Toast To Roast
  • Home
  • Eating In London
    • Alyn Williams at the Westbury
    • Antidote
    • Arbutus
    • L'Autre Pied
    • Benares
    • Berner's Tavern
    • Bonnie Gull
    • Chez Bruce
    • The Clove Club
    • Club Gascon
    • The Dairy
    • Fera
    • Galvin at Windows
    • Grain Store
    • Green Man & French Horn
    • Gymkhana
    • Hedone
    • Hedone 2013
    • Hibiscus
    • HKK
    • Kitchen Table
    • Kitchen W8
    • Kitchen W8 2014
    • Launceston Place
    • Launceston Place 2013
    • Lockhart
    • Magdalen
    • Marianne
    • Medlar
    • Medlar November 2012
    • Medlar 2013
    • Merchant's Tavern
    • Murano
    • Odette's
    • Opera Tavern
    • Peckham Bazaar
    • Peckham Bazaar 2014
    • Plane Food
    • Pollen Street Social
    • Pollen Street Social 2012
    • Quo Vadis
    • Restaurant Story
    • Riding House Cafe
    • 64 Degrees
    • Social Eating House
    • The Square
    • Trinity
    • Trishna
    • Typing Room
    • Upstairs at Ten Bells
  • UK Eating
    • Buckinghamshire >
      • Hind's Head
    • Cheshire >
      • The Church Green
      • Earle
    • Cumbria >
      • Castle Bar
      • The Cottage In The Wood
      • The Dalesman
      • George & Dragon
      • L'Enclume (November 2011)
      • L'Enclume (September 2012)
      • Pheasant Inn
      • Pig & Whistle
      • Rogan & Co.
      • The Ship Hotel
      • West Cumbria Pubs
    • Dumfries & Galloway >
      • Casa Mia
      • The Globe Inn
      • The Murray Arms
    • Gloucestershire >
      • Lumiere
      • Lumiere (August 2012)
    • Greater Manchester >
      • The French by Simon Rogan
      • Mr. Coopers House & Garden
      • Mr. Thomas's Chop House
      • Mughli
      • White Hart Inn
      • Yuzu
    • Herefordshire >
      • The Bull's Head
      • The Butcher's Arms
      • Castle House
      • Hereford (Post Football)
      • The Stagg Inn
      • Sweet Chilli
      • Verzon House Hotel
    • Kent >
      • The Goods Shed
      • Rocksalt
    • Lincolnshire >
      • Lincolnshire Red
    • Norfolk >
      • Lavender House, Brundall
      • No. 1 Cromer
    • Northumberland >
      • The Rat Inn
    • Nottinghamshire >
      • Perkins
      • Restaurant Sat Bains
    • Shropshire >
      • La Becasse
    • Yorkshire >
      • Van Zeller
    • Wales >
      • The Walnut Tree Inn
  • US Eating
    • Restaurant Chains >
      • Denny's
      • Quaker Steak & Lube, Dickson City
      • P.J. Whelihan's, Lehighton
    • Boston >
      • Craigie on Main
      • EVOO
      • Kowloon
    • Chicago >
      • Blackbird
      • Graham Elliot
      • GT Fish & Oyster Bar
      • IPO
      • Longman & Eagle
    • Denver
    • Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Syracuse
    • Maryland >
      • Family Meal
      • Volt
    • New York >
      • Atera
      • Bar Boulud
      • BonChon Chicken
      • The Breslin
      • Eleven Madison Park
      • Esca
      • Fatty Crab
      • Freeman's
      • Gentleman Farmer
      • John Dory Oyster Bar
      • Junoon
      • Kin Shop
      • Perry St.
      • Petite Abeille
      • Salt & Fat
      • Saxon & Parole
      • Breakfast at NoMad
    • Philadelphia >
      • A.Kitchen
      • Amada
      • Baby Blues BBQ
      • The Dandelion
      • The Dandelion revisited
      • The Dandelion 2013
      • The Dandelion 2014
      • Erawan
      • Fountain
      • Han Dynasty
      • Jade Harbor
      • Lacroix
      • Local Tavern
      • Parc
      • Pub & Kitchen
      • R2L
      • Sbraga
      • Tashan
    • Savannah >
      • Alligator Soul
      • A.lure
      • Angel's BBQ
      • B. Matthews
      • Crab Shack
      • Local 11 Ten
      • Mellow Mushroom
      • The Olde Pink House
      • Olympia Cafe
      • The Pirates House
      • Wild Wing Cafe
      • Wiley's Championship BBQ
      • Zunzi's 2
    • Other Cities & States >
      • Delaware >
        • Pizza Palace, Milford
      • New Paltz >
        • A Tavola
        • Gilded Otter
        • Main Course
      • Octagon, Groton
      • Vesta, East Rutherford
      • Meridian, Indianapolis
      • Palms, Detroit Airport
  • Around the World
    • Eating in Europe >
      • Amsterdam >
        • Bord'eau
        • Bridges
        • Envy
        • Johannes
        • Vis aan de Schelde
        • Wilde Zwijnen
      • Barcelona >
        • Alkimia
        • Alkimia (November 2012)
        • Bodega 1900
        • Cinc Sentits
        • Manairo
        • 7 Portes
        • Tickets
      • Copenhagen >
        • Manfred's & Vin
      • Paris >
        • Chez L'Ami Jean
        • Le Chateaubriand
        • Mon Vieil Ami
        • Les Fines Gueules
        • Agape Bis
        • Chez Casimir
      • Stockholm >
        • Ekstedt
      • Switzerland >
        • Bim Fritz at Gasthaus Widder, Zug
        • Restaurant Aklin, Zug
        • Restaurant Johann, Basel
    • Eating in Asia >
      • Seoul >
        • Cheers Bar
        • Jungsik
        • Park Daegamne
      • Beijing >
        • Da Dong
      • Singapore >
        • Esquina
        • Iggy's
        • Jaan
        • Pollen
        • Sky on 57
        • The Tippling Club
  • Best, Worst & Closed
    • Dishes (Pre-blog)
    • Search for the Perfect Full English
    • 2011 >
      • Best of Breakfast
      • Asian Highlights
      • "Best of" Tasting Menu 2011
      • "Worst of" Tasting Menu 2011
    • 2012 >
      • "Best of" Tasting Menu 2012
      • Best Dishes 2012
      • "Worst of" Tasting Menu 2012
    • 2013 >
      • "Best of" Tasting Menu 2013
      • Best Dishes 2013
      • Top 25 Restaurants 2013
    • New Owners or Closed >
      • Alder
      • Alder Oct 2013
      • Aumbry
      • Aumbry 2013
      • Ben Spalding >
        • John Salt
        • Roganic
        • Roganic (2)
      • Chifa
      • Corton
      • Du Monde
      • Gwynnett St
      • Gwynnett St (May 2013)
      • J. Bakers, York
      • Manson - now The Brown Cow
      • The Mark Addy
      • Nan, Philadelphia
      • Roganic November 2012
  • Links
    • Contact Me
    • Food Blogs
    • Food & Drink Producers
  • Blog

