How famed restauranteur gives people a literal taste of Paris with Parc in Rittenhouse Sq.

Famed restaurateur, Stephen Starr, owner of more than 30 restaurants, has built a taste of Parisian paradise right here in Philadelphia.

“I think Parc has become iconic here,” Starr said.

Parc is a Parisian-inspired restaurant that “pays tribute to the beloved French bistro, where good food, good wine and better company commingle to create an unmistakable joie de vivre,” the Parc website states.

And it all started with an abandoned space in Rittenhouse Square.

“I think years ago it was a Sheraton Hotel. And it was just sitting here…and the landlord, the developer who had it, called me and said, ‘I'm going to show you a space.’ So I went to see it, and it didn't look like anything,” Starr said.

“But I looked at the park, and I said, this feels like France,” Starr said. “This is probably nicer than anything I've ever seen, even in Paris, only because we're right on…this massive park. You can't get that. It's hard to find. I haven't seen it anywhere.”

That is what gave him the vision to transform the space into what it is today, a place where people can feel like they are in a different part of the world.

“If you were blindfolded, you would almost think you were in a French diner,” he said.

The French restaurant is known for often having a line out the door and having endless ways to get a literal taste of Paris, especially with the French onion soup.

“We worked really hard on this. Hundreds of times we had tasted it. Too much of this, too much of that. It's really a process that we went through to get this recipe,” Starr said.

The restaurant had a really strong culinary team from the beginning, including chefs from France, to make sure the authenticity was there.

With all the success Parc had, there was one thing that Starr wanted that was just out of reach until 2017.

“I was nominated for 6 years, 6 years…so I was like that soap opera star, Susan Lucci who was always nominated but never won,” Starr said.

In 2017 Starr won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur.

“So when I did win, it was very emotional. And I got choked up,” he said, “Yeah, because you work really hard and to get that one thing, that acknowledgment, you know, it's like you winning an Emmy. You know, it's important. So I was very grateful.”

The restaurateur is now turning his attention to his next big hit, “Borramini,” an Italian version of Parc. It will also be on Rittenhouse Square and is under construction right now.

This is the latest installment in the French Connections: Paris and Philly series that airs every week on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. leading up to the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.