Hello everyone. In an earlier post on this board, I put out the word about Petruce et al, on Walnut Street in Philly. Since then, my husband and I have eaten there many, many times and we really enjoy it. Some dishes are excellent, and everything is good and thoughtfully prepared with high quality ingredients. And the bread is outstanding and addictive.
Unfortunately, though many people and reviewers have liked the place and they have good crowds many nights, they are struggling a bit with the slower summer coming on. So I am spreading the word about a very nice restaurant, worth a visit, run by incredibly nice people. Tim Kweeder, the GM and beverage director, used to work at Moore Brothers and is just about the sweetest guy I’ve ever met. He’s a wine lover and always good for a chat.
They are not a dedicated BYO, though I believe their policy is currently bring-one-buy-one, and they may soon be adding one BYO night a week with no corkage.
Please consider a meal here if you live in or visit the Philly area. Here is nice review from the Philadelphia Inquirer:
Thanks Sarah - already on my short list but this may be the kick in the butt needed to drag me out of the 'burbs. Can you comment on the vegetable dishes? My wife is a self-titled ‘dirty vegan’ - definitely vegetarian and strongly inclined toward no animal products but willing to cheat with dairy on occasion (particularly at dessert time). Based on their current on-line menu it looks like she would have some great choices but I’d value your opinion.
i’ve been meaning to go here. but i’d give them the feedback to offer corkage for $25. i know it may be shallow or whatever, but it’s probably the main reason i haven’t eaten there yet. i expect to be able to bring my wines to any philly restaurant. there are too many with zero corkage and tons that offer corkage.
Kevin - Their vegetables are some of their strongest dishes, especially the carrots, and I expect they could accommodate her no problem.
Yaacov - I agree and have discussed the corkage policy with them. I’m hoping to have good news about a change soon and will let people know.
Thanks for reading. I can’t claim it’s a gastronomic mecca or anything, but they are serving good food in a comfortable environment and are great people. It’s a nice addition to the Philly dining scene, and I think it would be real shame if they had to close.
very interest - when you google petruce and wine you get a lot of discussion about the miserable hell that restaurants must endure in PA regarding wine…
good read - and it references a follow up article specifically about Petruce’s wine list. Which is nicely edited and some interesting choices in the very hipster direction, but the markups are tough.
They got a nice uptick in patrons when the article about the wine list came out. The mark-ups are another thing we’ve discussed. I assure you that Tim’s not marking up to be a jerk or because he thinks people are just stupid, and he has put a huge amount of time and thought into the list. It’s a difficult situation in a lot of ways.
I’ll be there tomorrow with my parents, who are coming in from DC, and will convey the feedback.
The list is fantastic for Philadelphia. Right up there with a.Kitchen and Vedge (which all have Tim Kweeder in common). While I am spoiled by BYOB with no corkage fee, it is a treat to try glasses of something new at these places.
Sarah - Thanks for the vegetable info. I hope you have a great meal w/ your parents and I look forward to your write-up.
Thanks Kevin. Appreciate the kinds words and interest.
When the Petruce brothers, who are the chefs, were planning and building the restaurant, they would come to our house and play all day with our wood-burning oven, which is the same manufacturer. Justin, Jonathan and my husband (also Jonathan) would start opening bottles and throwing just about everything into the oven to see what could be done with it, as both practice and recipe development for when their place opened. So while the dishes have gotten a bit more refined since going on the menu, I know for sure they came to life with real passion and fun.
They were throwing bottles into the oven? To see what could happen?
I wish them luck. I’ve heard good things about their food.
Being a licensee in this BYOB city is not easy, as it probably turns off more people than it attracts. Doing it with corkage is nice, but…when the competition is straight BYOB at so many places, even that can be a negative, as almost every place I know of with a license will let people do that for that price.
I agree with the sentiment above. My wife and I live two blocks away and haven’t eaten there yet. With so many other BYO places to eat, the ability to BYO (even with a nominal corkage fee) is what it would likely take to get us there despite hearing great things about the food. For a couple like us (medical residents) who already invest a lot of hard earned money in wine collecting, spending more money on wine out at restaurants is usually a deterrent. Even if they had one night a week as BYO we would definitely give it a try, and I bet having a corkage option would improve business overall.
Another very enjoyable meal last night at the counter. They aren’t doing the wonderful carrots right now, but have replaced them with some other strong vegetable dishes. The squash was light and refreshing as our first bite, beets were outstanding, and the broccoli tempura with house made kimchi was very good - tempura light and crispy and still tasting of broccoli. Hamachi was a little overwhelmed by its prep, but the octopus was delicious. We were given a freebie of English peas with cherries and shitake mushrooms that made me want to lick the bowl. Duck was perfectly cooked and the sunflower seed ragout it came with was surprising and delicious. Pork ribs were also very tasty.
My only criticism is that sometimes there are more elements on the plate than are really necessary, but fortunately those generally don’t result in a muddled or gloppy dish. Every flavor is distinct and the elements work together. The brothers have a light touch with vegetables in particular, and always get excellent quality local produce.
Four of us ordered 7 dishes, mostly small plates (duck is a full sized entree and the pork ribs were somewhere in between), got one vegetable free and shared one dessert, which was plenty of food. The bill came to $70 a couple. Granted, that’s with no booze, but still seems more than reasonable to me. I was happy to see them pretty full on a Saturday night. Tim mentioned, though, that they had 11 prime time last minute cancellations and no-shows. I think that’s appalling and feel very bad for them and others in the restaurant business who have to struggle with this growing problem.
Talked to Tim about the BYO feedback and will keep you posted on what I hear. As a note, he has a very well-appointed bar up front and the cocktail menu looked serious and appealing.
Sarah - Thanks for the heads up. Our son is heading to Philly in the fall for College. We will make sure to give Petruce et al a try. BYOB not a real concern for us as I try to avoid traveling with wine.
the no show issue is probably the biggest one for restaurants right now. everyone is trying to figure out a good way to solve for this. but no one has figured out a system that can work for normal restaurants (not the few that can sell tickets). it’s not only appalling, but it undermines the business model because a few no-shows will indeed put you under water for the night. i think there’s an oppty for opentable, for example, to lead here - by educating their users and working with restaurants.
Thanks to Sarah I went to Petruce a few weeks ago after The Roots Picnic and had a very good meal. The wine list is well curated and I was extremely pleased to be able to order an Immich Batterieberg and Emidio Pepe for fare prices. Food was very good. Tim could not have been nicer and kept the kitchen open until we arrived. I look forward to going back.
Yes, it is very sad. Some internal issues as well as the ones I’d highlighted previously lead to its demise.
We had a very nice meal at the new Kanella location a couple of weeks ago. It is Greek Cypriot food, with a very good wood burning oven made by the same guy who made the one at Petruce. They now have a liquor license, but still allow BYO for a reasonable corkage fee. I would recommend it for a relaxed, enjoyable and reasonably priced meal.