For my birthday we went to experience a bit of “ooh la la” in the Rittenhouse area of Philly. Yes, I am back in Philly. Still shocked. Still cannot believe there is a world outside of Manhattan. Parc Brasserie, located on 18th Street, is a piece of France in the central part of Philly. It is a place that tantalizes your senses with smells of fresh bread that were freshly baked and crusted to perfection and drinks that are so good that you’d think bartender could read your mind.
I ordered sour apple martini, one of my favorite drinks. Unfortunately, I found that it is not always possible to get this drink in a perfect proportion of vodka, sour apple liqueur, and lemon. Not this time. Martini as if the tune was written specifically for my taste buds and every note was perfectly coordinated. Unlike my previous experience at Sky High, where the drink was like foreplay to a disastrous ending, at Parc Brasserie it was like a lover who knows how to please, prepared you for a culinary ecstasy that was to come.
I am very much a cliché when it comes to French cuisine. I ordered the French onion soup and, of course, escargot. I couldn’t even imagine how great the soup can be. It seemed that the chef understood the ultimate reason I order the soup, cheese was so thick and rich that crock could not contain it.
The escargot was an unadulterated pleasure. A combination of snails and garlic in a cast-iron crock-pot with crusty bread for dipping was as if your senses were starting to respond to skillful manipulations of your all-knowing lover.
My main course had a very exotic name, it was lobster with fries served in a very European way with mayo and it was simply divine. The way I was worshiping every part of it would put even the most exalted porn star to shame.
Just when I thought I finally reached a pinnacle of passion, I was brought a dessert. In simple English, it was a lava cake. Except it was freshly made with molten chocolate that erupted when I broke the crust. I couldn’t pick a better metaphor for a tantalizing end to a very exotic meal.
If you ever want to experience the feeling of sitting in a French bistro in the middle of Champs Elysees without ever getting on a plane, take a short drive to Philly and stop by Parc Brasserie.
