Atmosphere - Having enjoyed a really satisfying visit to our first Wylder Hospitality Group restaurant (see my earlier review on "The Wylder"), we anticipated good things at The Percy. We were not disappointed. The vibe between these two restaurants not surprisingly is quite similar, but distinct in many ways as well. Both are tremendous, very casual places at which to socialize and dine. I really enjoyed the music that was piped in - classic, somewhat nostalgic songs such as "At Last" (Etta James) and other soul-reaching tunes. The music was loud enough to "hear" but light enough to enjoy all table discussions and easily discern what our server was communicating. Our server (post-water and drink orders via another) was Morgan. You could feel her confidence in answering our questions about the menu and provided a cheery public-facing presence for Percy. Atmosphere summary - I would be happy to dine and socialize here any time.
Food - Another vis-a-vis comparison with Wylder: Percy's menu is broader and less-specialized than the great pizza-focused baseline at Wylder. Percy's offerings branch out in many different directions; more in line with a modern American restaurant that is able to cater to many diverse culinary wants. The dinner options are many - and indeed it took our group of four at least one adult beverage in time to make up our minds. Our choices completed, we patiently waited to share two appetizers.
Appetizers - Ken's Biscuits: fried sage, gruyere cheese, apricot butter; Percy Potatoes: crispy coal roasted, pickled shallot aioli, black garlic, fresh herbs. Tough for our group to decide between all of the apps offered - our server Morgan was helpful by providing descriptive input beyond the printed menu text. Our choices as we soon found out, were well-worth the pondering. Plenty of bites between the four of us with this duo of starters. Sorry that my pictures were taken midway into enjoying each. The Percy Potatoes were nicely roasted, then smashed slightly (skin-on). Served with a pickled shallot aioli, black garlic, and herbs. A substantial, satisfying start. Even better, in my opinion, were Ken's Biscuits. Two huge (plenty for four of us) homemade biscuits. As impressive as the native taste of the biscuits were alone, I was so pleased with the apricot-laced butter, which in reality was in viscosity akin to a thickened dip. The blend of the savory-sided biscuit with the minutely-sweet apricot butter was a winner. Two apps we'd all order again on a return visit.
Entrées - From a taste perspective, I can only provide here my thoughts from my plate as well as my wife's. I thought it a bit intrusive to stick my meandering fork into the plates of the couple with whom we dined. I did however, take a very close observation of their choices. Skirt Steak (me): certified angus, lizzy's backyard marinade, cheesy green chili rice; Organic Rotisserie Chicken (wife): apricot glaze, mashed potato, braised greens; Percy Burger (dining friends): local wagyu beef, sesame bun, idaho cheddar, caramelized onions, house sauce. First, both of our friends selected the Percy Burger, altho one went "sans bun". The Wagyu patties (both medium by choice) looked excellent and the bunned (sesame-semolina) version held up well to the size of the patty. Both plates were loaded with seasoned fries (perhaps too many, if that is possible). Both friends were pleased with the taste of the burgers. My wife was thrilled with her Rotisserie Chicken plate. She is a fan of good veg, but quickly mentioned how exceptional the braised greens were. I also took a forkful of the greens - wonderfully braised kale, possibly in beef tallow if I heard our server Morgan earlier mention. The chicken appeared to be an entire half - it was huge. Lucky me! My wife could not finish this bird and over to my plate (already finished by the way) it flew. The chicken was so moist and tender. Enjoyed each bite. Again apricot slipped into our meal via the glaze used on the skin of the bird. I frankly did not think the apricot made a huge impact on the taste overall, regardless, the chicken was great. I did not happen to try the underlying mashed potatoes (they disappeared prior to my intrusion). On to my entrée. In what looked to be the most elemental dish of the night, I had chosen the Skirt Steak. Very simple yet pleasing presentation. Just sliced skirt steak (medium by choice) plated next to a small vessel of their cheesy green chili rice. The steak was simply butter. Fantastic taste by way of the marinade used and so tender. The rice was also very good, but if I had a bone to pick, I would hasten to say that if you are going to call it cheesy green chili rice - it should reflect green chili a bit more. Don't get me wrong, the rice was really good and I devoured it. Would gladly reorder it - the cheesy rice by the way is available as a side option with any meal. read more