25. JG Domestic

On one hand, the crab-and-corn soup comes deconstructed, with a warm cream broth poured tableside. On the other, the brussels sprouts are served simply grilled, with Allagash honey and bits of La Quercia prosciutto. The whole place is a study in contrasts—a regional menu that draws as often from Jose Garces’s own Luna Farm as it does from nationwide boutique producers, a comfortable blond-wood space inside a sterile skyscraper’s lobby. But what’s most surprising here is that while firmly wedged into the local, farm-to-table headspace of the restaurant industry’s gestalt, JG Domestic is also most indicative of the Iron Chef’s daring and cutting-edge impulses.

On the Floor: Despite the challenging location (inside the Cira Center, across from the Amtrak station), JG Domestic often still sports a line of people waiting for tables. Plan accordingly.

If Only: Some of the more successful experiments pulled off by the kitchen here, like the brilliant lobster cappuccino from the opening menu, would find their way back into the regular rotation.

Visit one of the 50 Best Restaurants in Philadelphia:
JG Domestic, 2929 Arch Street, 215-222-2363.

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