I was blown away by the execution and quality of the food here. Came with a group of girls for brunch and we opted to get the Brunch Prix Fix which included coffee or tea, pastries, a small appetizer and then an entrée, all for $ 22. Well worth it!
The Basket of home-​made pastries was accompanied with this delicious jam and cream. Everything was fresh and soft. A great start. I then got the country pâté, which was a huge portion of pâté for one person. I had to devour the whole thing. The focaccia and the salty pâté was just a great combination. As for the main entrée, I got the popular Lyonnaise duck salad. Beautiful presentation, plenty of duck confit. Everything was so nicely balanced.
I will say that the best thing I ate there, or perhaps one of the best things I’ve ever eaten, was something I did not order: the Quiche Du Jour. AMAZING! I tried a bite of my friend’s and was so glad that I did. The egg was like a custard, soft and silky. I wished I had ordered that instead honestly because I’ve never tasted a more delicious Quiche. They usually come out stiff and dry but this was so moist to the bite. I wish I could just call them up to ask how they got it so custardy. Two thumbs up for sure.
The restaurant itself was very rustic and clean. A great space for groups or small parties. I would 100% go back if I were in Philly again.

We snuck in Garces Trading Co on the Thursday before the Pope visited Philly – and man – this place was empty! That surprised me, given that I thought the city would be packed and I’ve heard great things about GTC. Overall, I’m very glad I finally tried GTC but wasn’t blown away but anything.
Our server was fantastic and brought over a sample of the on-​tap pumpkin beer they had. I opted for a cocktail instead, and got the femme francaise. It was light and refreshing but wish it had a tad more of a bite to it.
To start, I had the bonito del norte. There were a ton of beans and several chunks of tuna that had good flavor, but I absolutely loved the little peppers in the dish. I also had the lyonnaise salad, which was delicious. The presentation was fantastic, and the combination of the duck confit, the fancy greens, poached egg, and mustard vinaigrette was enjoyable.

Who doesn’t like tasting menus and house made honey and olive oil? No really, who doesn’t?
If you like those things, then this place is a must for dining out in Philly. For $ 40 you can have a chef’s tour sampling of something from every part of their menu which is pretty incredible and you will definitely leave full. Their House Made Mozzarella with that cracked pepper was such a good way to start off. Their salad in my opinion was just so so and that was one of the few dishes that wasn’t finished during out meal, that and the pizza was also just average for pizza we felt especially in comparison to how tasty some of the other dishes were. One example of that – Pappardelle With Lamb Ragù. Such a great dish. This is one of those dishes you wanted to mop up the extra sauce. And their Pan Roasted Scallops also a dish that you can tell was made with a lot of care since they were roasted so perfectly and held in all of the flavor from the other spices in the dish so well.
Really the ambiance here is something that I will remember about my trip to philly. We were not seated quite on time, but since their bar area is set up with olive oil and honey tasting stations, how could you be bored? I even bought some truffle honey to bring back with me, which I am still enjoying on pretty much everything. So flavorful and fresh, and like honey I’ve never had before until Garces.

I enjoyed the ambiance and vibe of this restaurant. I walked in with a friend to try the restaurant week menu & was pleasantly surprised. The staff was friendly & warm and made it a point to check on us a few times after we were seated.
The food was served expeditiously and was well prepared with a great presentation. I believe food us to not only be savored but enjoyed based on its presentation
The salad was crisp and fresh and combined the perfect vegetable selection to make it delectable. The walnut vinaigarette dressing was drizzled perfectly and had a hint of sweetness with the perfect amount of acidity. The roasted chicken sandwich was really complimented well with bacon and roma tomatoes.
Dessert was sweet and provided the perfect ending to a great meal.

Preface: I probably had higher expectations than usual walking into this Jose Garces establishment.
Tried: house mozzarella (really fresh and tasty, also oddly. really cute), rock shrimp & mussels pasta (nothing to write home about), and funghi pizza (so good!).
One note about the pizza — scrolling through past pictures now, it seems that their pizza has evolved quite a bit. For one, they’re not round or flatbreads — which would’ve been preferred. Ours was served in a rectangular cast iron with the dough resembling a deep dish but with regular toppings. The dough also hardened very fast). With that said, it was surprisingly delicious. Also service was great and ambiance lovely, the place was fairly occupied but not at all packed on a Wednesday night.
Now, what I’d actually highly recommend is their drinks menu — particularly the Rossyln Chapel (you know it was good cuz I actually remember the name). It’s a gin with Drambuie (!), rosemary, and some sort of honey. A bit pricey at $ 12, but it stands out much more than the $ 17 pasta. Actually, it probably made the latter taste better. Cheers!

