Eat in, take out: All good

In the maiden voyage of Garces Trading Company - the "all-in-one culinary destination" from the prolific, hot-as-a-pistol Jose Garces - a bit of a change of course had transpired at the end, on Tuesday, of its first week.

The state's liquor control apparatus had made a rather bold move, establishing its own "wine boutique" - a mini-State Store - in space it leased in the bosom of the project in the Western Union Building at 11th and Locust. (All state liquor stores are in leased spaces, but this would be the first actually inside a market-cafe.)

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board thought of it as an extension of its tiptoeing kiosk initiative, allowing restricted wine sales in select supermarkets: It viewed Garces Trading (GTC, henceforth) as primarily a provisioner, a grocer of charcuterie, cheese, and olives, akin, say, to a Di Bruno Bros.

So the PLCB was a little taken aback, insiders say, that the cafe component ended up so front and center - a 75-seat, high-profile eatery. Was this project really a restaurant thinly veiled as a market? (That was how a few ticked-off restaurateurs nearby saw it, especially those who had bought pricey liquor licenses; GTC's eatery was getting the advantages of on-premises, BYO-priced wines without the burden of buying a license.)

Those advantages, of course, have trickled down wonderfully to consumers - a French Cotes du Rhone that commands $30 or more in a state-licensed dining room can be had at the GTC-based boutique for $10.99. For less than you'd pay for a glass in most bistros, you could get a good bottle here. (Or take it home.)

The GTC staff had other concerns. Given that Garces was on such a roll - his other Latin-themed restaurants (Amada, Chifa, Tinto, Distrito) winning accolades, the Food Network crowning him Iron Chef - the kitchen braced for a run on the sit-down cafe.

But a funny thing happened in Week 1. Customers were eating in, all right. But almost half as many were taking out - and filling up bottles at the self-serve olive oil and specialty vinegar bar, and buying breads and vacuum-sealed, boil-in-a-bag prepared entrees. (The enough-for-three coq au vin, $26, that I took to a soiree in Wynnewood was a major hit, the savory chicken carefully cooked - lighter for the breast meat, stewier for the thighs - the French-trimmed carrots and fingerling potatoes packed in separate envelopes to preserve their individual flavors.)