Percy Street Barbecue is open and is ready to serve you Texas style barbecue on South Street.

The Management Team

• Michael Solomonov
  • Acclaimed chef of Zahav
  • Partner with Steven Cook at Xochitl
  • Former executive chef at Marigold Kitchen

• Steven Cook
  • Partner in Zahav and Xochitl
  • Former executive chef at Marigold Kitchen
• Executive Chef and partner Erin O’Shea
  • Former executive chef at Marigold Kitchen
  • Brought modern southern cooking to Marigold

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Tom Drinker’s West will be the name of the 250-seat pizzeria and pub from Avram Hornik (Drnker’sPub, Drinker’s Tavern, Lucy’s Hat Shop) set for University City this month.  Elsewhere in UCity, Sang Kee is also hoping to open this month, City Tap House is aiming for after Christmas and Landmark Americana on Drexel’s campus is targeting February. [The Insider]

The New York Times profiles Bart Blatstein and the Piazza at Schmidt’s. Most notable, Blatstein owns the liquor licenses and can evict tenants for the sin of being un-cool. [New York Times via Grub Street]

Martha Stewart dined at Pod and made her own chopstick rests. [The Martha Blog via The Illadelph]

Friday Saturday Sunday has had a wonderful $10 above cost wine list for some time. Now they’re dropping any corkage fee so diners can BYO without charge. [The Insider]

Keith Taylor’s Holy Smoke in Roxborough will be opening outlets in Quakertown and Mt. Laurel. [Gluten Free Philadelphia]

Cuong Truong, an owner of Pho Ha at 6th and Washington is looking to open a two-story noodle house and smokeless barbecue at 216-18 South Street sometime next year. [Grub Street]

A second Trolley Car Diner location is set to break ground this week. Ken Weinstein is opening this one at the “Bathey House” near Kelly Drive in East Falls. [Meal Ticket]

World Cafe Live has a new chef, Michael Breslin who will be showing off his stuff at a Victory beer dinner on Tuesday, November 17th. [Beer Lass]

Meal Ticket posts some photos of the upcoming Percy Street Barbecue. The shots don’t reveal much other than our Pavlovian response to sausage but it’s still worth a peek.

Psst: Quickie peek inside Percy Street Barbecue [Meal Ticket]

The Percy Street Barbecue team of Steve Cook, Erin O’Shea and Michael Solomonov headed to Texas to research barbecue and find the perfect brisket. Filmaker Chandler Kaufman went along and documented the trip. Check out the video on the Percy Street site.

Their favorite place? Smitty’s Barbecue. Lockhart, Texas.

Percy Street is still aiming for a November opening. Probably the third week.

Percy Street Barbecue [Official Site]

Adam Erace manages to incorporate “whorebath” into his largely positive review of Miga, the smokeless Korean barbecue on 15th Street.

The menu describes belly as “unseasoned,” which you should read as “bland.” But it’s okay, really, as the salt-and-peppered sesame oil and intensely savory Korean bean paste take care of that. You’re meant to dip each piece of pork before bundling them in frilly red leaf lettuce cups with sliced garlic and chilies. Dip, wrap. Dip, wrap. United, the ingredients in this leafy Korean burrito brought real balance. Fresh and rich flavors, working in tandem, totally worth the wait.

Miga

A Full Plate is hosting their 3rd Annual Rib Cook Off this Saturday. There are both professional and amateur divisions competing.

Among the pros are El Camino Real, Bar Ferdinand, North Bowl, Darling’s Diner, Q BBQ & Tequila, Sonata and the yet to open Koo Zee Doo.

The amateur teams promise pro quality and their names are fun too; Mediocre BBQ, Ribbed for Her Pleasure and Pork Barrel Politics are among the highlights.

For $20 you get to sample the ribs from both the pro and amateur division plus the brisket and vegetarian options from the pro teams. There will also be a all-vegetarian buffet to counteract some of that meat. You also get a Stoudt’s beer and ROOT cocktail with your admission. For an additional $10 that cup turns bottomless.

The action goes down at 1pm at 2nd and Hancock, behind the Piazza at Schmidt’s.

Look for us, we’ll be judging.

A Full Plate Annual Rib Cook-Off [Official Site]

Trey Popp visits Smokin’ Betty’s and finds the menu is trying too hard to be all things to all people.

What drew me in to begin with was its tur-duck-en burger, but this was the first of several disappointments. Ground turkey and chicken overwhelmed the core of duck rillette with a blandness that an oversweet cranberry relish only called more attention to. Perhaps it’s foolish to hope for much from a derivative of a dish that’s a gimmick to begin with, but then again, rooting out fruitless ideas is part of what a restaurant ought to do.

Not So Smokin’ [City Paper]
Smokin’ Betty’s [Official Site]

Nick’s Charcoal Pit at 13th and Snyder gets lots of love from the venerable Holly Moore (who has been getting lots of press of his own) and from Drawing for Food. Holly gives 5 grease stains to Nick’s charcoal broiled filet topped with spinach and cheese and served on a Sarcone’s seeded roll.

Drawing for Food likes the ribs and the wings but favors the split hot dog covered in bacon and Cheez Whiz.

We think we’re going to have to go on an empty stomach.

Nick’s Charcoal Pit [HollyEats.com]
Nick’s Charcoal Pit – Again [Drawing for Food]

The Garry Maddox Barbecue Challenge sure generated some interest and tasty barbecue. We had some of the results on Monday but after the jump are the complete results.

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