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FeedTemptress on the Square
Stephen Starr’s Parc is the hottest seat in town.
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THE SCENE: Sophisticated, boisterous, flirty, energetic, demure and serene—all are accurate descriptors of Stephen Starr’s latest creation. Despite its physical magnitude—the 10,000-square-foot space incorporates its previous tenants, the Sheraton Hotel (including it’s lobby and ballroom) and the former restaurant Blue—Parc is far less flashy than we’ve come to expect from the master of themed restaurants.
Like other Square eateries, Parc draws the outside in with glass doors and windows, which pull in the day’s weather and create a marvelous interior breeze. The design team sourced a variety of fixtures directly from Paris antique shops and flea markets, along with reclaimed millwork—doors, wall panels, moldings, an old ticket booth and the entry vestibule—from shuttered Parisian restaurants. 
The focal point of the main dining room is the 50-foot handcrafted solid zinc bar—and the gazillion ecru, amber, green and eggshell mosaic tiles on the restaurant floor. Also lovely is the large, worn hutch decorated with Martini-logo’d carafes near the hostess station.
The ceiling was treated to give it a tobacco-stained look and create the effect of effortless aging. The diverse array of photos, posters and antique fixtures add authenticity without screaming “theme.” Among the other notable details: vintage fans (including a transom fan over the door in the back dining room designed to draw out cigarette smoke in its former life), thrift-shop mirrors, reddish-brown leather banquettes, frosted glass, worn-down bistro tables, and a defunct jukebox.
The ladies’ room is sleek yet feminine, with a marble vanity and shimmery wallpaper depicting reclining vixens—which complement the nude artwork outside the restrooms and scattered throughout the restaurant. It lends an unexpected sweetness to a place with an atmosphere that’s more “power meal” than “romantic rendezvous.”
THE FOOD: Parc’s kitchen welcomes the return of French-born chef Dominique Filoni (Savona and Bianca in Gulph Mills and Bryn Mawr, respectively; the Four Seasons in Washington, D.C.), one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs of 2004. The menu centers on classic bistro favorites, simply prepared and presented. The usual suspects include hors d’oeuvres of salade lyonnaise, steak tartare, pâté and charcuterie, plus entrées like boeuf bourguignon, steak frites, sautéed calves liver, and crispy duck confit served with fingerling potatoes and pickled chanterelles. A variety of plats du jour include a bouillabaisse on Fridays and coq au vin on Sundays.
We’ve gotten used to haute gastro-pub cuisine around these parts, but typical French bistro fare is unfussy, its everyday ingredients presented simply and dressed up in bold flavors. That said, some of Parc’s dishes hit their mark. The salade lyonnaise—a neat pile of frisée, chives and onions, meaty cubes of smoky lardons and potatoes crowned with a poached egg, all perfectly dressed with balanced acidity—is a terrific rendition of a classic.
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