Parc

The restaurant is much smaller than the pictures led me to believe. The food was quite tasty but not amazing. Prices were high. Wine selection was decent. Service was quite good. The only thing that stood out to me about this place was it’s centerpiece tree with red lanterns… again much smaller than the pictures would lead you to believe.

Love the décor, its a small chic place with the focal point on the bald tree inside with round lanterns hanging from it with dim lighting complete with mirrored columns and plush booths and wooden paneling.
I came here awhile back for a private birthday party for E. Celebrating his thirty something with his good friends, this was perfect! We’re all pretty much social butterfly’s so his good friends are in the triple digits. We had lots of fun minus the small small bathroom and the disproportinate number of girls: guy ratio added to the crowdedness of the bathroom.esp. with 2 drunk girls taking pictures of themselves in front of the mirror for a good 4 minutes. Good lord, 1.2…even 5 pics are acceptable (it’s hard to get drunken non blurry pictures if you turn off your flash, I understand) But come on!
Food: We came for appetizers/​drinks and it was perfect though a bit pricey. The kobe sliders were ok, a bit dry for me, nothing special. The calamari was also decent, nothing spectacular. The black angus tenderloin however was delicious and cooked perfectly! It was flavorful without being overbearing.
3 stars because it’s a great little venue for private parties or a chill night out with some friends.

What a «butterface» this place was! It looked damn good from the outside & inside BUT the food (I obviously replaced face w/​food because it doesn’t work out the other way.)
Anyway, aside from my lame analysis, I have to say that this place is probably just going to be a 1 time thing for me.
My friend wanted to eat here for her birthday so since it was my first time, I had to give it the benefit of the doubt. I liked the ambiance but it was just a little too dark in there. Who ever said that a single tealight was enough to light our table? I could barely make out what was on the menu because we sat so close to the tealight that we kept blowing it out everytime someone would suggest something on the menu. I did like the giant tree that stood in the middle of the room, but it was a little embarassing when I almost ran into it on the way to the restroom.
The entire food menu consisted of only appetizers so make sure you eat before you get there because it’ll cost you an arm & a leg to get full off that menu. Each item was around $ 8 – 15 & the portions were pretty small so it’s pretty difficult to share. I had the mac & cheese w/​truffle, crab cakes, mini burgers, & calamari. They all seemed to lack in both quantity & quality. The mac & cheese was made of what looked like thick fettucini pasta instead of macaroni shells & it was a little tough in texture so it was hard to eat. The crab cakes were decent but were a little too salty. The calamari was tasty but there wasn’t very many on the plate. The mini burgers were probably the best (& by best I mean decent) but there were only 2 mini burgers.
The drinks were pretty good but you have to order them at the bar to get them ½ off for happy hour. I had a passionfruit cocktail drink that had to be the best part of this place.

Love the décor~ I wanna design my room like that place… ah. the tree.*daydeaming*.
Let’s get to the point:
Food: it’s tapas style. but it was good portions for TWO people. I said TWO! females. Got the steak, chicken skewers, kumamoto oysters, potato gratin, and crabcake. We were hungry. ok!
The best outta all of them was the steak skewers. Chicken was DRY and BLAND, Potato gratin my ass-​straight to my ass. sooooo much butter in there, the oysters were bleh, and the cakes tasted like canned crabs. it was.bad.
Drink: French 74-​Hennessy, champagne, and something. but it was MmMmmhMmMm good.
Stay away from Bublocious (or something) unless you like drinking robitusen.

I loved the décor and the dj. The food was blah… we tried the miniburgers, the steak skewers, some type of ravioli, and I forget what else. Smallish portions and it was all so unmemorable.
But I want that freakin tree w/​the beautimous orbs of lights in my house and I wish the DJ could somehow morph into my ipod. I would go back just to drink and enjoy the place, but not for the food.

Went to Parc yesterday for a friends birthday dinner party.
Nice atmosphere. I had the impression that it was tiny but it was actually bigger than i thought it was. They were pretty nice about accommodating the big party. I didnt have any drinks so I dont know if they are any good.
The food is tapas style at around 8 to 15 dolllars each which is rather pricey but it tastes pretty good.
Yummy:
Carrot Saffron Soup
Potato Au Gratin
Green Beans and Carrot
Good:
Apple Berigue
Wild Mushroom & Carmalized Onion Strudel
Truffle Mashed Potatoes
Beet Salad
I didnt have any of the meat dishes, but the kobe beef and mini cheeseburgers looked appetizing and cute =)
They also give out as the «bread» sesame cucumbers.
Rather spacious and a good time.
They have a bar when you walk in to hang out at before dinner.
There is a Valet at the front. $ 8.
Negative: Super dark (but a sacrifice for the ambience), cold as one person said, perhaps to further give the feel of being in a park? because its cold outside?! and thats why there is a tree?
Water service is slow.

