Parc

Reviews 5

PE

Penn Appétit

Stephen Starr is an expert at creating the immersive experience, evoking particular atmospheres and transporting the diner to a new environment. I honestly felt like I had taken a trip to Paris over the course of one lunch outing. To start the experience, guests can choose to dine al fresco with a gorgeous view of Rittenhouse Square (especially perfect with Phillys sunny springtime weather as of late) or inside the airy space of the bistro. We opted for a mix of both, sitting inside next to a window overlooking the street. The complimentary bread basket is delivered to your table as soon as you order. From the French baguette with its crisp crust to the hearty cranberry walnut bread laden with its namesake ingredients, there is sure to be something to please a variety of taste buds. My companion and I went on to share the Wild Mushroom Tart, a sizable hors dœuvre with layers upon layers of flaky pastry dough. Its redolent aroma intoxicated both of us. The flavors of the creamy truffle fondue were intense, but not overpowering, complementing the tender, earthy shrooms quite nicely. The croque madame was served open-faced, with mornay sauce in place of the usual slices of Emmental or Gruyère cheese. The sauce was a bit too rich for my taste and thickened rather quickly upon being served. (It may just be my personal taste, though.) Fortunately, the savoriness of the salty, thickly-cut ham countered it nicely, as did the soft toasted brioche. The classic French sandwich is usually accompanied by a small side salad, but the waiter was kind enough to sub in the pommes frites I had heard so many good things about. Indeed, they were some of the best fries Ive had in Philly: long and thinly-cut, with a crisp exterior and just enough potato interior, perfectly complemented by sweet ketchup. The refreshing shrimp salad was also well-received: it was an excellent balance of flavors, combining the tang of the lemony emulsified butter sauce with the richness of the buttery avocado, and textures, from the lightness of the leaves to the meatiness of the plump shrimp. In short, Parc indeed knocked this meal out of the park.

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MO

Molly Summers

NOT a good experience. We went here on a double date. After we sat down, my husband informed the waiter that he needed the gluten free menu because he has Celiac Disease. The waiter said, "We do not have a special menu but I can help you find things on the menu that can be made gluten free." Then he asked what drinks we wanted. My husband and I did not order drinks and then the waiter walked away, without telling my husband about the menu. In the mean time, my husband had no clue what to order and we had to wait another 10 minutes for our server to come back and even then, we had to remind the server about letting us know what could be made Gluten Free. Then we ordered and our food arrived. My husband had the steak, which he said was very good. I ordered the mussels, which were lukewarm upon arrival and only 75% of the shells actually had mussels in them. When I walked over to where the waiter was standing (away from our table) to tell him that I was surprised that many of the shells had no mussels in them, he walked back to my table to look at my plate and then spoke loudly and rudely and embarrassed me in front of the other couple we were with, as if it were my fault that 25% of my meal was missing. The only positive thing I can say about this experience was that their french fries were delicious, but seriously, who goes to an expensive restaurant for French fries? Needless to say, this restaurant does NOT live up to its hype.

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JO

Jonathan Day

I requested an outdoor table with a view of the park for me and my mother. I thought this was a reasonable request given the name of the restaurant. I was asked to wait 45 mins, later received a txt stating our table was ready, and so I saw the host. The host informed me that they did not have any outdoor seating and that I would have to wait for another hour for a table to open up . I was very disappointed but even more hungry, so we decided to eat inside. I want the restroom to ckean up. The bathroom (mens) was disgustingly dirty! They were complete with both overflowing trashcans and toilet-my stall was sans toilet paper which meant that I had to run out to the sink area and root around for another roll while the staff member who was in there with me ignored my attempt to even get their attention. The meal: I asked for water and received none. I also asked for a bread basket while we waited for our food, but it arrived only after our food was already brought out. This being said, the food was prepared well, but not worth the wait, the atmosphere, and ultimately the price. Unfortunately, every everything about this experience fell way short of this restaurants lofty reputation for fine dinning. Instead of serving up a feast for the senses, they served only disappointment, followed by regret on a luke-warm bed of wasted thyme.

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JE

Jenn Fung

I ordered the soft shell crab entree and it was a disaster. Not only was I not a fan of the sauce, but the crabs came out soggy. For anyone who loves soft shell crabs, you should know that the texture should be slightly crunchy. When it loses that crispiness, it kind of feels like youre chewing on wet plastic. My friend was creating a hobo masterpiece on her dish with the parts she couldnt eat, and I asked to replace mine. The manager explained that its because of the sauce; I didnt agree because there wasnt a lot of sauce underneath the crabs. It tasted like they had been steamed in a sauna room. Why does a soft shell crab dish need to be swimming in sauce anyway? Absolute fail. If not for the scallops, the Parc bistro would have received one less star. Besides the food, the waitstaff wasnt too accommodating; sure, a few could have passed as models, but they seemed to have missed the runway because it took forever for them to walk over and refill our glasses, or even glance in our direction. This constant never changed and I was very disappointed with the service provided. Mind you, Rittenhouse Square isnt a cheap neighborhood; its supposedly one of the best in Philadelphia. I expected so much more for the standards of this area.

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A

A Private User

We were here for my sisters graduation lunch. Along with half of the restaurant. We were a table of 8, right next to a table of 11, sharing one waitress, who was also covering 4 or 5 other smaller tables. FIRST mistake... They didnt assign a 2nd server to work aside or split the table between two servers, boggles my mind. SECOND mistake... The bus boys were constantly pulling plates and glasses before we were finished, rushing us along. THIRD mistake... One of our party forgot a camera on the inside booth and when we returned to the restaurant 10 - 15 minutes later, the table had been cleared, another party was being walked back to the table and the camera was gone. No one else was around the table at this point except for staff. When we brought it to the attention of management, their response "our staff is excellent about turning in items they find left behind" asked for our number and then didnt do anything else. We had to go back and search around ourselves and they didnt question their staff. Then they told us it was probably mixed into our stuff... as if we werent intelligent enough to have checked there already. All in all, the food was just OK and the service was below par for a restaurant of this "quality"

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