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Parc was interesting.
The host staff was extremely anxious while my friend and I were dining on Friday night - this provided for a good bit of attention. I wish I could say the same for the wait staff. I'm really not sure if our waiter was in charge of 1900 other tables, or if it just took him 32 minutes to cross the massive dining room each time he went to the kitchen, at any rate, the service was very slow. If you're going to Parc, you need two full hours dedicated to it.
The food was cooked perfectly. We started with escargot and then, had salmon and trout almondine. Yumm. I can't speak for my friend's dessert, but I had the Nougat Glacé. It was like a soft, frozen Torrone. I called my Italian father immediately and told him about it. Again, yumm.
Other bummer: it's very loud - you don't notice it at first, but it gets progressively harder to communicate with your table as the night goes on.
What can I say that hasn't already been written in one of the previous 145 reviews? As a guy who tends to avoid the super flashy restaurants in favor of less conspicuous foodie haunts, I had never been here before (or really felt any desire to try it out). I always thought "yea yea, Stephen Starr, Maseratti's out front, blah blah blah."
And yet, when the time came to celebrate a special occasion, I knew I couldn't get away with just another quirky hole in the wall (No offense to all the holes in the wall that I love! Don't hate me, I had to do it.)
So the big occasion is that I got engaged this morning. I know, what the hell am I doing yelping today? I proposed this morning, then it was off to Parc Brasserie for brunch to start the celebrating.
Maybe I had the rose colored glasses on today, but everything was fantastic! The poached eggs with polenta and roasted peppers and greens were delicious. The polenta was very cheesy and garlicky, and they blended perfectly with the poached eggs. My fiance (first time referring to her as my fiance!) had an omelet with smoked salmon that was light and fluffy. For desert we tried the nougat with vanilla, figs and pistachios, which was wonderful. Creamy and smooth, with refreshing bits of fig made this a nice treat to cap off our meal.
Overall, it was a wonderful experience and a special way to celebrate. Although a little pricey for brunch, it's not that bad if compared to a nice meal at night.
A special thank you to our server, who did a wonderful job pampering us, and got so excited about being the first person to know of our engagement that she had to hug us both!
Typical French bistro spot with outdoor cafe type of seating you see in Paris. Very much a scene on Rittenhouse Square. Worth going once to check out Stephen Starr's concept here.
I wasn't overwhelmed with any of the dishes that we ordered. It was fine, but not going to rush back. Everything was pretty much standard. Service was actually attentive and very nice. Went with friends. We got the lobster and shrimp cocktails to start. Salad course was a green salad and a beet salad. Mains were the Sat. night special of a stuffed breast of veal, scallops and 2 orders of the steak frites. Everything was good and standard. The scallops were a bit salty.
I've eaten at Parc numerous times and it's a great place to take people from out of town for a quick Saturday / Sunday morning brunch. There's nothing special about Parc but it's a decent meal and close to Rittenhouse Sq. which makes for a nice after brunch stroll. Plus, I rarely wait for a table unlike Honey's, Sabrina's, or Morning Glory (all other great breakfast places) which can have an hour wait at times on weekend mornings. Good spot if looking for something quick. I'm not going to lie, the prices are a little steep for the food quality. The atmosphere seems as if they tried a little too hard to make this a legitimate French bistro. It would fit in better Epcot - Disney than actual France.
I love this area of Philly and this brasserie, where I've spent many sunny days lunching with a cocktail in hand. The cocktails here are good - try the "Romarin" which combines elderflower, rosemary, and grapefruit!
My husband swears the chicken sandwich is the best he's ever had. The warm shrimp salad comes with a perfectly balanced lemon-butter dressing. The desserts are also excellent, especially the seasonal fruit tart. My only complaint would be that there are not a lot of vegetarian options, but one expects that at a French brasserie I guess.
This is not a cheap place to eat, but I think worth it. We've generally had very good service and at times excellent. The food is consistently very good and the ambience lovely whether inside or out.
Philadelphia was the first stop on our city-hopping road-trip this year. After a long day of driving from Boston, including 2 hours of standstill on the NJ turnpike, we were pretty darn hungry.
This place was like a block away from our hotel, so it was a quick and easy choice, and also was a slightly fancy meal to kick off our trip.