As many have mentioned, the prices far outweigh the amount that you get. I understand quality exceeds quantity BS, but c’mon…
I have to admit though that the chilean sea bass was pretty insane. It nearly melted in my mouth, and the flavor of the accompanied sauce offered a nice hint of sweetness. The crabcakes were also a great decision because they were nice and crunchy on the outside and then soft and packed with flavor on the inside. What a combination.
I would also recommend the truffle mashed potatoes. You could taste the truffle oil in the potatoes and anything with truffle is perfect in my book. The asparagus was made just right — not overcooked where it’s too chewy, but not too crunchy as it is when it’s undercooked. On the other hand, the lobster ravioli was a huge disappointment. There was nothing flavorful in the entire THREE ravioli pieces that you get for about $ 15. I couldn’t even taste the lobster.
Service was great, but shouldn’t it be anyways if you’re the only group there? Actually, our server was great, but seeing as we were the only people in the entire establishment, one would think that our food would come out more quickly…
As for parking… bleh…$ 8 for valet tacked onto our already steep bill was not a nice way to end the meal. It’s funny because our car was already waiting for us when we arrived (since nobody else apparently was out at Parc)…technically I didn’t need to pay for valet because it’s like they didn’t even move my car, but what the heck, I’ll give him $ 1 anyways for watching my car for an hour and a half.

After a 40 minute drive and getting lost, the wonderful hostess, Heather helped us with directions. As for the food. Don’t go if your really hungry.
Drinks were good, but 3 lobster raviolis for an entrée. Come on.
What’s up with this? My friend had to order something else to make her stomach stop from growling. Decided to go walk across the street to my Geisha house for drinks and dessert. That at least, I know would be good and filling.
Nice ambience, but over priced for the small portions.

I arrived too late for dinner but just in time for dessert (usually my favorite part of the meal anyways). The restaurant was smaller than I expected but prettier than I expected it to be. I liked the glowing balls of lights affixed to the ceiling near the south side of the room. My friends said the food was decent; no one knew it was a small plates restaurant. It seemed like everything was a bit overpriced, which is nothing new for a restaurant situated in the heart of Hollywood. Desserts ran $ 12 each, which was definitely not worth the price tag. We had the apple beignet, which was okay – the apples were a bit too tart for my liking. I also made the mistake of shoveling a spoonful of what I thought was ice cream in my mouth only to discover it was sour cream. Blech! It seemed like everyone was ordering the Chocolate Mousse, which I did not try, but my friends said it was rich and creamy. We had planned to stay for the club/​lounge part, but since all the tables were reserved only for bottle service, we left. Not sure if I’ll be back, but it seems like a nice date place. Oh, and they require a credit card for reservations and will charge you $ 25 a head if you or your party doesn’t show.

Hung out with some fellow Redfinners
in Los Angeles last night. Before we went to Joyti’s birthday, we walked along Hollywood Blvd. to take in the sites. It was a first for the both of us. I can see why all those tourists from Japan and Europe venture off to Grauman’s Chinese Theater
. Never mind the wannabe Spidermans and the Captain Sparrows, to quote Ernesto «this is an apple pie slice of Americana».
If you are in to trendy, Parc is the place. Parking in the area is a little difficult but for 10 bucks you can give your car to the valet. They serve evertyhing «tapa style» so if you looking for a filling dinner you better head to one of the chinese or thai spots in the neighborhood. I had the foie gras and eel rolls accompanied with a lobster bisque. Both were okay, fortunately we had a nice time listening to the in-​house DJ and chilling with Joyti’s b-​day bashers. The staff was über friendly. The place was chic. I would probably visit this place again with my wife the next time we were in the area.

Really pretty place, but went on an off night so can’t really give it the proper star ratings. Very pretty restaurant, nice lighting, great DJ setting the vibe, and staff was attentive. The restaurant was slow but the bar had picked up steam as it got later. No overly annoying scenesters to taint the atmosphere, but it was a Monday night. It was smaller than I’d expected. Drinks were good, but diners should be aware that food is in tapas style portions, so don’t expect heaping portions, or even regular portions. I told the waiter that I was starving so I ordered the surf & turf and a salad and was content, but def had room for more. Was a little pricey for what you get, but not too offensive.
I don’t think I got the full on Parc experience, but from what I saw that night I liked and will be back.