I heard good things about this place from friends. I was surprised that it wasn’t super full. Parking is really difficult to find because of city sips and free parking on Wed.
I really liked the fresh mozzarella. The Funghi Pizza was also really good! Wasn’t a fan of the pasta.
Would I come here again? Maybe. I guess it depends on the situation especially since parking is hard to find.

I have to update my review based on my experience here last night for restaurant week. What a deal it is for restaurant week! It was fantastic.
Started with the mozzarella. A huge ball of mozzarella warmed. Love that they have so many olive oil and vinegars to chose from. Created a sampling and had that with the bread. This time they gave us ample bread which was much appreciated for all the cheese we had! It was delicious.
Then I had the margarita pizza. It was a margarita but with pepperoni on it. It was delicious! Had to take it home as we had more food coming and I indulged too much in the bread and olive oils.
Next I had the scallops and risotto. It was amazing. Perfectly cooked scallops. They were delicious. You received 3 scallops. With all the other food it was the perfect amount.
For dessert it was a chocolate tort with hazelnut ice cream. I highly recommend it! So great!
This time the service was wonderful and attentive.

Leo, our server for lunch during restaurant week was awesome. He saw how much fun we were having and professionally encouraged us to have more fun. The food was fantastic. We were super surprised by how flavorful and enjoyable the pane panelle sandwich was, who knew chickpeas could be soooooo good. Best meal, best service, best overall experience during that week hands down.

The restaurant week menu was disappointing. The service and the food was great. But there was not much too choose from.

Das war echt toll! Zum Mittagessen habe ich meine ausgetretenen Pfade in Philly verlassen und bin Unilocal gefolgt. Zu Recht! Das GTC ist eine echte Entdeckung.
Der Innenraum ist ansprechend gestaltet: In dem grundsätzlich eher klassisch-​industrial gestalteten Raum mit viel grobem Holz und etwas Stahl sind die einzelnen Tische elegant gedeckt. Es gibt hohe Tische, eine lange Bar, Sitzecken und normale Tische — alles angenehm und nicht zu eng gestellt.
Meine Essenwahl ist nach den anderen Bewertungen schnell gemacht: Als Vorspeise den warmen Mozzarella und als Hauptgang den GTC Burger.
Der warme Mozzarella ist etwas überraschend: Von der Konsistenz zwischen altem Kaugummi und Mozzarella, haben die Zähne was zu tun. Geschmacklich kann er auch nicht viel reißen. Zum niederknien ist aber das Olivenöl dazu, dass mit etwas Salz ein echtes Fest ist! Dazu etwas von dem rustikalen Baguette — herrlich.
Der Burger danach kann das ganze aber noch locker toppen. Abgesehen von dem nichtssagenden Burger hat man sich viel Mühe gemacht: Der Salat auf dem Burger ist mit einer Vinaigrette angemacht, als Käse gibt es würzigen Blauschimmel und das Patty an sich ist eine mächtige Ansage, die — wie bestellt — herrlich medium rare gegrillt ist. Dieser Burger ist einer der besten Burger, die ich je gegessen habe!
Nächstes mal komme ich gerne wieder, widme mich dann anderen Bereichen der Karte und vor allem auch der Getränkekarte!

I just got back from dinner with wife at this fantastic Garces spot. The bar is the place to be. I mean, the tables are fine, but I like to sit side by side. Anyway, that’s besides the point.
The service was fantastic. Water and our first glasses of wine came out promptly. The wine list is great; there are lots of offering from the Iberian Peninsula but you’ll find other great wines from regions ranging from Austria to California and everything in between. Though I did not partake, the cocktail list is drool-​inducing.
As for the food, it is executed perfectly. Why is it so hard to find properly cooked al dente pasta? Graces does it well. We also had the mozzarella. And the cauliflower? Deliciously prepared with just the right seasoning. I asked for more bread to soak up all the deliciousness left on the plates.
We were getting full but our intention was to order the steak. I’ll leave that for our next visit, which will likely earn Garces Trading another star. Also, Sari A recommended the truffle pizza as I was ordering dessert. I was sooo very tempted but it was just not possible tonight! Ok, another item added to the list for our next visit.
Desserts were fantastic. Again, more items to add to the growing list for our next visit. I really enjoyed Sunday dinner at Garces TC. We will be back for more!