Craig LaBan finds some inconsistencies at the Percy Street Barbecue but enough good to make him a fan.

Talk about a minimalist challenge. One mistake building your red-oak fire in the morning can mess with an entire evening’s worth of meats, says Erin O’Shea, Percy’s chef and co-owner.

But when it works, as it did with her crusty “burnt ends,” the results can be transcendent. Those irregular slices of beef, trimmed from both the fat-ribboned “moist” and “lean” ends of the brisket, arrive poking out of a white paper package like meaty treasures unearthed from a fire pit. Somehow still juicy and tender on the inside, their char-edged exteriors caramelize beef, fat, and smoke to their most intense expression

2 Bells – Very Good

Percy Street Barbecue [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Percy Street Barbecue [Official Site]

Everyone has an opinion on barbecue, and this weekend Craig LaBan will weigh in on his take on Percy Street Barbecue. How will the South Street take on Texas barbecue fare.

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More reviews of Percy Street Barbecue.

Percy Street Barbecue [Official Site]

Brian McManus leads a group of Texan expats to Percy Street Barbecue  where they leave “full” and “happy.”

The smoky chicken is tender and juicy. The “moist” brisket, ribs and sausage are indeed as “pretty fucking great” as I’ve lead my fellow expats to believe. The sides vary from spectacular (creamy macaroni and cheese) to ho-hum (collard greens with no evidence of ham hock), and most are above average (tangy, vinegar-spiked German potato salad, fragrant pinto beans and fried onion-topped green bean casserole).

Percy Street Barbecue [Philadelphia Weekly]
Percy Street Barbecue [Official Site]

Trey Popp visits Percy Street Barbecue and is stuck between two quotes. Is “imitation the sincerest form of flattery” or does absurdity of conduct arise “from the imitation of those we cannot resemble.” That’s the conundrum facing Percy Street as it reproduces a Texas smokehouse thousands of miles from its home.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes [City Paper]
Percy Street Barbecue [Official Site]

This week in Philadelphia Magazine’s Restaurant Club Newsletter.

• Joy Manning sees Chew Man Chu in a very different light than Craig LaBan
• Joy also moseyed over to Percy Street Barbecue for some barbecue that strays a little from tradition
• Food Faceoff: Burgers
  Rouge versus Village Whiskey in a hamburger duel
• Philly Cooks Contest: Six-Word Winners
  Winners of challenge to write about favorite restaurant, chef or meal in just six words

Restaurant Club Newsletter [Philadelphia Magazine]

Somehow the Philadinging Blog takes great photographs with his iPhone. Those photos plus his prose has us drooling for the pizza at Zavino. [The Philading Blog]

Phoodie is among the first to report back on Marc Vetri’s Amis. The good news, it’s Marc Vetri cooking at a much more reasonable price. [Phoodie]

Two Eat Philly is the new to the scene food blog of twin twenty-something food lovers who visit the also new to the scene, Amis. [Two Eat Philly]

Sips, Bites and Sites hits up Pizzeria Stella and provides some tips for best enjoying Stephen Starr’s pizzeria. [Sips, Bites and Sites]

Living on the Vedge does brunch at South Philadelphia’s Green Eggs Cafe and of all things, praises the porridge. [Living on the Vedge]

Percy Street Barbecue makes for great place to come with a big group according to Drawing for Food. [Drawing for Food]

Mac & Cheese calls the eggplant hoagie at Shank’s at Pier 40 a “revelation.” [Mac & Cheese]

Grub Street’s Food Chain makes its way back to Philadelphia as New York restaurant owner Christian Pappanicholas praises the Rodaballo a la Plantxa (turbot, sauce pastis, baby fennl and citrus) at Tinto. [Grub Street]

Maria Valetta loves the Lockhart deal at Percy Street Barbeque, where you get to sample the entire menu for just $24. [Sips Bites and Sites]

CE Phood gets the “famous crepe” at Paul during “Neighborhood Appreciation” night where the prix-fixe is just $20. [CE Phood]

Philly Phoodie heads out to Cajun Kate’s where the highlight among highlights is the deep fried mac and cheese wedges filled with tasso ham and crab meat. [Philly Phoodie]

Drawing for Food experiences the “Polish Hot Dogs” from Czerw’s Kielbasy. As a friend’s shirt used to say, “nobody beats Czerw’s meat.” [Drawing for Food]

Kirsten Henri makes pizza at Zavino. The key to good dough? Don’t overwork it. [Grub Street]

Veggicurious bites into the Tartufo pizza (black truffle, fontina, egg, Parmesan) at Pizzeria Stella. [Veggicurious]

As promised, Percy Street Barbecue has added late night menu options to its menu. Served from 10pm to 1am, Sunday through Thursday and 11pm to 1am on Friday and Saturdays, the menu includes chopped brisket, rib tips and house-made sausage. Each is available as a sandwich or a platter. Platters include a choice of two sides: coleslaw, pinto beans, German potato salad and vegan chili. Sandwiches are $6 and platters are $10.

The regular menu has tweaked as well, a Combo Plate featuring one or two meats and 2 sides for $15 or $17 has been added. And to experience the full menu in one sitting, bring at least three of your friends and order the Lockhart, all the meats, sides and a dessert for $24 per person.

Also worth noting is that the sausage and pork belly prices have dropped a dollar and now the sides come in just one size.

Percy Street Barbecue [Official Site]

Just in time for last second Christmas shopping, The Secret is Salt breaks down the Must-Buy, I Liked and Not for Me  Marcie Blaine Chocolates at Verde. [The secret is Salt]

Femme Fermental and Philly Market Cafe both check in on the early days of Percy Street BBQ. Both come away admiring the flavor though Femme Fermental has a couple of reservations. [Femme Fermental and Philly Market Cafe]

Enough about that foie gras topped burger at Village Whiskey, Veggicurious focuses on the “banging” veggie burger. [Veggicurious]

Mac and Cheese enjoys the pizza slinging show at the bar at Stella. [Mac and Cheese]

Veggicurious checks out the Coup de Taco truck for its tortilla-wrapped fusion creations in University City. [Veggicurious]

Rick Nichols invites some experts to come sample the Percy Street Barbecue menu with him.

Now the 800-pound gorilla of barbecue joints has moved in, near the corner of Ninth and South, the bright lights of the hulking Whole Foods Market a tobacco-spit away.

It’s called Percy Street Barbecue and its job, “BBQ,” is spelled out in red, Bozo-nose bulbs on the chunky sign that hangs outside.

Texas BBQ, come to Phila. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Percy Street Barbecue [Official Site]