Daddy’s Soul Food

Linda Bladholm10/11/2011

Daddy’s Soul Food moved into the former Washington Avenue home of Club Zoe a few months ago, serving Southern favorites like gravy-smothered chicken, black-eyed peas and sweet potato pie. The atmosphere is dark and clubby, and the signature drink at the bar is a blend of sweet tea, lemonade and Remy Martin cognac called the Uptown.

Dorian Williams runs the place with his mother, Cinitia Roberts. He grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, but spent childhood summers with his grandparents in the South. (His dad was from Little Rock, Ark., and his mom from Brook Haven, Miss.) Williams, who also goes by Doe Sha, pursued a passion for music, working for an independent R&B record label in the 1980s and later forming an artist management company. He passed through Miami often, and came to stay a few years ago. Deciding the club district needed a soul-food source, he opened Daddy’s on Memorial Day weekend.

Feed your soul here on fried okra, collard greens and country-style pork spareribs glazed in brown sugar, maple syrup and hot mustard barbecue sauce. Deviled eggs, fried chicken gizzards or cornbread muffins are a good way to start.  Wings come with onion rings and spicy dipping sauce.

Fried or baked chicken (dark or white meat), steak in home-style gravy with peppers and onions, grilled short ribs, fried pork chops, cornmeal-crusted catfish and fried snapper are among the main dishes. They’re served with a choice of two sides including potato salad, candied yams, rice and red beans, sautéed cabbage and corn on the cob. .

Save belly space for 7-Up cake  (pound cake with a lemon-lime glaze) or peach cobbler. Daddy’s puts the “south” in South Beach.