Jose Garces’s Plans For World Domination: An Update

Last week, we brought you the news (and rumors) about Iron Chef Garces’s plans for expanding his brand beyond the Philadelphia and Chicago homebases he’s maintained since 2005. Word was, he was looking at four new operations in Scottsdale and Atlantic City (plus one more in Philly), most of them hotel/casino operations.

And as of today we can both confirm and add more detail to part of that story. It was announced yesterday afternoon that Garces had signed on as “the executive chef in charge of food and beverage operations at The Drinkwater,” a new hotel in Scottsdale, AZ. But JG isn’t bringing just one concept to the desert.

He’s bringing three.

Here’s the official list of what the chef has in mind:

In addition to overseeing room service and poolside eats, Chef Garces will manage three distinct dining outlets:  Distrito, a modern Mexican restaurant and bar that will share the hotel’s bright colors and fun, interactive aesthetic;  The Saloon, a bar evocative of frontier drink parlors of old, The Saloon will offer a collection of domestic spirits and artfully crafted cocktails alongside Southwestern inspired dishes;  and Garces Trading Company (GTC) Coffee To-Go, serving Chef Garces’ custom-roasted GTC coffees and house baked goods.

According to the hotel’s new owners, it will be up and running “in the fourth quarter 2011,” which does not leave a lot of time for a complete overhaul of its food and beverage service. One thing in his favor, though? It’s not like he’s going to have to explain to the people of Scottsdale what he’s trying to do with his DF-style Mexican street food and lucha libre decor.

JG Goes On A Spree [Foobooz]

The Drinkwater Hotel [Sydell Group official website]