The restaurant is huge inside. Enormous really. So even on a saturday night there was no issue getting a table. Service was fine. The food was good. Bread of course to start, i think they brought us baguettes and some kind of cranberry walnut bread, and both were excellent. For an entree I had the duck confit, which was awesome. The skin was perfectly crispy and the meat fell apart in my mouth. It was served with i think capers and pickled mushrooms, which were okay, but unremarkable. My date had steak frites; it was cooked how he asked and it was pretty good. Hard to screw up steak frites, and they didn't screw it up.
The beer list is standard, i'm not a wine person so i can't speak to the wine list. the bill wasn't too bad either for a fairly elegant dining experience. I'd be back here if i lived nearby.
I met a friend for eats and drinks here last week. We got there early so were placed at a prime window-side seat. The server was friendly and helpful, and the food was pretty damn good. I liked the ambiance and the retro/cool fixtures and seating.
I had the steak frites and I just about cleaned my plate. The garlic/lemon aioli served on the side was to die for.
This review is for inside brunch with a small note about outside dining (wine + cheese).
Brunch: Last Saturday, on that unseasonably cold, damp, miserable morning I met up with some friends. Parc is so large that even without the outdoor seating there was no wait for a party of three at 11am. We were in a nice central area up against a booth flanked with mirrored glass. Service was just what we were looking for - prompt, efficient, not overly chatty and never in the way.
The restaurant was noisy, but we were able to comfortably hold a conversation about my friend's upcoming wedding. I started off with an amazing mocha hazelnut and ordered the oatmeal brulee ($11). I never thought I'd say this, but it was completely worth the money! The texture was perfect (perhaps steel cut oats?) and the consistency was indulgently creamy. The raisins were cooked in with the oatmeal, making them plump and juicy. The entire dish was served with a burnt sugar top. I devoured the entire serving, and it filled me up until dinner.
Outside Wine + Cheese: I guess you have to order an entree to get their restaurant baked bread because I've never been offered a basket. The seating on 18th is great for views, but if you have a larger dog with you I'd choose Locust for the extra space (side note: my small dog was stepped on while I was seated curbside on 18th). Another caveat - the deep concrete reveals are perfect for collecting shards of broken glass. On my first visit my dog proudly dropped a chunk of glass that he found on my lap.
As for the cheese plate, for a similar price I prefer Rouge because they offer more accompaniments and a variety of breads.
I've only been here once, and I liked the food, but OH THE BUTTER. I had the chicken BLT sandwich and the butter was oozing out of the toasted bread. That and the fries it came with were great though. My friend's leg of chicken was also oozing with butter :) The atmosphere was great!
Super yum, though not always in the budget range of a poor student. I go to school right across the street on Locust, and I love how there are always people having a good time at Parc. Finally came here for brunch on Saturday and loved the cheeseburger. It was about the size of my head-- so be warned-- it's pricey but amazingly delicious, filling, and will probably last me two meals! Service is incredibly friendly but seems to be a bit spotty-- i.e. some tables had bread, others didn't, etc. but the food is delicious, the environment and ambiance wonderful-- what more could you ask for? I'm saving this place for special occasions. Dessert is also fantastic.
So I have made it to yet another Stephen Starr restaurant. This time up Parc.
Parc seems like such a great place from the outside. I would definitely think that dining outside or right by the window would make all of the difference in the experience eating here. I did not have one of these seats so I have to say that I was not too impressed by the decor of the place.
All that being said - The food is what was the star for me here (no pun intended).
I started my meal off with a nice glass of shiraz and the steak tartare. If they served that in more than an appetizer I would have been a happy man. It was so good that I wanted it again. I also shared oysters that night which was indeed just as good.
My meal for that night was also the special for the night. I had the Beef Burgeon. The meat was so tender and flavorful.
To finish off the meal I had the creme brulee which was not so spectacular but I ate it.
I think I would definitely go back again. Though I think next time I could kill a bottle of wine and some of the appetizers and be absolutely in heaven with that.
Good good, nice space- but what really stands out is how LOUD it is. I am no crotchety old woman, but when I can't hear any of the dinner conversation, that is a problem.
3.75 stars.
Because your hollandaise is truly luscious, and properly accented with cayenne pepper. And, your poached eggs are heavenly.
3.5 stars.
