Jenn Harris caught the sound of jazz music floating in the air as she
walked down Degnan Boulevard into the heart of Leimert Park, an artsy,
jazzy neighborhood in Los Angeles. Following is a slide show she
produced to capture that vibe.

It wasn't until I tasted the food at M & M Soul Food in the Leimert Park area of Los Angeles, that I understood why people named a plate of true southern comfort "soul food." M & M is an unassuming, hole-in-the-wall type joint near the corner of Kings and Crenshaw Boulevards. There are neither frills nor big signs outside to alert anyone of the crazy good food being served inside.The restaurant walls are filled with various pieces of artwork and pictures made by patrons. Large, wide windows, red metal chairs and linoleum table tops give the place an old diner-like feel.

A plate of hot cornbread and a couple pads of margarine replace the typical bread and butter that accompany a meal. I can say without reservation that the cornbread is the best I have ever tasted, and I've eaten a lot of cornbread. It was fluffy in the middle and increased in denseness as I cut into the center and broke off a piece of the top. I could taste the sweet corn in every grainy bite.

The menu consisted of fried chicken smothered in gravy, greens, yams, macaroni and cheese, ribs, pork chops, pie, cobbler, and sweet tea—anything I could ever want from a restaurant that boasts its cuisine is real Mississippi home cooking. I decided to take the traditional route and order the BBQ chicken plate. Each plate is huge and comes with your choice of three sides. From a long list of classics like collard greens, black-eyed peas, and mashed potatoes, I went with the green beans, yams and macaroni and cheese. After waiting a long couple of minutes, the waitress called me "honey" and served me a heavy, intimidatingly large plate of food.

I immediately went for the bright orange mac and cheese. It wasn't gooey or runny. It was just the right amount of cheesy, lingering on your tongue with a little kick of cayenne pepper. The green beans were stewed in some chicken broth with boiled potatoes; peppery and delicious. The yams tasted like they had been bathing leisurely in simple syrup with honey for the entire afternoon. When I finally tore myself away from the sides, I dug into the BBQ chicken. The chicken itself was moist and tasted like it had been marinating before it hit the grill. It was smothered in a rich, dark, red barbecue sauce - sweet and smoky.

The sauce was thick against the roof of my mouth and I felt it stick to my ribs as it went down. I finished off the meal with a large bowl of peach cobbler that had been artfully sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg. I smiled and savored every moment.

I now know what "soul food" is.

It's the kind of food that takes you to another world and back again in one bite. It's the kind of food that makes you question why you would ever eat anything else. And it's the kind of food that makes you feel a deep-seated appreciation for every flavor, drop of sweat and ounce of love that you had the privilege of tasting.

M & M Soul Food 3552 W Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90008 (323) 299-1302