Parc

9/3/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
Walking around the Rittenhouse Square area, it’s difficult to miss Parc with its maroon canopied front and single rank of café tables outside. It gives the impression of being an opportunistic ploy designed to part tourists and their dollars. That’s a big reason why we’ve avoided it in the past. Putting personal prejudices to one side, Parc is a member of the 20-strong Philadelphia contingent of Starr restaurants so attention to detail could allay those type of concerns. In an empire that covers all bases including American, Mexican, Asian, Italian, English, tapas joints and steakhouses, Parc represents traditional French cuisine.

The restaurant was established in summer 2008 and is now a well-oiled machine. The scale of the operation isn’t obvious until you step inside to see the full extent of the huge dining rooms. The restaurant is open for breakfast, brunch/lunch and dinner seven days a week. There are 350 covers and on a busy brunch sitting they will serve up to 1200. This obviously depends on quick turnaround of tables but we never felt rushed. Decor ticks all your identikit French bistro boxes with dark wood tables, heavy white linen napkins, leather banquettes, rickety chairs, globe lights and early 20th century black and white photos of naked girls in the toilets. Wait staff have the classic uniform of white shirts, black ties and white aprons. The menu is based on classic French dishes so doesn’t read as exciting or innovative but that is not the point of Parc.
Picture
As it was a weekend, we ate there for brunch which is the midday option on Saturday and Sunday. The brunch menu features breakfast and lunch type hors d’ouevres, egg dishes, fruits de mer and a selection of entrées. Order placed and a basket of bread turned up accompanied by a small white porcelain pot of butter. The mix of crusty baguettes, white sourdough and walnut and cranberry bread got things off to an excellent start. All three breads would have kept us happy with the juicy fruits in the nut loaf hugely satisfying only being eclipsed by the tremendous baguette.
Picture
Starters came from the hors d’ouevres and eggs section with my son opting for the onion soup gratinée and my choice the eggs en cocotte. The basic soup stock was really delicious and the whole soup built nicely from there, from the soft yielding onions to the thick crust of melted Gruyere. This is easily the best French onion soup that I’ve had in the US. The soup was easily matched by the eggs en cocotte served with trout caviar, a dusting of black pepper and small fronds of dill with additional slices of the baguette. The eggs with their wonderful rich runny yolks underpinned everything very effectively but it was the trimmings that made this dish so satisfying. The combination of yolk and salty flavour of the trout roe was a delight with the freshness of the dill cutting through and giving it an additional brio. Lovely.
Picture
Picture
My chosen main course was moules frites. Usually I avoid dishes that I can easily do at home but today the craving for mussels was just too great. Luckily the choice was vindicated by another very good dish. The mussels were wonderfully plump and the broth from white wine, garlic, shallots, bayleaf and thyme was silkily immense with its mildly lemony flavour. The generous portion of salted frites was a lovely accompaniment even if they weren’t strictly necessary.
Picture
Picture
Overall verdict
My preference is trying places that are more adventurous in their menus but there is no denying that Parc came through and I ended up being really impressed with everything we tried. Service was efficient and obliging throughout so the whole experience was great.

Would I revisit Parc?
Definitely. It’s a dependable option for a solidly good meal. Will never be a first choice for me but can see it being a regular haunt.


Overall Rating - 4/5
Parc Brasserie on Urbanspoon
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

    Archives

    March 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed