PYT

Last weekend we decided to go ice skating at Penn's Landing. To grab a quick bite en route, we tried PYT, a burger joint that ironically opened right around the time of Michael Jackson's death, inciting rumors that it was named after his famous song (aka Pretty Young Thing) but I never heard if that was true or not.

PYT was just what it claims to be - a burger joint, bar and lounge. It's right inside the infamous Piazza in Northern Liberties, still a neighborhood we need to explore more. The Piazza intrigues me because I've yet to be there when it wasn't a borderline ghost town, but maybe I have to check it out in nicer weather.

We both got their basic PYT burger, which has cheddar, bacon, tomato, lettuce and a "special sauce" on it I would say is kinda like ranch but different in a tastier way (and I looooove ranch). Burgers were not too big, not too small and the bacon was cooked all the way (undercooked bacon is a foodie pet peeve of mine) so all told it was one of the tastier bacon cheeseburgers I've had in Philadelphia. At $8.00 thats not a bad deal. They come with chips but we also got "Probably The Best Onion Rings You've Ever Had" for $4.00. And they were quite delicious.

You could be a lot more adventurous than us and get some of their other fun burgers - and if you're really hungry try the "The Big Mic" with THREE patties on it. That sounds gross to me, but know plenty of guys who would try it. PYT serves a few non-burger options like a hot dog, cobb salad and my fav Peanut Butter Jelly Time (loved that random video passed around circa 2003). There are also $5 milkshakes and $10 "adultshakes" that I would try next time.

Atmosphere was ok. Cool, chill bar, a little reminiscent of a Stephen Starr bar, but then the couple tables/booths were really casual. If I lived at the Piazza I would consider going just for the bar to grab a drink or two. When I went to the bathroom, I also noticed there is a back room and a slightly shady sign hanging there advertising a party or club-ish nightlife scene back there. Pretty random, but maybe if I knew someone who knew someone who'd been there before, I'd check it out.I also started following the owner on Twitter and he's pretty funny - @tommyup.

I think the Piazza and surrounding area is really cool and a great new nightlife/shopping destination for Philadelphia. Especially because it has the room to offer a lot of outdoor seating and look just like the piazzas we saw in Venice. I hope it really takes off as Northern Liberties grows, but like I said its usually a bit empty when I've gone over there, save for Bar Ferdinand which is really popular. Maybe I go at the wrong times, who knows.

Good job by PYT regardless.