Gorgeous escargot swimming in salted butter, swirled with garlic, mushrooms, hazelnuts,…
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My husband and I checked out Parc on a dreary Saturday night. To be honest, I was a little nervous about all of the Yelp reviews of over seasoning and poor service. But we were delighted to have none of those issues!
We arrived a few minutes early for our reservation, so we squeezed in at the bar. I ordered a French 75 and fell in love. My better half got his usual, a Johnny Walker. The hostess tracked us down (she was very sweet) and sat us at a romantic table towards the back on the restaurant. We started with a cheese board (delicious!) and the steak tartar (AMAZING!). My husband went with the Saturday night special- a filet mignon topped with foie gras and black truffle mushrooms, and I went with the monkfish. Both were absolutely wonderful. I would say the monkfish is a great choice if you want to keep it healthy. The filet is obviously a major indulgence. We rounded out our meal with the apple tart- also delicious! And I must say the service was impeccable.
Great food, great service. And I didn't even mention how absolutely adorable this place is! It's a must-go.
What bugs me most about Parc is that it has quickly become the "scene to be seen at" in Philly. The outdoor seating on the park attracts a douchey group that enjoys inventing parking places for their Lamborghinis.
I finally stopped to check out the menu around Lunch time. The lunch menu looked pretty great with somewhat affordable prices and a good looking selection of food. I came back for dinner, but was pretty disappointed. Not only were the prices 3x higher, the food wasn't really anything to Yelp about. The appetizers (French Onion Soup and Tomato Tarte) were better than the dinner. Overall impression = meh.
After being heartbroken Saturday morning because Day-by-Day is closed (after I called and they said they were open the day before..grrr) we were in need of a quick and local brunch spot at 10am. Shockingly there really aren't a lot of options for a good brunch at this time on a Saturday in Ritt Square so we decided to check out Parc. It was a little chilly so we sat inside but in the window so we could still look out onto the park. It was absolutely beautiful and a great way to start off the morning with a cup of coffee and people watching.
The service was good, then not so good, then great. Our server was super friendly but not the best at remembering things we needed but got better once she realized we were trying to be patient. Melissa C. ordered the Quiche Lorraine and I ordered the Scrambled Eggs (I know not exciting). The quiche was really great and had a nice dark top but stayed completely creamy and wonderful on the inside. My eggs, though not the largest portion, were PERFECTLY cooked. I don't actually think I have had eggs cooked this well in years. They were creamy but not raw, had great herbs tossed in and were accompanied by a thick slice of brioche bread (slightly overdone). The coffee was perfect and the waitress kept it nice and full all meal.
The food was pretty great, the ambiance ok (the outdoor view was much more exciting than the inside one) and the service was ok. I probably won't return very soon for breakfast as the prices are a bit steep for what you get and the overall feel of the place is a little obnoxious on a Sat morning pre-coffee, but I am still really happy that we went and will keep it on the list of places to go when my favorites are unavailable.
Only had the chance to have drinks here, but plan on eating here soon. Beautiful setting and TONS of outdoor seating. The bread smelled amazing.
Be aware it is a STARR establishment, so it's not fine dining. I would recommend going here to impress someone who is not familar with Philly. You can view the beautiful park and peoplewatch as well.
Seems Reese Witherspoon and other movie stars who have shot a movie in the city seem to love this place, so keep an eye out for the celebrities as well ;)
Parc is a good option for the group that wants to grab a quick and tasty bite in a popular area. The couple that longs for a few romantic hours together should steer clear.
I went to Parc for dinner with a friend and enjoyed my experience for the most part, but found that the service was a little too speedy. This wouldn't normally be a bad thing but Parc's attentive servers border on pushy and you feel the pressure to down your meal so that they can turn their tables in record time.
That being said, it is still good food. I enjoyed my warm shrimp salad very much and stole a bite of my friend's spaghetti bolongnese -- yummy if a tad unadventurous.
All in all, not a bad option -- but leave Grandma Ruth at home, the din can climb to a clamor (hows that for a tongue-twister?)
I thought I had enough of Parc...but when my mother came to visit for her birthday she wanted to explore Philly. I obliged because I knew I would get some Parc out of the deal.
