# 49: Percy Street Barbecue

Overview: 
The result of a "Texas Barbecue Odyssey" undertaken by chef Michael Solomonov and restauranteur Steven Cook (owner of Zahav and Xochitl- also on the Top 50), Percy Street Barbecue offers an authentic take on lone-star BBQ for our Philadelphia palates.

Philly Mag's Recommendations: The smoked chicken and sweet potato casserole (complete with gooey-toasted marshmallow topping). With the added encouragement: "Save room for the pecan pie."

http://percystreet.com/

Beth's Thoughts:
I didn’t take any pictures at Percy Street Barbecue.  The food didn't stay on the table long enough.

Yes, it was that good.

No, really.

Now, I may be a bit biased.  A good friend…man friend, if you will, is in the food industry here in this great city.  When he found out that the next stop on our list was Percy St, he made it a point to join our soiree.  So, being that food is his business, I may have had some preconceived notions going into this venture.

We ordered everything.  Ok, not everything, but almost everything.  And we all shared everything that we ordered.

We started with two appetizers to share.

That’s a lie.  I lied to you.  I started with their whiskey flight.  I had one shot of whiskey, one of bourbon and one of rye, chef’s choice.  If you go, do this.  And certainly check out the rest of the drink and beer menu.  Many beers in cans, and good beers at that.

Back to the truth.  I won’t lie to you anymore, I promise.

So, we ordered two appetizers to share.  We split the Avocado Salad and Mac and Cheese.  I thoroughly enjoyed the avocado salad, but, keep in mind, I like avocados.  Someone (David) may have another opinion.  The mac and cheese made me very very happy and may now be my third favorite Mac and Cheese on my personal “Beth’s best Mac and Cheese” list.

Yes, that list exists and I’m comfortable with that.

Next, we went straight for the meat.  We tried the pork belly, the brisket, the ribs, the sausage and the chicken.  I didn’t try the chicken – I’m not a chicken fan, but all that I tried were delightful, especially the brisket.

I have another word.  Two other words, to be exact.  Both “S” words.  The words are “sides” and “sauce.”  I think we ordered every side on the menu.  The sweet potatoes with marshmallow topping casserole was not my favorite.  The braised cabbage, however, was. 

We saved room for the Pecan Pie.  It was very good.  I am not a dessert person, but pecan pie, bread pudding and chocolate mousse are among my favorites, next to straight chocolate.  This is a pie to be enjoyed.   


David's Thoughts:
I was pretty psyched to give Percy Street a try. I'm a huge fan of Zahav, and I like the idyllic notion that Solomonov and his cohorts scoured the country collecting secret down-home recipes in search of BBQ perfection. Plus, nothing makes me happier than inappropriately large portions, and I was hoping that this might be one of the few chances to have an enormous meal at a Philly Top 50 restaurant. Maybe asking for quantity and quality is a bit much... but a boy can dream.

I was really happy with the atmosphere at Percy Street. The place has a very "come here to unwind" feel- great for a drink or dinner after the workday. The place works hard to feel laid-back, if you know what I mean. It gets a bit gimmicky at times (beer in a mason jar) but its a fun place to eat. The servers are sweet, though not the most attentive.

I was a little torn about the food itself. The menu is pretty straightforward: There are a variety of BBQ meat favorites (chicken, ribs, brisket, etc.) and everything can be ordered half/ full / platter-style (platter = a half-order w/ 2 sides). We tried nearly everything, and it was tasty. But, I've got to say, I was a bit disappointed by the portion sizes. Maybe it is unfair to compare Percy Street to... say... Famous Dave's BBQ (no relation), but I think "down-home cookin'" implies a little gut-stuffing. I'd be curious to try The Lockheart, a family-style spread with a 4 guest minimum, at $26/person. Monday is"all you can eat" rib night, and I would jump all over that. 
 
