At an obscure intersection in the Grant Park area of Atlanta, Georgia is a dilapidated building that would be completely overlooked were it not for the urban graffiti-esque art covering the exterior and the smell of smoked beef that permeates the air. It’s Daddy D’z BBQ Joynt, voted Atlanta’s best barbeque by Creative Loafing and featured on the Food Network.
It’s not a fancy place. The furniture is used and well worn, the building is in ill-repair, and the HVAC runs on a “spit and a prayer.” What it lacks in ambiance by most standards, it makes up for in friendly hospitaliity and quality food.
It was early evening when we arrived, but the place was already busy. The menu is printed on laminated 11×17 sheets and includes sandwiches, soups, Brunswick stew, appetizers and dinner plates. The barbeque sauces come in mild or hot.
I’m rather picky about my barbeque, so I was ready to be critical. They made it difficult.
The pork is tender and flavorful, the brisket melts in your mouth, and the pork ribs will leave you sucking the bones. The mild sauce is tomato-based with a sweet burst of flavor, whereas the hot sauce is vinegar based with an initial
sweetness followed by a burst of tangy heat.
The cole slaw had the perfect texture, not too watery but not too creamy; it highlighted the cabbage and not the flavors of the sauce. The baked beans were thick and tangy, the fried zucchini lightly battered, and the collard greens had a hint pepper vinegar that cut the bitterness of the greens without overpowering. There was absolutely nothing to fault with any of our dishes.
The service was excellent. Our waitresses were not only patient and friendly, but ready to answer questions and enthusiastic about the options. They dressed for comfort and personality, and did they have personality! If they weren’t laughing they were telling a story.
Our fellow patrons were relaxed and ready to chat with everyone who offered a smile. It was an eclectic group, united by good food, good music and fun. We could have easily been mistaken for the extras in a 1970s independent B movie.
We were there for a friend’s birthday. As the waitress brought out the blackberry cobbler (a light dessert leaving the berries untainted by an abundance of sweet), we broke into the birthday song. We might as well have been howling at the moon as singing on key. The table behind us clapped and explained they were celebrating a birthday, too. We howled for them, this time at least finding a key. The entire restaurant applauded.
This is a blues venue, so several nights a week blues bands will play and transform this hole-in-the-wall to an old south jook joint. Blues musicians and local African-American celebrities are celebrated in the artwork on the wall, and the overall feel echoes back to an era long past.
We lingered, enjoying our time and experiencing none of the impatience to “get them in and get them out” that is so often the attitude in restaurants today. We were part of a community, a family. That was never more clear than when a fellow patron came to the table, asked to shake the hand of the birthday boy and left a $20 bill in his palm. Strangers become friends at Daddy D’z, and they do it in the traditional southern way…over good food.
Daddy D’z proudly proclaims “We ain’t pretty but we’re good.” I’d have to say pretty is as pretty does, and they do it very good!
by G. Anne Bassett 