Building an empire can happen a number of ways: through accumulating money, power, and territory, or by taking a really fat dude and teaching him the rules of baseba...oh, empire. For the latest project in Iron Chef Jose Garces' restaurant dominion, get to JG Domestic.

Set up in the former Rae space, JG Domestic is Garces' "celebration of artisanal American food and drink", half-exposed/half-enclosed in the Cira Centre lobby with natural-hued upholstery, raw wood touches, and a "living wall" used to cut light and grow herbs, eco-consciousness they hope will keep them from getting picked on, but it won't. The all-US-sourced menu offers Strube Wayu Skirt Steak w/ cider-glazed cipollini onions/shishito peppers/bleu cheese, along with seasonally-specific dishes like Atlantic Big Eye Tuna w/ baby artichokes/kumquats and the showstopper, Roasted Suckling Pennsylvania Lamb: a roasted leg and shoulder, crispy confit ribs, and braised belly, a serving style called "whole animal", as opposed to "half animal", the Muppet shipping accident that still haunts UPS to this day. Drinks include 20 legit (read: not PBR) American beers, wine, a hefty assortment of domestic bourbons and ryes, and signature cocktails named after Amtrak routes like a lighter, more refreshing version of the bloody mary called The Texas Eagle, the bourbon/allspice/pumpkin butter Hiawatha, and a Sazerac called The City of New Orleans, but don't go calling the National Guard if it arrives a little watered down...too soon?

Because drinking in the AM will get you mad high-fives fired, morning time brings out the coffee kiosk hawking fresh pastries, scones, and other baked goods along with Garces' line of coffees and espressos, most of which are brewed on the dark side, another thing that comes in handy while constructing an empire.