A Parisian bistro dropped right into the heart of Rittenhouse Square is the idea behind Stephen Starr's Parc restaurant. Now I've never been to Paris so I can't compare the experiences but with menu items like steak tartare, trout amandine and escargot, surrounded by some of the best scenery in Philadelphia, this has to be pretty close to that idyllic scene I imagine a Parisian bistro to be.
View of the interior from my seat. Nothing flashy here, rustic would be a good word to describe it. I remember hearing that it was styled after a train station and with the speakers on the columns, the mosaic tiled floor and faux weathered furniture you can definitely see it. But honestly, I only took a quick look around the inside because the real draw of eating at Parc was not to my right.
The view of the outside from my seat. This wasn't the best seat for enjoying the scenery of Rittenhouse Square but I'd say it's still better than any of the other restaurants in the area and I think this side is a little quieter. On a perfect day like today they could have served me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and I would've been blissfully happy here.
We're offered a basket of bread to which we happily accept. Included are sour dough bread, cranberry walnut bread, and a baguette with a side of butter. The bread was awesome and combined with what was to come we left this basket mostly empty.
1) Escargots - $14
Started with this playfully miniaturized pot of escargot and mushrooms in a hazelnut butter sauce. French cuisine in all its buttery drenched glory was on display here. The snails came already extracted from their shells and soaking in this uber rich sauce waiting to be devoured. And devour we did. Only the prospect of suffering a coronary did I not indulge in sopping up all every last drop of hazelnut butter from this crucible of delightfulness.
2) Warm Shrimp Salad - $16.50
Shrimp seasoned with truffle oil, avocado, and a slice of Parmesan cheese with a lemon beurre blanc dressing. The shrimp were huge, were talking U10's, and they had an ever so slight hint of the truffle oil. The rest of the plate was fresh, as to be expected, and the lemon beurre blanc completed the french in this salad...heavy cream and butter! It was lightly dressed so it didn't feel heavy.
3) Moules Frites - $17.50
Massachusetts mussels in a white wine, shallots, garlic and of course butter sauce. Fries with an aioli dip. What can I say other then I'm eating freaking mussels for lunch. Everything here was as it should be, simple yet delicious. The remaining sauce was sopped up by the aforementioned bread and 25 mussels and a handful of fries later I had reached nirvana.
Had one mussel that didn't open and maybe 3 with some sand in them. Overall a good bowl of mussels.
Hefeweizen, Brauerie Weihenstephaner, Germany, 5.4%
A beer I had to point to on the menu to order. I wanted something different and light so this wheat beer fit the bill. $6 for about a beer and a half is a good deal.
Overall LTE score [9/10] Parc has to be one of the most frequented nice weather spots in all of Philly. It's packed every time I walk by here and when you sit down to eat it becomes apparent it's not only because of the view. The food here is top notch and despite the cost I feel it's absolutely worth it.
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