Lunch was delicious. I had some champagne (ok, dr-unch)...some steak tartare (yum in my tum)...and that much coveted lamb sammich all to myself (back of my high school--see previous review). My mother had a cheeseburger which is unusual for her but she enjoyed it and it was her birthday afterall. I couldn't give her grief for it.
Service was great. Weather was beautiful. My mom enjoyed it so I was happy.
Please give me the strength to go to Amada next time for a chage of pace. I have been dying to go and get pulled in every other direction every time I am in Philly. Damn you Parc.
My galpals and I enjoyed a stellar brunch at Parc on Saturday. I was quite...um...hungover to say… Read more »
Equation for star assignments:
best view of the square +5 stars
My lamb there was chewy -2 stars
My fiance's skate was super salty -2 star
seated right away twice + 1 star
Burger was excellent +2 stars
Burger was $16 -1 star
service was a push
drinks also a push
Escargot in butter twice +2
Stephen Starr over charge -1
Based on dinner and lunch...I suggest lunch.
I look down on people who order salads at restaurants. I especially despise people who get salads at a buffet. Why would you waste time on cheap greens when there's all-you-can-eat roast beef?! But I have to admit, my kryptonite is a frisee "salad". Something 'bout a perfectly poached egg paired with pork bits sitting atop a frisee garnish gets me all googly eyed.
Parc has a 'Salade Lyonnaise' on their menu, aka a frisee "salad" so duh I ordered it. The food came out ridiculously fast, almost suspiciously fast (could it have been pre-made?). The best part about our meal was sitting at an open window overlooking Rittenhouse Park with a fresh breeze blessing our meal. The view of the park was wasted on me; I spent my time looking at other people's food. Everything on everyone else's plate looked delicious.
The complimentary bread is really sharp, literally. The bread almost cut the inside of my mouth. Of course that didn't stop me from eating half a loaf. I took it on as a challenge.
My only drawback is that the prices don't reflect the French blase bistro atmosphere, it's more like $11 for my "salad" and $3 for my coffee. ($11 isn't bad at all but the salad is amuse bouche tiiiiny.) I hate paying for salads. But mine was dressed so well, I can't complain.
I know I'm so late on finally getting to Parc, but I shyed away because escargots and pate are so not me; I'm more of a cheap-drafts-and-fries kind of girl. Finally, my mom and I had dinner there - I can't believe what I've been missing out on!
We were told it would be about a 20 minute wait for a sidewalk table with a park view. We went to the bar inside, and when I walked in, for a second, it was like being back in Paris (only on a larger scale; it's huge inside). Starr's team did a great job crafting it like a French brasserie...very chic. After less than 5 minutes, the extremely nice host came to the bar to let us know our table was available.
I have never in my life ordered a cheese plate in a restaurant, and when I mentioned this to Mom, she said I should try it. Our waitress (who looked like traffic girl Jamie Shupak from Fox29) asked us a few questions about what we liked and disliked, and the selection she put together was awesome. Everything on the cheeseboard was killer.
I was dying to try some of the delicious-sounding dishes (like the French onion soup or macaroni gratin), but it was so hot and humid out and I couldn't handle anything heavy or hot. I ordered the warm shrimp salad, which was the best salad I've had in a long time. The shrimp were tossed in a white wine-butter sauce (awesome), and the greens were heaped with avocado. The combination of flavors was so yummy.
Mom had a cheeseburger (sans onions), of which she ate about 1/4 of because she was full, and there was SO much food on her plate. She loved it. I stole some of her fries, and they were bangin': thin, crispy, potato-y, perfectly salted, and not greasy.
The bar menu had a full list of specialty cocktails, and a good selection of draft beers. Mom had the Romarin cocktail, which was strong and citrusy, and I had a Hoegaarden draft.
Oh, and the view is obviously beautiful, regardless of where you're sitting.
It's as close to Paris as you can get in Philly.
The setting is a large Bistro on a street in Paris. The noise inside, not over-whelming; the walls and ceiling looking as though they've been stained by years and years of cigarette smoke; the floors, fixtures and the bar out of a movie set; all this gets you ready for an exceptional experience.