Love Love Love this place. It’s always great to grab a drink or some bites before a night out in Hollyweird. My favorite bartender works here and makes a killer lemon drop. I’ve only been 3 times, but the bartender always remembers me and makes sure I know it. Incredible interior design by Tracie Butler. Beautiful Makassar Ebony bar and hooks under the bar for purses (obviously designed by a woman!). There’s a petrified tree in the middle of the dining room. There can be quite a wait for a table if you don’t have a reservation, so elbow your way to the bar, grab a seat, and hold on to it! Killer food– try the artichoke and boursin fritters and steak skewers!
Update: So after several months of being MIA from the Hollywood Blvd. scene, Vanessa and I went to go see if our fave bartender still made the best Lemon Drops on the Blvd., but alas, he no longer worked there and the scene had totally changed. It was so bad, that the new bartender read our faces like and open book, place two cocktail napkins on the bar in front of us, said, «I know, it totally sucks now,» and proceeded to give us free drinks for the rest of the night. So now, I have mixed feelings because while it was totally lame, we totally drank for free… hmm, tough one.

Let me preface by saying that the food here was tasty! That said, I’m not sure where to start — the price way too high, the portions were too small, the service was not exceptional and the DJ was too loud! There are many good places I’ve been to around the US and globally but this place is truly «Hollywood» — fit for pimps and starz. Pay over $ 50/​person to eat 2 appetizers is ridiculous — f**k ambiance!
Here’s the kicker, everyone in our group of 17 wanted to go eat Inn ‘n Out after that — the meal was just not enough for even the most skinniest of women in our group.
To make up for that place, between drinks at the bar — we snuck next door and took tequila shots — high quality — worked out to $ 8/​shot of fine agave!

I really love this place. From the moment we stepped in the service was exceptional — from the hostess and then the waiter. The food was really really good and I’ll list what I ate and how good it was. I liked the vibe of the place. It’s very dark. It can be a good date place or a good group place. On to the food!
Crab Cakes — Great
Artichoke Fritters — Great
Sweet Corn Risotto — Good
Hot and Sour Asian Bouillabaisse — Good
Chilean Sea Bass — Great
Albacore Sashimi — Great
Baby Surf & Turf — Great
Lamb Chops — Great though bite-​sized lol
Three-​cheese Potato Gratin — Good
Japanese Eggplant Towers — Good

Whenever people come to town, they always ask to have dinner at a Hollywood-​esque place. Two friends came last minute on Monday and I had take host role. How do I love hollywood-​esque? I hate it because it means… overpriced, poor tasting, snooty ass restaurant. Based on Unilocal reviews, Parc fit the criteria.
Oh how I was pleasantly surprised. The service was attentive and the food was actually pretty good. Standout dish was the claypot seabass. Oh how I wanted some white rice to go with it… yum. Avoid ordering their signature drinks… everyone of them suckked! We ended up ordering shots instead! Save dem calories right?
How do I judge a restaurant? Service, Food, and Value have to all be good for me to go back. Parc is a cool joint. They have a dj during dinner playing ambient trance, hot looking well trained waiter/​waitresses, and food that creates conversation.
Oh and they have scorpion bar (tequila bar) right next door… you can start your night of debauchery here!
Slut approved.

After reading the reviews on Unilocal about how awful service was, I was genuinely shocked who good the food and service was last Friday night. A few friends had taken me here for my birthday.
Décor– beautiful. I loved the giant tree with the globes of light in the center of the dining room. And the wall of round mirrors was nifty. Unfortunately, my view of it was skewed as we were seated by the DJ, the restrooms and the kitchen. Ah well, we did request the reservations about two hours before hand.
Service– I was really worried about the timing issue since this place turns into some sort of trendy nightclub and had read they literally refused service for someone because they were late. We were late for our reservations too by half an hour (damn, we couldn’t find parking and ended up at the $ 8 parking structure down the street). But the hostess was very pleasant and didn’t seem to care. Perhaps because one of our friends showed up on time and was steadily drinking the whole time.
The waiter was very cheesy and unhelpful when we asked what was good there. He finally admitted the chicken skewers were boring but everything else was great.
Food– We ordered the artichoke cheese balls, salad, a half dozen oysters, halibut in the hot pot, mushroom strudel, seafood bouillebase, crab cakes and tuna tartare.
We liked the artichoke cheese balls so much, we got a second order. The salad had an amazing dressing. The oysters were sweet. The halibut was good but I thought the miso sauce was a tad too sweet. The mushroom thing was good– the mushies were meaty and had a good sauce.
The hot and sour seafood bouillebase was my favorite. It had an interesting star anise flavor I usually associate with Mandarin beef noodles. And then I detected a dried orange peel flavor underneath. I give props to Chef J for managing to evoke the two flavors so well but I wouldn’t call it «hot and sour.»
The crab cakes were yummy but you can hardly fuck up deep fried seafood. And the tuna tartare was fine. I would have preferred it to be more fresh. And with chips that didn’t disintegrate when you tried to scoop up the fish.
We ordered the vanilla bean crème caramel for dessert after none of it was very appealing to me. I decided it was like flan and was done.

