Thursday, January 13, 2011

Looking at Percy's...

El Camion opens today at 12th Street and Avenue A... Speaking of Avenue A eateries... we haven't discussed Percy's at the corner of 13th Street very much... As Eater noted back on Dec. 15, Knife + Fork, the former Fourth Street restaurant that was operating inside Percy's, shut down...



And Percy's was said to be expanding its menu ... Anyway, there's new signage up here...



I still haven't eaten here... I was going to stop by one Sunday afternoon for a few beers and what not, but there was some sort of brunch-time band playing... which I wasn't in the mood for...



Has anyone eaten here? To be honest, I've been rooting for this place since longtime East Village resident Larry Watson made his pitch before the CB3/SLA in June. As he said: "I love this neighborhood and would never do anything to compromise all the years and continued effort that was put into our neighborhood. I have supported Father Pat Moloney and St. Brigid's with cleaning up and maintaining this area."

This was a refreshing message in an era of carpetbagging celebrity chefs and insufferable hipsterized restaurateurs opening shop hereabouts...

I'm not sure if live music was part of Percy's original plan, but it seems as if they might be getting into the concert business... at least for one night....

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Some of my friends ate there when Knife + Fork and they liked the food but said it was way too expensive for a tavern. (I was going to join them the night they went until I walked by and looked at the menu and got sticker shock!) But I hear the prices are lower on the food now so I am definitely going to check out this place.

Anonymous said...

Had drinks there. Very good selection of beers. The barman was a pro. decent place to linger over soem wuiet drinks with friends

glamma said...

i am secretly a huge fan of traditional irish music played in irish taverns. not usually a brunch person but maybe i will check it out sometime. seems like they are not d-bags at all. good luck percy's!

Anonymous said...

Seems like they're going through a lot of changes for a place that hasn't been open that long. Wonder if that's common or a result of many empty nights?

Lisa said...

@Glamma - I'm with you about liking traditional Irish music, it's great. Just FYI 510 Bar on E. 11th St. regularly has ceilidhs on Sunday nights, very low-key and intimate, free live music. Check it out if you haven't already, I guarantee you'll have a lovely time.

Laura Goggin Photography said...

I heard some old ladies on the street say they liked the food here, so I also went by on a Sunday to give it a try, but was not in the mood for music with my meal. I must have been there around 1pm and the bar was full, but the tables completely empty, so I was confused as to whether there was food or not. I'd still like to try it, especially if they have shepherds pie.

BaHa said...

Turner is a terrific singer/songwriter. Not loud, not neighborhood disturbing. Intelligent lyrics, often very funny. Most highly recommended. I don't know if he still lives in the neighborhood, but was a local for years. Go!

Anonymous said...

This was never about Larry. The fear was that this would turn into this big thing that brings in herds of people to this already over- saturated strip. Look, the place is huge and the windows open on to the street. They also have plans for outdoor seating. These are the things that worry residents. Why did they put those windows in that open on to the street? If the community doesn't like that and the community doesn't like outdoor seating both front and back then these places shouldn't do it and residents need to support other residents.
Lets wait and see what happens when the weather gets warm. I don't know what kind of deal was cut with the people who live above the space, but there was apparently some kind of negotiation.

I hope that Larry will keep trying to work it out towards making it a real local place.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the sticker shock on Percy's! I live around the block and was anxiously waiting for it to open while they were renovating the space after al-diwan shut down. It never seems to be too crowded, but looks like a great place to chill. Maybe I'll go there moreso for drinks than food.