Fat Daddy’s BBQ

I always get nervous when I first check out a BBQ restaurant. My last restaurant venture was a BBQ restaurant in the Washington, D.C. area, so I have fairly strong ideas of what BBQ is – and what it is not. My two pitmaster awards make me even more annoyingly opinionated. Like many regional foods, everyone has his or her own interpretation of BBQ: North Carolina. South Carolina. Memphis. Texas. Kansas City. Even Mongolian! So you can't be too sure what to expect when you venture into a BBQ place for the first time.

I've probably got 100 emails telling me to get my butt (aka, shoulder or picnic) out there onto Rt. 9/404 just past Georgetown to Fat Daddy's. I drove by the building hundreds of times when it was a Mexican joint, but never stopped in. But when my band started playing in Georgetown regularly and I got to know more Georgetowners, the pressure started ramping up – and the locals were not taking “no” for an answer. Since then I've been back there three times. (And got some pretty good pics for the gallery.)

Fat Daddy's couldn't be more “down home,” with cute signs all over the place, red checkered tablecloths, and the smell of smoldering hickory pervading the inside AND the outside. On our first visit we got the beef brisket sandwich and the pulled pork sandwich. They call the pork North Carolina style, but I tasted a perfectly balanced hybrid of NC and Memphis style. Take a look at the gallery to see this sandwich. The brisket was perfectly tender but not soggy. The spice mix was great, but not so strong that it disguised the taste of the meat. And with a nod to true BBQ lovers, there were a few burnt ends thrown in just for fun.

Texture. Taste. Spice. It was all there. All served on a proper soft roll.

Of course, I couldn't check out Fat Daddy's without tasting the ribs. It's difficult to get a tantalizing char (we call it “bark”) and still keep the rib meat moist and almost “fallin' off the bone.” Owners Jeff and Brenda Frey managed to accomplish both those things perfectly. The firm “pull” of the bark combined with the tender, flavorful meat was truly delightful.

See the gallery for pics of some of the goodies, then go check for yourself. I gave you a link to the menu below. They also sell meat by the pound so you can schlep it back to the beach and DIY.

Fat Daddy's is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and open Wed. thru Sat from 10-8 and Sundays 10-6. Call Brenda “Mama” Frey for catering or carryout of large orders. She is a character and a delight to kibitz with!

You will find Fat Daddy's about 10 min. west of Georgetown at 13203 Seashore Hwy. (Rt. 9/404). 302-956-0381. Take a look at the menu HERE.

See the website HERE. Follow Fat Daddy's on Facebook.

(By the way, the lady peering at you through the giant Fat Daddy's pretzel is none other than Cathy DiNardo from DE PC Services in Rehoboth Beach. If your computer is possessed by a demon, she and Mark can easily exorcise it.)