Philadelphia is equally well known for its BYOBs as Pennsylvania is for its incredibly strict guidelines governing the sale of wine and liquor. For those of you not familiar with the PA wine & liquor system, every last wine & liquor store is state owned. That's right Californians, no 2-Buck Chuck at Trader Joes or a quick bottle of gin to go along with tonic & limes at the grocery store. And forget about boutique wine shops. In fact, forget about any wine shopping experience that doesn't include a glaring 8000 watts of fluorescent light while you try to find that perfect Chateauneuf Du Pape. There is an upside - and only one upside. PA happens to be one the largest wine buying entities in the US. That means we often get deals the rest of you can't. While all of you non-Pennsylvanians scrambled to find the few remaining bottles of 2008 Mastroberardino Falanghina at $22, we here in PA were buying it in bulk at $5.99 a bottle.
But I digress. Finally, instead of trying to fight this arcane system, one restaurateur has decided to join forces. Jose Garces, executive chef of 6 restaurants in Philadelphia, has opened a beautiful and tasty BYOB right in the hip Washington Square West area called Garces Trading Company. The menu, with everything from Paella to Coq Au Vin to Chicago-style deep dish, is nothing short of excellent. And if that wasn't enough, the retail counter has some of the best cheeses, meats and flavored honey found the city round. The greatest part, however, is that Chef Garces convinced the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to open a boutique wine and liquor shop right in the middle of the restaurant. Styled as a wine room you might find in one of the grand Rittenhouse town-homes, this shop is stocked with a carefully curated selection of wines not normally found in the average state store. So stop on over, ask the nice hostess for a table (no reservations allowed) and spend the inevitable wait searching in the 250sqft wine room for the perfect bottle to compliment your meal -- all within steps of your soon-to-be table.
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