I've been here 3 different times, with a group of 4, 6 and 9. Everyone seems to love the atmosphere and for the most part have enjoyed what they've ordered. Most, however, have said the kitchen needs to (drastically) cut back on the use of salt. Now I love salt as much as the next guy but most of the items were way over seasoned - to the point that we asked our server to please say something to the Chef for us on our last visit. Another complaint is that on 2 different occasions, the Steak Frites was, at one sitting, "gamey", at another very stringy. An odd failure for a Bistro.
So, if I go back, I will politely ask them to cut back on the seasoning - not order the steak and enjoy the feeling of being in this great setting.
I give it 2 stars only because of the GM. Our food was late, our table wobbly, our drinks wrong . . . let me put it this way, anything that could of gone wrong...did
Carol came to out table, the GM. Beautiful, smiling, friendly, listened, seemed to care, took care of us. We, I still won't go back, there are too many other places to try, but I would give Parc no stars if she wasn't there
EXCELLENT place for lunch. The atmosphere is gorgeous - well appointed and just very lovely.
Service was excellent! So friendly and attentive despite how busy it was.
I had the salmon tartine - a little too salty, though the bread was tasty.
The dessert was awesome! And the coffee was very excellent. Not sure about you, but it certainly is a relief when you can finish a meal with a delicious cup of coffee.
I'm noticing a theme... Parc seems to be my go-to place for lunch when I'm having a crap day and in serious need of some vent time. Not sure whether it's the food, the relatively noisy atmosphere (which means I don't have to whisper while I rant), the scale of the place (which means we can usually score a secluded table in the back) or a combination of all of those factors. Either way, it does the trick.
Today was the onion soup and the warm shrimp salad.. both were divine. I will admit that i'm easily wooed by citrus, and the lemon/shrimp/avocado combination is a winner in my book. The soup can be hit or miss for me, but today I was in luck and it was great.
On past visits I've had the chicken paillard (delicious) and the burger. The burger, dare I say, is my favorite burger in the city. The mussels are decent, and the lemon tart is incredible. (see? again with the citrus)
Overall it's a great spot and I leave happier every time.
Expensive but the food is good. The atmosphere is different from most other places in Philly. A bit pretentious and a copy to Balthazar in NYC but I guess whatever brings in the people and dough.
This is the place to people watch and transport yourself (for a few hours anyway) from Philadelphia to Paris. The food is fantastic, great sidewalk seating to people watch. The Rittenhouse Square outdoor space is a little loud, but fun; try the Locust side if you'd like to have a little less distraction (and usually quicker to be seated). Great wine list! The attitude of the staff wasn't the best, but once seated and with a great book or friends, everything gets better. Worth a try, and I'm sure you'll be back again soon. (And if there's a long wait, check out Caribou Cafe. I've been there many times with great experiences!)
A great addition to the Rittenhouse Square dining options.
The food and service are good and decor hits on all the French brasserie details, including fans and nicotine stained ceilings.
If a trip to Paris seems a little over the top, this is the place to be.
Worth a detour.
I really enjoyed this place. My fiance and I actually ate here twice last weekend, once for a light lunch and the next day for brunch. It was convenient from our hotel, and we liked the outdoor seating. We are both total suckers for Balthazar and Pastis in NYC, and the menu here is somewhat similar.
After about a 25 minute wait on Saturday afternoon, we secured a table outside. The place was slammed, probably due to the art festival at Rittenhouse Square. It was warm out, so we opted for a lighter meal. We started with a bottle fo Chablis, the beet salad, and decided to share the petite plateau seafood platter. The beet salad was good, but the seafood was AMAZING. I am usually weary of raw bar platters at restaurants- I find that the shrimp is usually overcooked and rubbery and the oysters/clams to be not as fresh as they could be, but this was declicious. The dish consisted of shrimp cocktail, mussels, amazingly fresh oysters and clams, ceviche, and octopus salad. I was beyond impressed. Service was a little slow, but given how busy they were, our server was pretty attentive.
Brunch was somewhat standard fare- we ordered scrambled eggs, bacon, and a croque madame with fries. Wow, the fries at this place are unreal- probably one of my favorite plates of fries I've had in a long time.
We would definitely come back here next time we are in Philadelphia. The only thing I was not a huge fan of was all the obnoxious women with their small dogs who seem to frequent this establishment. Um, your purse dog is not cute- it looks like a rat- get it the fuck out of the restaurant.
