Overheard on a recent Friday morning at David Family
Kitchen: “I’m bringing my momma here!” This from a middle-aged man in a
tracksuit who merely had to breathe in the aroma coming off the griddle and
survey the day’s menu, scrawled in black Sharpie on a whiteboard, to declare it
up to mom’s standards. Which, of course, is pretty much the ultimate compliment
for a soul food spot: to be known for true comfort food, the kind we associate
with home.
As its name suggests, David Family Kitchen comes by its
reputation honestly. The late Rev. Stoy David opened the restaurant a little
more than 11 years ago with his wife Pearletha (“Miss Pearl,” everyone calls
her), and throughout its existence on South Broadway, it’s been largely staffed
by Davids or other kin. These days, three David children, an aunt and a cousin
help Miss Pearl run the small kitchen and buffet line.
There’s no printed menu. Miss Pearl says she never knows
when she might want to change things up. So she has the whiteboard to suit her
whims. For some time, though, there’s been a degree of regularity to the
schedule. Oxtails on Tuesday and Thursday. Chicken and dumplings on Tuesday.
Meatloaf on Tuesday. Fried catfish every Friday.
That, after years of eating at David Family Kitchen, we
didn’t get a handle on the rotation until recently might have something to do
with one constant: no matter the day, the Davids are deep frying chicken. And
not just fried chicken, but golden, juicy, liberally spiced fried chicken —
perhaps the best you’ll find in town. So good that it’s difficult to branch
out. We know there’s joy to be found in DFK’s chicken necks and oxtails and
fried pork chops, but it’s just so hard to cheat on that chicken. In fact, we
have a hard time not ordering the same thing every visit — fried chicken,
cabbage, yams and cornbread. It’s the perfect balance of flavors and textures.
The savory crunch of chicken. The slight tang of cooked cabbage. That thick,
dessert-level sweetness in which the yams come swimming. And a yellow square of
cornbread, which isn’t anything to write home about, but is just the right
density for sopping.
Then there’s the other aspect of David Family Kitchen, which
in some circles gets all the attention — breakfast. It starts at 6 a.m., and
unlike lunch, everything is made to order, which means waiting a tic. But it’s
more than worth it. The menu is broad and full of all the typical combinations
— eggs, sausage, bacon, biscuits, toast, pancakes. And cheap. You can get three
pancakes, two eggs and bacon or sausage for $4.99. After a recent visit,
however, we’ll be hard-pressed to deviate from anything biscuit-related (they
come thick and buttery) and any meal that doesn’t include smothered potatoes.
It’s a misleading name, as the potatoes seem to be boiled to softness and then
fried with onions, almost like a potato latke, but without the pancake-style
arrangement. We haven’t tasted anything better in weeks.
David Family Kitchen
2301 Broadway St.
371-0141
Quick bite
If you can manage room or have the foresight to consider
dessert-for-later, there are man-sized pieces of yellow cake and generous
helpings of homemade cobbler, the crust just this side of fried pie crust, that
deserve serious consideration.
Hours
6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday through Friday.
Other info
Credit cards. No alcohol. Dining room closes at 3:30 p.m.