Bistro Feel...

Garces Trading Company

1111 Locust Street

Philadelphia, PA 19107

www.garcestradingcompany.com/ 

My cousin had raved about Garces Trading Company for quite some time, so I was pretty excited to head there for brunch. I had been really ill leading up to our trip here, so it was my first real meal in over a week. It was one of the few Garces places I had not yet tried. I was excited to see the new bar that they had put in. I had been inside once before to get coffee so I knew what the old layout was like.

 

While the seats we had were a little cramped, I enjoyed the atmosphere of the place. It definitely felt like a European bistro of some sort. The menu choices were great, and we wound up going with bloody maries, the charcuterie plate, the pumpkin pancakes and the steak and eggs. 

Our waitress sold us on the charcuterie plate. She informed us that it would include jamon iberico, some of the finest quality ham in the world, so we jumped at the chance to have it for a reasonable price. Both types of jamon came served with a delicious whole grain mustard and cornichons and some other pickles. They were served beautifully on a piece of slate. The bloody maries were pretty good as well. They were definitely not the best I have had, but they were pretty good. For me, they didn’t have enough seasoning and horseradish, two of my favorite things in a bloody mary, however it was pretty good nonetheless. 

I really loved the presentation of the steak and eggs in the cast iron skillet. I actually really enjoyed the entire dish. I could definitely taste the truffle in the bernaise sauce and the steak was super tender and flavorful. It had a nice sear to it, and it was cooked perfectly to medium rare temperature. I only wish the potato rosti had more seasoning. It was pretty bland. It could have simply used salt and pepper to make it that much better.The pumpkin pancakes were awesome. The subtle flavor of the pumpkin and maple was warm and iniviting. The whipped cream topping was perfect on top. 

Three and a half pints for Garces Trading Company. They really nailed the concept and the feel of the European Bistro atmosphere. The visible wine cellar is a pretty attractive aspect as well. We are definitely looking forward to a return visit. I want to try that deep dish pizza! Give it a try if you want a European feeling in the heart of the city! Cheers!