After hearing mixed reviews, I was determined to give the place a definitive check-​out.
Parc’s atmosphere is actually quite classy and low-​key. It’s not overly loud before 10pm, or on weeknights. After downing a «Joie de VeeV» cocktail (Bravo to whoever thought to put acai in booze form), I was ready for some pricey tapas.
The Kumamoto oysters were fresh and tasty, and the lobster ravioli and whipped truffle potatoes were served hot and well-​seasoned. I wasn’t as impressed with the sweet corn risotto – an odd mix of competing flavors. But Chef J breezed over my displeasure with the crunchy deliciousness of artichoke/​boursin fritters… the dish all the wait staff will tell you is the best on the menu.
And speaking of service, they have staffed up to try and handle the crowds. Service was fast; we were treated as friends, given good wine recommendations; plates came and went seamlessly.
At $ 8, dessert is certainly the most food for your dollar. The mandarin orange cheesecake was creamy and calorie-​laden, but lacked a certain nuance to approach stellar.
All in all, Parc is a nice place to gather with friends (on a good pay day) and share good food and drink. And if you want to brave the stress and elbows of late nights or Saturday evening, you’ll likely glimpse a talk show host or celebutant for your trouble.
Pros: Wait staff & DJ, great drinks, good food.
Cons: Have to pick the time of your visit based on the atmosphere you want.

First of all, I really wanted to give this place 2.5 stars, but since you can’t do half stars, I rounded up to 3 stars.
I felt the food was very mediocre. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I was not impressed. I went with a group of three and we probably ordered about 9 – 10 small plates plus dessert. The lobster ravioli was great and the raw oysters were fresh, however, none of the other of the dishes were very memorable. I did love, love my lavender blueberry cocktail. The interior is nice — dark brown with a lighted tree in the middle of the room. The bar area is separated from the dining room. Around 11pm or midnight, they clear out the tables and it turns into a full-​on lounge with music.

«Good food and a scene to match» my mate rallied.
«Ok, let’s.»
We drove through Tourist Town to get to Parc. Outside was a doorman who checked the list for entry. Inside was a dark oak bar with an impressive wine cellar hovering above. We were scooted by the indoors Christmas tree on steroids and seated.
The menu was Asian small plates. Oh oh. Are they small or tiny plates? «Proceed with caution» sign flashed my conscious. We sampled:
Lobster Ravioli — Fantastic, (aka to dy-​né for)
Seared Tuna — Sear ‘em betta’ yourself.
Artichoke Fritters — Like vegetarian Gobstoppers, without breakin’ your teeth.
Clay pot Chilean sea bass — Amazingly endangered. Good everywhere else.
Steak Skewers — Edible meat on da stick.
Grilled Shrimp — Parc-​ed down version of shrimp cocktail.
Filet — Solid.
Panna Cotta — Gelatinous, akin to eating overweight jello.
Busboy service throughout the night was fearfully quick. The dishes were served all at once, without any spacing. Upon arrival, the plates disappeared with lightening speed, like plates on lay-​away. Most of the dishes came with sauces, which vanished on your first bite. Our server though was fab.
We got the Cakebread Cab for $ 90. Wine list was proficient but upon choosing our post-​dinner cocktail, Parc stuttered again.
Port selection of only 10 or 20 year Taylor Fladgate
Scotch selection of only Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, or red, black, or blue Johnnie.
PROS: celebrity scene, décor, wine list
CONS: itty-​bitty tiny lil’ mediocre plates, port/​scotch selection, eager-​beaver busboys
P.S We ordered pizza after.
P. S.S «PULL» on faucet in bathroom.

The first reviewer is obviously a ‘fabulous person’…I’m obviously not as I almost got shoo’ed away along with the smelly paparazzi on Thursday night.
«What can I do for you?», asked the doorman. That’s a stupid question, right? I looked blankly at him and then said «I’m here to see X». X being the key to gaining entry. «X?», repeated the gorilla, «Come on in».
But ‘in’ was a kinda sterile vibe with the DJ tucked way in the back and only 30 people on a Thursday night at 12am to keep him company… at the bar which is around the corner next to the toilet. The DJ did his best to get people interested (Justin T, Timberland, Souls of Mischief, and the occasional anonymous house tune). But, no one was shifting from the comfort and safety of the bar.
May be, I should’ve gone to Mood instead esp. as its valet is cheaper ;-), but this visit was the after-​party for me following the adidas party (with Stones Throw DJing) where I met Al and Barb who wanted to do some more partying, hence Parc.
There could’ve been some celebs there, after all there were three Jessica Simpson lookalikes in the house. Who knows? Who cares?
I won’t be coming back here in a hurry, but I do love the light tree in the middle of the entrance way. Helps pass the time ;-) Like a promoter I know says, «Hollywood is horrible!» True indeed.