The food was good, however the service was terrible. Why pay such high prices for such terrible service? I decided to skip this place from now on. I did complain to the management, but they could have cared less. So I would have to say skip Parc completely and find a better restaurant that actually gives you the service you deserve.
I can honestly say that I had the best veal cheeks I have ever in my life had here. Part of that is because they were the only veal cheeks I have ever had, but another part of that is because they were just amazing. They just melted right onto my tongue, and everything it came with was equally as tasty. As was my friend's meal, the lamb chops - perfectly cooked and nicely seasoned.
We also got the french fries...it felt funny getting them in this place, but they just looked so good. it was NOT a mistake.
The appetizer we got, which was a bunch of different meats, including I think a boar sausage were all amazing. Plus pate and chicken liver spread, all of which were amazing. We asked for as much bread as they would give us, it was so fresh and went so well with all of our dishes.
Can't comment on dessert, because we were much too full at this point (and fed up..read on.)
I'll put it to you this way: I am doing this place a favor with the five stars - basing that on the FOOD ONLY. If the service were included, I'd probably jump it down to a 3 (but since I've only been there once, I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt).
Our service started out great - waiter was friendly, knew the menu back and front and was able to make suggestions (granted, he only recommended the two most expensive items on the menu....) and explain what was in different dishes. Then....a larger table came in, and our little table of two was promptly....IGNORED. It was tricky to track down the waiter and get his attention to order something else, the dessert menu was dropped (as in drop and run) on our table (hence being fed up and not ordering dessert...), with no stop to offer it, and the check - with our credit cards in it ready to be run - sat and sat and sat until someone ELSE finally noticed and took it. Like I said, I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt in the service department, since this was only one visit.
I'm definitely going back, and hoping for a table closer to the windows, or even outside next time - 5 stars for ambience, in my opinion - just different than anywhere else.
My oysters were excellent. The half-dozen comes with three different varieties which were all distinct and equally good. My spaghetti Bolognese was rich and flavorful, but far too salty. I was able to ignore this until about half way through when it became simply too intense to ignore. I still finished it, however. I don't recall what I had for desert, but I remember liking it a lot as well.
Lively and charming atmosphere, even nicer if you sit outside (the inside can get a little loud). Exceptional bread and butter. I would have easily given this place five stars if it weren't for my overly seasoned entree.
On a nice night, be prepared to wait for an hour if you want an outside table.
2.5 stars.
we started my bachelorette day of debauchery here for brunch. we started off with a selection of five cheeses. they were served with baguette and there were a couple fruit spreads and almonds on the plate. the cheeses were nice-n-stinky, just the way i like them.
i absolutely love eggs benedict, and was looking forward to trying parc's all week. the hollandaise sauce was actually very thick and too lemony. it didn't have a rich buttery flavor at all. it tasted like a liquified lemon meringue poured over breakfast. the eggs were also slightly under-poached, which kind of grosses me out. the whites of the eggs aren't supposed to be dippy.
the reason for the lower rating is not just because of the mediocre meal i had. the service started off great. but when one of our dishes didn't come out with the rest of the food, my sister told the server that we had ordered another dish. the server's response was "no you didn't." really? maybe it was just our meal, or our server was having a bad day, or whatever, but i don't get all the hype.
Cute French brasserie situated on Rittenhouse Square, with Euro style sidewalk seating with both chairs facing out. It looks exactly the same as Rouge, just a block or so away.
I came here for brunch on a nice Sunday morning and sat on the sidewalk. Our waiter was friendly yet it somehow took him 10 minutes to bring us coffee - and people who were seated after us got their coffees first. Slightly annoying.
I had the polenta and eggs, which, while very tasty, was served with onions that were not mentioned on the menu. I guess at a French place maybe I should assume everything comes with onions? Anyway, I picked them off and proceeded to enjoy my dish. But this is not a cheap place. $15 for polenta and eggs. Yes, $15. I very rarely pay that much for brunch in NYC.
I suppose since we were tourists we sort of got hosed by the price of a cute sidewalk cafe on the square. Lesson learned for next time in Philly.
We ate breakfast at 9 and headed into Parc for our noon reservation. It felt like we were setting ourselves up for failure given that we really weren't hungry. Eyeing everyone outside on the patio, we were disappointed when we were taken into the back of the restaurant.
