Parisian Getaway

(visit philly)

The other day, I was bustling around center city, when I decided to treat myself to a fabulous bistro lunch at one of the cafes lining Rittenhouse Square. I had read that these little french cafes offered some of the best outdoor dining Philadelphia had to offer, so I decided that I owed it to myself to at least try it.

I selected Parc, mostly because it was the one I had heard the most about, and in very true French style, it had outdoor seating in the form of those little tables and chairs lining the sidewalks. Inside, it was all open, dark wood, mosaic floors, art deco lighting fixtures, complete with some french music playing in the background. It aspires to be as French as any French cafe, and to be honest, it doesn't fail in that aspect.

(jaunted)

It was a fairly nice, crisp, autum day, I decided to sit outside so I could watch the happenings in the park. By the way, Rittenhouse Square, along with the Museum District, and the Schuykill River bank, is one of my favorite places in Philadelphia. A square park, right in the middle of Center City, with lots of trees, open space, and benches. It's a nice place to just spend a few hours. Just because.

Anyway, Parc.

Service: Really good. My server, Benjamin, was really knowledgeable about the whole menu, plus wine pairings. He was polite and well spoken, and his voice was just perfect for customer service. I'm not sure how to explain what I mean by this, but just trust me on it. The only thing I would say is that, at the beginning of the meal service at least, he was a bit too attentive. Like, I couldn't even read over the menu thoroughly before he came up asking for my water preference--tap or bottle?--before returning, I swear not even a minute later, to ask if I was ready to order.

Because of that, uh, not exactly pushiness--because I know that if I had asked for another minute or two, he would have given it to me--but pressure maybe? yeah, we'll say that because of the pressure I was feeling, I just went ahead and asked him for recommendations for both food and wine.

I ended up getting a warm shrimp salad and a glass of Sauvingon Blanc.

Before my food came out, a bread basket was presented. There was far too much bread for me to eat: a good half loaf of baguette, 2 slices of cranberry walnut bread, and 2 slices of something else I can't remember, but I know they were going to variety. I'm not a big bread basket eater, but I did partake of the cranberry walnut with some butter. Good, nothing new, but good.

Warm Shrimp Salad: absolutely lovely. Just thinking about this salad makes me sigh in contentment. It was 4 large shrimp poached in a lemon beurre blanc, served with mixed greens dressed in a lemon vinaigrette, with an avocado fan, rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes, and the biggest, most delicious shaving of parmesan cheese.

It was like heaven on a plate. It made me full, but not overly so, and happily so because I wasn't stuffing my face with the usual out-of-a-box delicacy. Why can't I eat things as simple, as fresh, as delicious as this one salad, everyday?

& the Sauvingnon Blanc was a nice complement to the salad. dry and crisp and smooth.

Ah, and then there was dessert. Confession: I didn't have dessert at lunch, but came back later, that very day, to have dessert with my roommate since it was her birthday. I had been eyeing the dessert menu at lunch, but didn't have a reason to justify the sweet so I passed. But since I was with my roommate, at it was her birthday, it gave me the excuse needed to indulge :)

I decided to go with the Pain d'epice. It was this little spice cake served with maple-brown sugar ice cream and candied pecans. It was a nice little dessert that wasn't too sweet. It was particularly nice that night because it feels very much like it's a fall/winter kind of dessert. It's warm and nutty in the way that only things in autumn can be warm and nutty.

And, as if that wasn't enough, I actually had a Cafe Vietnamese to go along with it, served hot. I normally don't give into the temptation of vietnamese coffee, and almost never order it, but I guess that night I really was feeling indulgent. Or maybe it was because it was chilly? Ah, excuses. Anyway, this is a dessert in itself: a good layer of condensed milk, another layer of hot coffee, a layer of foam/steamed milk. Comes with a spoon to stir. And, surprisingly, it came with a little lemon glazed cookie. There's nothing wrong about Vietnamese coffee. Nothing.

Sorry that there wasn't any personal pictures--at lunch my table was half in the shade, half in the sun, and it made for a poor picture on my craptastic camera on my phone.

Parc Restaurant, Bistro & Cafe
227 S. 18th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
http://www.parc-restaurant.com