Rating: 💋 💋 💋 💋 💋
Good evening, ladies and gentleman, and welcome to my first review that gives a restaurant a perfect score! In order to achieve this great moment, I had to take NJ Transit down to South Jersey this weekend and return to the city of my roots: Philadelphia.
I went home to see my younger sister's play and, since she goes to school in the city, we decided to have an early dinner in Rittenhouse Square beforehand. To celebrate my homecoming, my parent's chose my favorite ever restaurant. This is the venue I chose for my sixteenth birthday party as well as my high school graduation dinner, and the restaurant I dream of more than any other. When I graduated college, my Dad found the closest restaurant he could to it in New York City (La Petite Boucherie - fantastique) because going to Philly fom the Bronx seemed just mildly excessive. That is how strong the love is. The restaurant is a lovely French bistro that looks like it comes straight out of Paris, with a long bar, warm lighting, al fresco seating, classy music, and the best food in town. It is known quite simply as Parc.
Je l'adore.
To start off the evening, my parents and I each took a section of the drink menu. My mom had a Sauvignon Blanc, my Dad a beer, and I went with the 'Spirits' section, ordering a delicious cidre de pomme. At Parc, they mix the apple cider with rum, Calvados, a hint of cinnamon, and a twist of orange for a sweet, warm cocktail. It was light on the alcohol volume but heavy on good flavor. I was not trying to show up at my sister's show smashed, so this worked out well for me. I was just happy to have a warm drink to stave off the chill from the cold winter wind that has taken over the Northeast. I ended up having two because it was so yummy.
It did take a bit longer than usual for us to receive our drinks and then have our food order taken, which was surprising because Parc usually offers great service with charming personnel. Our waiter was indeed very nice, but my dad observed that they must be training a few new hires, because things were taking longer than expected. I won't reduce the score for this, because it has never happened before and was hopefully a fluke, but it must be noted.
For my hors d'oeuvre, I decided to go with the salade verte. Simple, but refreshing, it is the kind of salad that can complement any dish and never get tiresome. Just toss Bibb lettuce with blanched green beans, shaved radish, and red wine vinaigrette, and you are good to go. The salad was large and fresh, with the perfect crunch to the vegetables brightened by the sour vinegar that lightly moistened the lettuce. I want to eat it every day, and am going to try to recreate it in my kitchen. I know it will not be the same, but I will do my best.
I also enjoyed a bite of my Dad's salad of beets, carrots, and avocado, which sat on a delicious dab of cream. The sweet carrot, luscious avocado, and deep beet all burst on the tongue like an autumnal cornucopia of flavors that boiled the crisp mood of fall down into a scrumptious dish. The salads were entirely different, with mine tangy and bright compared to my Dad's intense, creamy plate, but both well-exceeded the mark and left us eager for our main course.
We did not have much of a wait until they were served either, thankfully. Both my parents ordered the trout with brown butter and haricots verts, which is my Dad's usual because it always hits the spot.
I tried something new and ordered the salmon with lentils and artichoke puree. I had the fish cooked medium, as the chef recommended, so the outside was well-crisped, breaking apart to reveal a thick, moist center. Mixed with the lentils, tomato chunks, the artichoke puree, and small roasted potatoes, each bite had a smooth, creamy flavor with Mediterranean flair. Absolutely mouthwatering. All of the flavors were perfectly choreographed to work alongside the others. The sweet cream mixed with briny artichoke, and the neutral tomato played off the crispy peppered salmon, so each component lifted up certain key notes of each ingredient and underscored others. Even the balance of textures - thick fish, whipped puree, and grainy lentils - created an exciting experience with every bite, and the flavors were complex enough to make each taste slightly new from the last. The only disappointment was that eventually there was nothing left to eat.
Another great thing about the dinner was that the portions were adequately sized, but it was salad and fish, so nobody needed to be rolled home. Even better, we had room for dessert! We ordered a pot de creme to split between the three of us, and it was phenomenal. There was a thin layer of dense, chocolate mousse, covered with another thin layer of chocolate crumbled, and topped with a mound of creme anglaise. In our humble opinions, the chocolate crumble really pulled everything together, adding a little something solid to the dish that was delicious on its own and enhancing the fluffy layers it united. My Mom was a bit sad the chocolate layer was not larger, but, as my Dad pointed out, then it would have been a pot de chocolat, not a pot de creme. I, too, am never going to say no to more chocolate, but I think Parc did the dish wonderfully and it was a perfectly sweet ending to a lovely meal.
Parc will certainly be missed while I live out my days in New York, but don't worry, I'll be back! As we drove through Center City on our way to the show, I admired the bars, shops, restaurants, and apartments all lit up with Christmas lights. Philadelphia is such a beautiful city. My family and I drank in the city lights and we remarked on how Philly has everything New York has, it is just more subtle about it. There are not many ostentatious advertisements; instead, you have to really explore the city and find all the gems, but there are so many to discover. What's more, Philadelphia has such a familial atmosphere. No wonder my family got off the boat and stayed put forevermore. I don't have any plans of moving back anytime soon, if ever, because of my other goals for my life and the locations required to bring them to light. I can confidently say, though, that I will always love it, in a way I don't think I could love anywhere else. It's where my entire family comes from. It's my home city.
Then you add in Parc, and I am just in love beyond all reason.
XX,
MK
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