But then, I saw the menu and found the Mozzarella and Tomato Baquette. It was delicious. The iced tea was great and our drinks were refilled constantly. The service was almost overwhelming.
The bathrooms were beautiful. Would like to return when I wasn't so full!
Simple formula for having fun at Parc: Sit outside, order a nice cold cocktail, watch people, repeat.
Service is very good, havent' yet eaten there, drink selection is above average, and location is great.
Probably the best outdoor space in Rittenhouse.
I did brunch at Parc. Normally if I try a meal and don't like the food - I'll go back at a different time to try a different portion of the menu.
In this case the food was good enough - but honestly not good enough to interest me in going back. Overall - this was probably one of my worst restaurants experiences in Philly.
first - I felt out of place - almost like an inconvenience for the ample wait staff. Not that they were discourteous or slow to respond - there was just a pretentiousness about the staff that far outweighs any of the other Starr establishments - and that is hard to do. Look - having a cool name, a good location, neat atmosphere and a high price tag isn't enough for me. I'm want a solid dining experience. And I just didn't feel like Parc was going to give it to me at any price. I felt like I was "just" a customer... like somehow not being on staff made me not part of the "cool" crowd.
I had the eggs Benedict - and while not horrible it wasn't great either. There again - who gets an eggs Benedict at a French Brasserie? My date's omelet was masterfully cooked - so I think I just made a poor menu choice. Silly me. I will say the french fries were amazing.
The bar had a good menu but my experience with them seemed inconsistent. My first Bloody Mary was fine - if maybe oddly garnished. So oddly that I took a picture. This was a mistake - because when I ordered my second drink it allowed me to check and verify they had reused the garnish from the first. I expected that sort of thing at French restaurants in Africa... it shocked me a little at a Starr establishment. But the rel problem was that the second drink was horrible - just a bitter punch to the gutt.
Another reviewer likened the experience to almost like Disney World - good enough but with that fake half copied feeling. I don't know if it was the porn in the bathroom, the cut rate quality of some of the ingredients, the pretentiousness of the staff... but this was one of the worst overall experiences I've had in Philly - which is a shame since the food was halfway descent.
So in short - Parc has a great airy atmosphere. It looks great as long as you don't look too close. And NPH was spotted there recently... But if I'm looking for more than drinks - I'm not going to waste my time going there again.
PS - seriously - Parc needs to hire a real designer. The menu nearly gave me an aneurysm - it looked like it was laid out in Microsoft word by a high school student with no prior experience using Microsoft Word... and the website is even worse. If you want to hold a premium brand - make half an attempt to look like you care or pay someone else to do it for you.
PPS - I wasn't kidding about the porn in the bathroom - be warned if you have kids.
I really adore Parc. It actually has little to do with the food, which I'll say more about that in a minute . . . what I love is the ambiance, the decor, and the vibe that surely I'm in Paris?! It really captivated me, especially the bistro chairs straight from Paris that faced the park for excellent people watching. What can I say . . . it must not take much to captivate me.
Now, the food -- I had the eggs benedict off the brunch menu, and it was quite tasty indeed. The freshly squeezed orange juice was divine, and the whole experience was very pleasant. I'd love to go back and try dinner sometime!
Came here again for brunch with my girl friend. We started out with the escargots in hazelnut butter - divine! It was my first time and I'm glad I didn't have to go through the intimidating and seemingly arduous process of extracting the meat from the snail shell. The sauce for this was delicious.
My friend ordered typical brunch fare - pain perdu with hazelnut butter and apples. I ordered atypical brunch fare, but not uncommon for myself - steak frites. The steak wasn't my favorite cut (hangar steak), but it was tasty, if unsurprisingly tough. The frites were wonderful and served with aioli. They did add some greens to the plate, but I'm really not sure why; they were left completely untouched.
It was a Saturday brunch on a wonderful day in the city so the service was a little slower than I'm used to. But I still love Parc for the cute, quaint atmosphere. My girl friend said it really reminds her of bistros in Paris.
I went back again on a busy Friday night...alone, again, because that's just how I roll. I was… Read more »
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Category: Real Estate
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Category: American (Traditional)
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Category: Breakfast & Brunch
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Category: Steakhouses
Collingswood, NJ
Category: Italian
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