Warmdaddy’s Luke Warm

Craig LaBan focuses on Warmdaddy’s this week and finds

Warmdaddy’s new location on Delaware Avenue generic, and without unique flavor.

We were pretty much out of luck all night, with a few notable exceptions. I liked the band. And the restaurant’s takes on some soul-food basics were undoubtedly passable. The corn-crusted catfish was fresh and nicely fried. A couple of sides were spot-on, like the tender (but not mushy) black-eyed peas and a crock of macaroni and cheese that had just the right balance of crust and creamy tang. The smallish shrimp were deep-fried for shrimp and grits (as opposed to the traditionally sauteed, saucy Lowcountry style), but I have to admit they were tasty.

The real question that keeps nagging, though, is whether producing “passable” renditions of soul food is really enough to expect from the Bynum brothers’ latest effort. The new Warmdaddy’s may be an intriguing new music venue, but so far, it is also a missed opportunity to raise the bar for updated neo-soul cooking.

One Bell – Hit or Miss

Warmdaddy’s [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Warmdaddy’s [Official Site]