Disappointment on Percy Street

Readers of 22nd & Philly know one of our favorite places is Zahav.  Therefore, excitement filled the air when we heard the owner Michael Solomonov opened a BBQ joint called Percy Street in November of 2009. It took us way too long to go and the anticipation was high since several friends raved about it. Unfortunately, that was the peak of our Percy Street experience.

We heard good things about the cocktails so even though I was in the mood for beer I got the FM 423 (tito's vodka, peach juice and sweet tea). For 9 bucks is was not worth the price. I would like to try the Hillbilly gatorade for kicks (high life, pickle juice and BBQ sauce). Wonder what it tastes like?

For apps, we had the mac & cheese and the jalapeño corn bread. The mac & cheese was delicious. Crusty, hot and just the right amount of cheese. One of the few things on the menu worth the price.  While, I liked the kick of the corn bread it should be provided complimentary not for $5. Online I saw smoked chicken wings on the menu, but they were not on the actual menu. Too bad since I was looking forward to trying (the dry rub wings at Devil's Alley are awesome FYI).

Up to this point, Percy Street was doing ok. Unfortunately, the main course of BBQ was up next and the disappoint commenced.  

Between the two of us, we were able to try the brisket, pulled pork and pork spare ribs. I ordered 1/4 lb of brisket and pulled pork (+ two sides for $18), while Kristy only ordered the spare ribs ($13). I felt the prices were high for the serving sizes. The biggest disappointment was the actually meat. It was dry and not enough flavor. The brisket was actually good, while the pulled pork was normal and certainly nothing to brag about. The spare ribs were simply not good for any BBQ place. Dry and not enough meat. Not good. 

Percy Street has three BBQ sauces (hot, sweet, normal) and comes on the side not on the meat.  I like hot sauce, but it was a bit much for me especially for BBQ. The heat overwhelmed the flavor and took away from the flavor of the meat. Sweet and normal were ok sauces and not of the quality of place aiming to be a top-notch BBQ place.  

The sides we had were pinto beans, carrots, and sweet potatoes with marshmallows. I enjoyed the pinto beans, but the carrots were underwhelming. The sweet potatoes with marshmallows were interesting to see on display, but not as good to eat.

We skipped dessert so no verdict.  The layout of Percy Street is  a bit too airy for me. We were got by the door and it felt lonely. When I think of BBQ I think of atmosphere and it was lacking at Percy Street.

For a much hyped BBQ place Percy Street does not live up to the billing. Prices are high for both the quality and the serving size. Maybe we just visited on bad night. We hope so.  

The good news. Maybe the owners know they have a gem in Zahav and are still spending all their time keeping it a gem. It's a trade-off that works for me.