American Whiskey Dinner with Lew Bryson
Percy Street BBQ
900 South St
Philadelphia, PA
3/9/11

We were all so excited to attend our first whiskey dinner and, of course, it's always great to listen to my good friend, Lew Bryson who is so knowledgable about drinks. We have had him down in Somers Point to fascinate us with Bourbon and Irish Whisky and are looking for his return to do another Bourbon seminar soon.
Well, this was also our first time at Percy and we were impressed by the decor and the great whiskey and beer selections. Only a few taps but a nice variety of canned beer, yes canned! We enjoyed a beer or whiskey before the start of the dinner.
Several prominent beer people were in attendance: Chris Lapierre, brewer at Iron Hill-Maple Shade, Casey Hughes, brewer at Flying Fish, and several guys from Stoudt's.
The first whiskey we tasted was 1792 Ridgemont Reserve "Kentucky Tea" accompanied by a variety of Country Hams: Fathers from KY, Phillip's from NC and Edward's Wigwam from VA. They were fantastic but not enough for the 6 of us.
Next up was Sweet Potato Soup w/smoked pork rillettes. We could've made a meal out of this. My wife and I love soup and this was outstanding. It was served with Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey which I had always wanted to try, but never had the chance. We were all impressed with it, a very smooth drink for such a young one. FYI, this whiskey used to be made with wash from Flying Dog Brewing that was right next door to them, but then FD left for Frederick, MD and Stranahan had to set up a brewing system for itself.
Trout has never been high on my list of favorites and my friend Don eats no seafood at all, but we were presented with Smoked Trout on a bed of greens with apples, onions and fingerling potatoes. The smokiness was just right and no flavor of fish came through. Even Don ate some! Four Roses Yellow Label was poured for us and was by far everyone's favorite! It was the epitome of smooth!
A smoked Stuffed Quail made its appearance in front of us next with cornbread and sausage stuffing and brussel sprouts. The quail was smoked a bit too much for my taste, but it was a new experience. It was served with a Rittenhouse Rye Manhattan which was my first. Very strong alcohol presence in this drink and certainly warmed the body!
Finally, we enjoyed a most delicious dessert to end this unique meal. It was a blend of Byrd Mill Grits, caramel, peanuts and vanilla ice cream accompanied by Rowan's Creek Bourbon.
We wish we could have stayed for one more, but we had a timeframe and we were well past it. Having been the first drinks dinner here, they did very well. Service was good, food was warm and drinks superb.
We are all looking forward to returning to Percy St. for a dose of their regular menu and some of the fine whiskies on hand. If you're ever in Philly, don't pass this place up. A convenient parking garage a block away and a Whole Foods store across the street, there are lots of reasons to go but none not to.
Hope to see you there!

                                                HOME