Joie De Vivre , Magic in Philly




Ah “Paree” , to be dining al fresco overlooking le  gorgeous parc to be  spoiled  silly with super 


decadent fare , its richness only superseded by the commotion in the street and the warm 


sunshine in your face. But ze airfare, it is prohibitive, no? What to do , mon faire? Hop in ze car 


and drive my friend over the bridge of Benjamin Franklin to Filadelphia  ze city of “Amour  


Fraternite”. 


Enter restaurant Parc ( 227 S 18th St. Philadelphia, PA) one of Insiders 100 most scenic 


Restaurants,  where  top restaurateur Stephen Starr  pays homage to the authentic French  


Bistro. Starr in case you don’t know is huge deal with over 40 innovative restaurants to his credit 


In New York ,  Pennsylvania and Florida including Buddakan, Barclay Prime and Morrimoto. 


Starr , the ex rock promoter hits it out of ze Parc here with Je Ne Se Quoi (whatever that 


means) to spare, chic Parisian  ambiance , great food and fair prices. In fact everything I had 


was absolutely delicious and satisfying served by a caring and professional waitstaff .


If you listen carefully, you’ll swear that you can hear Edith Piaf lamenting over her lost love as 


you devour fabulous executive chef Matt Hager’s Tomato Galette in flaky puff pastry, the creamy 


Veal Escalopes, or his ethereal  Onion Soup. You almost wish that the waiter would be ruder 


just to complete the authentic French experience !  The place BTW  seems absolutely 


cavernous with “Plein Air”  dining for 75 of your closest friends or  conversely you can opt for a 


more sophisticated experience in the beautifully appointed dining area.   Parc, is ideally located 


overlooking the very  lovely Rittenhouse Park  , one the most peaceful spots to visit in all of 


Philly. Complete with reflecting pools , garden plantings and outdoor sculptures this is” location 


extraordinaire” .Now being the jaded Gastro Snob that I am, it has been quite a long time since I 


was surprised in a good way by my dining experience. Let me put it this way, not only were 


there  no complaints but “EVERYONE LEFT HAPPY.”  Wow,  How many times can you say 


that? Exactly !   I would also recommend while you are in the neighborhood to take a quick visit 


to The Magic Gardens ( 1020 South St  Philly) a creative indoor and outdoor masterpiece 


covering a half a city block . It is a crazy mixed media art environment completely covered with 


hand made mosaics and other bizarre objects that artist Isaiah Zager has been constructing non 


stop since the 1960’s . It is both  weird and wonderful. Have a great month my friends and live 


well. 









  

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