A Stop in for Some Gizzards

I grew up with fried chicken.  Fried chicken, greens of all sorts, black-eye peas, cornbread (not the sweet stuff), the nine.  Wash it down to the world's sweetest tea, and how I didn't spend my childhood obese is a mystery.  For this reason, when I see a mom and pop stand open up that caters to the southern cookin' crowd, I get very excited.  And the smaller the better.

So, when I saw D.D.s open up on New York Avenue where Sweet Melissa's used to be, I got really excited.  Sweet Melissa's was a place I hated to see leave because the food rocked and I loved the atmosphere.  Replacing it ain't easy.  Add to that, when you put a sign out that says "Best Gizzards and Livers in Town" you had better bring it.  

I mentioned to Mr. Rob the previous night that I had been dying to hit up some gizzards and to my surprise, he enjoys the gizzards too.  So we decided to hit D.D.s about 11:00 the next day.

Arriving at 10:50, they were just finishing getting set up and we were greeted by a fella behind the window, who introduced himself as Milton.  Very nice guy and he has that home-townie feeling that makes you feel comfortable, as if you're eating at his house.  Exactly what I was hoping for and already a great sign.  I ordered a 2 piece dark meat with 1/2 pound of gizzards, collards and green beans on the side.  Rob got the 2 piece white meat with 1/2 pound of livers, and ordered the same sides as I did.

First, I will say, the greens are not the filled with pork, dripping in fat variety that I am used to.  In fact, I couldn't find any meat in there at all.  The flavour was great though.  Very sweet compared to what I'm used to and something I will definitely be ordering again.  Green beans were good as well.

The 2 piece dark meat was fantastic.  A thin floury crust fried fresh as we were sitting there (don't go if you're in a hurry) and really tender meat.  The meat was also reminiscent of fresh-killed chicken, not the bleached clean type you find at fast food joints.  Not sure if I am right in this assumption, but I dig it.

Gizzards?  Phenom.  Flaky crust, nice and chewy.  Not tough or overcooked, however.  Perfect for what your asking for.  Gizzards are not for everyone.  Kind of a poor man's fried clam, but way better in my opinion.  Rob wouldn't let me have any of his livers, so I guess I'm outta luck there.

For my money, I love this southern food and the people who make it.  Great roadside atmosphere and very reasonable prices.  I'll certainly be back many times and I encourage anyone who has been curious about D.D.s to stop in.  Cheers!