Preppy Philly Places: Parc

My parents were in town for the weekend so Mr. Prepster and I treated them to a yummy Philadelphia-style brunch at Parc. Here's my review of this Preppy Philly Place.

Parc Restaurant
227 S. 18th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Surprise, surprise but brunch is not such a big deal in the suburbs of the mid-sized midwestern city where they live so they love to witness the spectacle that is Sunday brunch here in Philly. Parc was absolutely hopping and lived up to its hype as the new hot spot to see and be seen - we even needed a reservation for brunch! And as you can see by the photos, it really looks like Paris inside.



If you go, try the poached eggs over polenta. Also, for all of you champagne lovers out there (like me), they have a delicious kir royale on the menu for only $8 as well as several other yummy cocktails.

Preppy Philly Places: Apothecary

Last night Mr. Prepster and I ventured over to "Midtown Village" to have dinner and drinks at Apothecary. Here's my review of this Preppy Philly Place.

Apothecary Bar & Lounge
102 S. 13th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107

Happy hour was going on upstairs in the lounge bar and the roof deck connected to it. They have a whole downstairs restaurant (pictured) but oddly, that was closed off. Decor in the lounge was very modern with shades of gray and nice votive candles. There were leather lounge benches and small cocktail tables along with a bar that had seating. Very hip yet a relaxing ambience.

Well, it would have been relaxing if there hadn't been about eight girls amid the gossip session of a lifetime coupled with three cocktails each right in the middle of the lounge. Luckily, it was a nice night so we sat outdoors on the roof deck, which gave us a great view of 13th Street and although all the tables were taken, was much quieter than the lounge.

They had a creative drink menu with loads of fresh fruit and interesting cordials. Very limited snack/dinner choices though. There were only about 4 apps, 4 paninis and 4 flatbread pizzas to choose from. We got a flatbread pizza and a panini along with "El Floridita" cocktails (kind of a grapefruit capriana that was a nice pale pink color with a round lime slice, but a bit too pretty and fruity for Mr. Prepster). My pizza was yummy but I did have a bit of food envy over the girls next to us who were having wine and fondue.

All sounds pretty great, right? Unfortunately it took 25 minutes to get our drinks! The one waiter/bartender/foodrunner/host was extremely swamped and was pretty much a one man show. Clearly they did not expect to have so many patrons on a Wednesday. Even so, it was a good time and is definitely worth checking out, espcially for those who like to branch out from the usual vodka soda or cosmo. Cheers!

Loop de Loop

Tonight I start a knitting class at Loop. It meets every Tuesday in September so I'll be sure to keep you updated on my progress. I was inspired to give knitting a try after seeing this lovely bathmat from the Purl Bee but I have a feeling I won't be advanced enough to pull that off for quite a while.

Apparently we will be making a scarf and a hat. I want to do mine in cashmere yarn and like the orange color shown on the scarf pictured to the right. That one is great for fall but there are so many pretty yarn colors to choose from that I know it will be difficult to decide. I may just trust my instincts and grab some pink. If you're a Philly local who's into knitting, quilting or sewing, definitely check out Loop and its next door neighbor on South Street, Spool. Very cool places with quite a selection of yarn and fabric.

Wish me luck!