After all, it was through his Nuevo Mexican magic at El Vez nearly five years ago that Philadelphians first encountered Garces as a rookie head chef, still an unknown bantamweight hungry with ambition. He created there for owner Stephen Starr a menu that celebrated the vibrant possibilities of contemporary Mexican cuisine. His sophisticated riffs on traditional fare were among the most exciting modern ethnic cooking I'd ever tasted. But when he left El Vez to launch his stellar solo career, he confesses, "I left a piece of myself there."
Not only has Garces reconnected at Distrito with that early font of inspiration, he has also given it the grown-up gloss of a 35-year-old chef in his brilliant prime. And he now has a crack supporting team, including chef de cuisine Tim Spinner, to help him carry it off with layered refinement. Velvety-soft slices of sous-vide poached chicken now anchor the deeply earthy pasilla broth of tortilla soup. Gone is the "Chicago-style" distraction of tomatoes in Garces' early guacamoles, replaced with a new infatuation: fistfuls of lush Venezuelan crab, whose white flakes are sea-sweet against creamy avocado tuned up with limey cilantro and chile heat.
Garces has always used authenticity as the springboard for his innovations. But the steady focus on tapas at his Amada and Tinto has given him the discipline and aesthetic to convey an intricate world of flavor and texture on each gorgeous small plate. Each added blade of corn shoot or roasted pumpkin seed makes a subtle flavor imprint. Every micro-garnish or temperature contrast is a deliberate balance play.
