Victor Fiorillo’s Operation Maker’s Mark has wrapped up and Oscar’s got busted. the divey Center City bar was serving up something that wasn’t Maker’s Mark.

But now what? What’s the correct punishment for a bar that’s misrepresenting the liquor they’re serving?

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Operation Maker’s Mark: The Results Are In [Restaurant Club]

Grub Street scores an interview with Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board CEO, Joe Conti regarding the PLCB’s wine boutique concept.

Also of note in the interview:

• A wine boutique partnership with DiBruno Bros fell through at the last moment.
• The second boutique would be part of a Center City office building that is not the Comcast Center (Liberty Place anyone?).
• A DiBruno Bros collaboration at 18th and Chestnut could still happen.

PLCB Chief Talks Wine Boutiques, Partnering with DiBruno Brothers [Grub Street]

News on the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s plan to open wine boutiques within restaurants and food shops has been scant since the original flare-up in March. There isn’t a whole lot of new information presented in the Philadelphia Business Journal’s Friday article but it is interesting to note the plan is now presented as wine shops in “high-end gourmet food shops” and doesn’t specifically say restaurants.

Eateries sour on LCB wine plan [Philadelphia Business Journal via MenuPages]

Tria’s owner Jon Myerow is organizing PA Restaurants for Fair Competition in a move to counter the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s announced collaboration with with selected restaurateurs. As part of the movement he’s started a Facebook group and told Foobooz his reasons for starting the group.

I am organizing PA Restaurants for Fair Competition because the PLCB seeks to create an unlevel playing field for restaurants that serve fine wine and for all BYOBs. The PLCB wants to hand-select restaurateurs as “business partners” (the Chairman’s words) and compete directly against other businesses that it regulates. (The PLCB would open specialty wine stores inside of restaurants and sell wines chosen to match the restaurants’ cuisines.)

I applaud the PLCB for working to improve the state’s wine situation, and I respect and admire the Board’s first selected partner, Jose Garces. But the plan is blatantly unfair and threatens the competitive landscape; any new alcohol marketing programs should be open to all interested entrepreneurs and not just the Board’s favorites. Ultimately, if the state goes into the restaurant business, there will be less choice for consumers because no restaurateur can compete against the state. I am asking other restaurateurs across the state to join me in fighting against this dangerous precedent.

PA Restaurants For Fair Competition [Facebook]

Judging by the amount of comments we received on the Jose Garces and Pennnsylvania Liquor Control Board thread there’s no shortness of opinion on the matter. Tria’s Jon Myerow shared his concerns with Michael Klein this weekend and PLCB chairman Patrick “P.J.” Stapleton II issued a statement.

Chef’s LCB venture sours rivals [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Philadelphia Magazine confirms that Jose Garces is indeed opening something in the Western Union Building at the corner of 11th and Locust. The something appears to be a light bite bistro with cheeses, desserts and wine to eat-in or take out. What’s that about wine to go? Not in Pennsylvania, right?

In a first, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is partnering with a chef to open a boutique wine store within another business. It sounds like it will be run as a separate business under the same roof, similar to what the PLCB has done in some mega-grocery stores. On a positive note, you might be able to get some great Spanish cheese and wine to go under one roof but we wonder what DiBruno Brothers or Tria Cafe thinks of a government agency partnering with what could be a competing business.

Jose Garces and PLCB [Philadelphia Magazine]

The protest of Union Trust’s liquor license by sommelier Marnie Old has been tossed out by the PLCB.

A protest letter filed by local sommelier Marnie Old against the Union Trust (717 Chestnut) steakhouse, has been denied by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s lawyer, says a PLCB spokeswoman. The state agency ruled that Old’s letter, written on Sept. 11, 2007, was “filed after the deadline for valid protests.” As the only other protest letters were both withdrawn, the PLCB will continue to process the license-transfer application without a hearing required.

Dan Gross: LiLo & Samantha mur.murings [Philadelphia Daily News]

In an interesting squabble, wine expert Marnie Old is protesting Union Trust’s liquor license.

According to correspondence, Old wants the restaurant to sign a document stating that it will never have outdoor seating or function as a nightclub.

Other demands include implementing noise-mitigation measures, expediting valet parking to minimize sidewalk congestion and storing trash inside the premises until immediately before collection. White says that he never planned outside dining but that he won’t be told how to run his business, and looks forward to their day in court.

Dan Gross: Union Trust draws protest [Philadelphia Daily News]

PhilaFoodie provides some tips on how to get a difficult to find wine in your hands in Pennsylvania. And no, it doesn’t begin with drive to New Jersey.

Working the PLCB System [PhilaFoodie]

Beverage writer and beer geek enthusiast Lew Bryson has started a new blog Why The PLCB Should Be Abolished. You already know why, but learn how to say it intelligently from Lew. [NoPCLB.blogspot.com]

Gridskipper puts together a Philly gay bar crawl. Where’s 12th Air Command on this list?! [Gridskipper]

If you’re squeamish about cloning and genetically modified food, you probably won’t be too excited about PETA’s offer of $1 million to whoever comes up with a way of making fake meat. [NYT]