Saturday afternoon in the Parc with Julie Slick

"Parc recalls the chic brasseries of Paris, serving traditional bistro fare in a charming and comfortable space. This stylish addition to Rittenhouse Square pays tribute to French café culture, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Ideal for a quick bite or a leisurely meal, the menu is filled with classics such as onion soup, escargots, steak frites and towering plateaus de fruits de mer. The baguettes are made in-house and are the perfect accompaniment to the charcuterie platter. Trout Amandine and Beef Bourguignon pair perfectly with the diverse selection of wines on our expansive wine list. Sip a Kir Royale at the original zinc bar or just enjoy a café au lait while sitting outside watching the passersby. Parc offers a perfect experience any time of day for any occasion. Reservations recommended."



So naturally that's where Julie wanted to have lunch on Saturday, after the two of us traipsed all over downtown Philadelphia buying fun things like a new tour wardrobe for the Adrian Belew Power Trio's upcoming run of shows next week (Kentucky, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Illinois -- is it still snowing in those places?)



Yeah, you'd better believe Parc is famous for their in-house baked bread...I could have been happy with the basket alone (multi-grain, fruit and nut studded, and sour dough)...if not for the incredibly fresh oysters and shrimp...we ended up ordering two of those platters...we had a couple of interesting sauces with them; one a shallot red wine vinegar (I think) and the other a spicy more traditional cocktail..but oh oh oh how those oysters went down -- we sucked 'em up like cocktails...



...which, of course, we also had - I drank some weird bright green combo of basil and cucumber and vodka that was scary as hell looking but so odd it was awesome; Julie had absinthe with apricots which, after one taste, gave me flashbacks from the seventies...we were both on our asses after just one each of those drinks but we had to have wine with our lunch so Julie opted for Pinot something or other and I had Muscadet. I'm going to have to check with J as to exactly what we drank - she's the wine expert in the family. I am merely her appreciative accomplice.

Oh yeah, we also had warm shrimp salad with avocado and lemon beurre blanc and after that, a cheese plate with quince paste and a dark, spicy mustard. And more baguettes. Also, sliced apples and ridiculously good whole almonds. Veddy nice.

For those of you over at Twitter where I've been touting my new black leather jacket, here it is:



I guess I'll post a photo of me wearing it but I need to do something about my crazy hair first. I'm really having a hair midlife crisis. I want to cut long spiky bangs and put even more different color streaks in. I know, I know, I've completely lost my mind.

This is all because a friend wrote to me and said "One life, Robin. That's all we get." I'm letting that fuck with my brain. On the one hand, I am the happiest person alive. I had an absolutely amazing Saturday afternoon with my very best girlfriend, the shockingly talented and gorgeous Julie Slick. My brilliant son, Eric, gigs practically every night and this Saturday in particular, he's doing something fantastic:



By the way, he also designed that poster. Yes, I know...somehow the whacked out genes of Gary and Robin mutated into something beyond extraordinary.

But getting back to me and that You only get one life thing, on the other hand, I could be so much happier (like, if one of my books were made into a movie...as I once came so close to doing) and I also know I am my own worst enemy. And now, on top of that, I'm worrying that I'm squandering my "one life". I wish I could explain what I mean but I know the way cyberworld works -- you read this blog or one or more of my books you think you have a handle on me-- but truth to tell, you don't have a clue as to what my life really entails. Trust me, it's not Hollywood. Anyway, what I do know for sure is that a lot of you will read that "One Life" line and you'll shake your head in agreement and say "Yeah, that's pretty heavy...wow...I need to reflect on that." So you should. And by all means, buy yourself a black leather jacket, too. It may be shallow but strangely enough, it sure as hell made me feel better today.

Or, you will say what the fuck is this broad talking about and Does Anyone Feel Like Going Out for Gelato?

Whatever. But since I have overloaded this post with crappy, frivolous trendy stuff, here's something to shake things up a bit...and because all kidding and crappy, frivolous trendy stuff aside, I'm really feeling this right now:



I'll be back later to model my new jacket and hair.

Later.
xo