Daddy Mim’s Creole BYOB: New Orleans Cooking in the Heart of Phoenixville

Sometimes, a white tablecloth restaurant with flavors you’d otherwise have to travel hundreds of miles for is just what you’d like for a weekend meal. In Phoenixville, if you want New Orleans food without the plane ticket to Louisiana, you go to Daddy Mim’s.

Dinner begins with a basket of crusty white artisanal bread and a crock of olive oil filled with roasted garlic cloves. The cloves were everything roasted garlic should be: smooth, rich and sweet. If the basket hadn’t been complimentary, I would have ordered two as an appetizer and left my husband to fare for himself!

The appetizer we did choose was the Crispy Coconut Shrimp ($8) which was three breaded shrimp drizzled with chili aioli and served on a bed of baby spinach, arugula, carrot, red cabbage and diced tomato. Some coconut shrimp are too candy-sweet; these, with the chili aioli, were the pitch-perfect paring of sweet and heat. The fresh salad greens were a refreshing palate cleanser for the next course.

Daddy Mim’s prides itself on its $35 chef’s tasting menu of appetizer, two courses and dessert. I’ve heard many good things about the tasting, but since it changes daily, we thought we should stick to the regular menu for a review.

My husband chose the Jumbo Lump Crabmeat Cake ($25) which is topped with roasted red pepper beurre blanc and served over sautéed spinach. The Crabmeat Cake was exceptional. If there is a better crabcake out there, we haven’t had it. 

After two tastes (I couldn’t help myself), he batted my fork away so that he could enjoy his own entrée! Lovely as the crabcake was, there just wasn’t enough of the sautéed spinach for a full meal. If we return, he will order a separate Garlic Sautéed Spinach side ($7).

I chose the Shrimp and Crawfish Etoufée ($24) which came with an authentic Creole-style red-brown sauce over scallion jasmatic rice. The shrimp and crawfish were everything you want in seafood:  fresh, firm, yet juicy with shell flavors. The rice grains were separate and delectable. 

I suspected the sauce had been oversalted when I tasted it. When I spent the rest of the evening drinking water and began this review at 4 a.m. because I was awake from drinking all that water, I knew the sauce had been oversalted. 

There are only three items on the Dessert Menu. I chose the Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie ($7) which was beautifully presented with strawberry slices, chocolate squiggles and topped with a dollop of luscious vanilla ice cream. Alas, it appears this pie is not a popular choice as my slice seemed to suffer from too long on the counter. The pecans were large and tasty, but the crust was thick and dry and the filling tasteless.

Service was friendly and attentive. New age jazz plays in the background and wait times between courses are completely reasonable. This is a “bring your own bottle” restaurant so the only beverages on the menu are the various herbal and regular teas ($3.50 each) of the Tea Menu which comes with the Dessert Menu.

Skip dessert. Err on the side of filling out dinner by purchasing a side. And even an overzealous hand with the salt can’t ruin fabulously selected and beautifully cooked seafood.

If You Go:

Location:  150-152 Bridge St., Phoenixville

Cost:  Appetizers:  $7 - $10  Entrées:  $18 - $28,  Sides:  $7  Desserts:  $7

Phone:  (610) 935-1800 (Reservations strongly recommended)

Website:  http://www.daddymims.com/index.html

Hours:  Mon.:  Closed
Tues. - Thurs.:  Lunch 12 p.m. - 3 p.m., Dinner 3 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Fri. - Sat.: Lunch 12 p.m. -3 p.m., Dinner 3 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Sun.:  4 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Payments accepted:  Credit card, Cash

Parking:  Phoenixville parking lot or on-street parking