The beer from a can selection is amazing, but it isn't cheap, and those mason jars need frequent replenishing. Percy Street is big on side dishes, and I thought several were exceptional (The Mac n' Cheese, The Sweet Potatoes). But a few of the dishes had that distinct "we doused these in olive oil and table salt" flavor (I'm looking at you, Beet and Avocado Salads). Dessert was a highlight; the Pecan Pie is worth the wait. But I've got to say: I felt that shallow, gimmick-laden "I'm in the Philadelphia BBQ place" vibe more than once. 

I definitely enjoyed Percy Street; it's a sweet spot, with good eats and a catchy presentation. But I didn't leave with that "God we've GOTTA get back here again soon!" feeling. For me, Percy street is definitely the restaurant you tell your friends about, but not necessarily the place you drag them into.

# 50: Square 1682

Overview:
An acknowledged "Hotel Restaurant" (housed in the Hotel Palomar, just northeast of Rittenhouse), Philly Mag praises chef Guillermo Tellez despite admittedly "awkward service" and "senseless square-strewn decor."

Philly Mag's Recommendation: Roast Chicken over Pink Fettuccine

http://www.square1682.com/

David's Thoughts: 
So... this sucked. I admit, we made a mistake by starting this endeavor on Valentine's weekend, and had to deal with a prix-fix menu. Still, our waitress was clueless and the decor was obnoxious. My overpriced drink tasted like you could swab a wound with it. We split a single-order from the Valentine's menu, and still wound up with a $100 tab. Its never a good sign when you leave a restaurant and head to ANOTHER restaurant... The bright side of this evening: I look forward to re-visiting Pub and Kitchen when we hit #27 on the list!

Beth's Thoughts: 
David, I couldn’t agree more.  This blog should have been started in January.  But oh well, what can you do.  We are only people, you know.

I also wish it had begun on a more positive note.  Not with 1682 Rittenhouse. 

Blah!

Now, to be fair, we did unknowingly go the day before Valentine’s Day.  Ok, not so unknowingly.  David, if I do recall, you even called the place in advance to make sure we could order off the regular menu rather than strictly the prix fixe tasting.

Tasting.  What a joke.  I don’t think I tasted much.

We stared with drinks.  I think you, the reader, will see this as a pretty consistent theme throughout this blog.  In my opinion drinks are almost if not as important as the food itself.  It seemed to be off to a good start – drinks arrived in a sufficient amount of time and seemed to have the prescribed amount of alcohol in them that I find acceptable. 

Unfortunately, that was the last positive experience I had at 1682 Rittenhouse. 

First, we asked for the chicken over fettuccini recommended in the Philly Mag review.  The waitress had never heard of it.  And she wasn’t sure if the regular menu offerings were available, so off to the kitchen she went to ask.  After being told that no, we could not order off the standard dinner menu, we decided to stay nonetheless, but to order one five course meal and split it.  I know, a waitress’s dream. 

We decided on  the Smoked Salmon and Belon Oysters, the Porcini Mushroom Risotto, the New York Strip Steak and, for dessert, the Valhrona Chocolate Crunch Bar was our only option. 

Our meal began with our Amuse Bouche, a potato soup.

I couldn’t taste it.  At all.

We moved on to the Smoked Salmon.  I enjoyed this.  It was a good appetizer and made me look forward to our next course.  Oh, salmon, how you tease!

This was followed by our Porcini Mushroom Risotto, which I also could not taste.  The only lingering impression this course left was that the rice was certainly to the tooth - a bit too al dente, if you ask me. 

The biggest disappointment was yet to come.  I didn’t even bother to take a picture of the “steak” because it was more like a hockey puck than a piece of meat.  And we ordered it rare.  David must have eaten the half with the meat because all I ate was grizzle and fat.  Boo.

We couldn’t let that food be the last taste to hit our palates that evening, so we left the restaurant and went to another. 

1682 Rittenhouse.  For drinks, yes.  For food, never again.