We all have one of those days when everything that could possibly go wrong, indeed goes wrong. If you’re feeling a little sad, blue or simply like shiz, forget chicken soup for the soul… what you need is some fried chicken. Everyone knows that the best comfort food there is, is the one that’s been fried. If you’re craving some badass traditional Southern-style comfort soul food, there’s a joint in L.A. by the name of “M & M” that will satisfy all your culinary needs and then some more. Sure, this joint is not the first and it certainly won’t be the last to specialize in soul food; however, you haven’t really experienced traditional Southern food until you visit this spot. “M&M Soul Food” has nothing on popular “Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles”, if anything, it’s a more authentic and homely joint.
Original Southern hospitality
“M & M Soul Food” luckily follows the beloved hole-in-the-wall formula, which means that you’re in for a pleasant surprise. This joint, as expected, is mid-sized, homely, and of course extremely cozy and inviting.
You couldn’t expect less from the staff which is beyond friendly. You don’t even really have to ask for anything, the servers are so on top of their game que no te va a faltar nada mientras estés en “M & M”.
There’s nothing memorable or unique about the décor at this joint, if anything the simplicity and lack of it make it even more amicable. Unquestionably less is more when it comes to décor, fortunately for you, that saying is not true when it comes to food… you’re in for a heck of a surprise.
Empezando con el pie derecho
Something that comes with original Southern hospitality and comfort is the portion size… you cannot, and you MUST NOT visit “M & M” if you don’t have a huge appetite, si tienes el tanque lleno, and if you’re not too fond of leftovers.
For starters, the minute you sit down, the server brings each person two straight-out-of-the-oven corn biscuits that will blow your mind… they’re simply delicious and oh so buttery… you can add a little bit of honey and you’ll be enjoying a hell of a treat.
You can down this deelish welcoming appetizer with some tea… don’t be fooled by the name “tea” though, it’s not the same tasteless trash served elsewhere, it’s a water concoction with tons of brown sugar a hint of lemon. You don’t know sweet and refreshing until you’ve tried their brown sugar water.
Food for days
If you must know something about “M & M Soul Food” before heading there is that this joint is big on portions, flavors, gravy, and butter. With that in mind, prepare yourself for a hell of a meal that will surely put you on a food coma.
No matter which main dish you order, you get a choice of three side orders. You can choose from: collard greens, red beans, string beans, mac & cheese, succotash, potato salad, yams, cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, black eyed peas, rice & gravy, buttered corn, and coleslaw salad.
The meat is of course deep fried and smothered in a delicious secret home recipe gravy.
Con el pollo no hay pierde. The chicken pieces seem to be taken out of a monster chicken since they are humongous, especially them drumsticks. The chicken is tender, juicy and the skin is flavorful and crispy… of course it’s all smothered in a special gravy… this particular entrée te sabrá mucho mejor con un poco de Red Rooster hot sauce.
If you don’t feel like having chicken, the fried pork chops will literally blow your mind; they’re slightly smoked and then fried to perfection. They’re extremely meaty and flavorful, if pork chops are your thing you’ll totally love the ones at “M & M”.
Now if you’re feeling a tad adventurous and want to try the Holy Grail of Southern comfort food, then the fried catfish is a must. I’m personally not a huge fan of fish, but surprisingly enough the fried catfish along with tons of gravy is quite yummy… not my cup of tea, but if you’re into fish, ten por seguro que te encantará, the catfish is fresh and clean.
Now for your side dishes, it can be a hard task choosing just three, but consider yourself lucky since most Southern/ soul food joints only serve one or two sides. The side dishes are served on a different dinner plate, hence you get two huge plates repletos de comida.
The mac and cheese is always a good option, after all, it’s not hard to eff up mac and cheese. At “M & M”, the mac and cheese is thick and hearty… a good companion to your meal.
You can’t have all that food without having at least a serving of veggies, so the way to go is by getting some collard greens, which are fresh, nicely seasoned and tender.
Choosing a third side dish can be tricky, but remember you get a shiz load of food, so just save yourself the trouble of spending some extra moola on desert and just go for the yams, which are a good companion either as a side dish or desert. If you have the yams as desert, just pour some honey and enjoy.
“M & M Soul Food” is a quaint restaurant to enjoy some of the homeliest soul food in the area. If you haven’t had soul food yet, this is the perfect spot to have your cherry popped… you won’t regret it.
M & M Soul Food5496 W Centinela Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90045
(310) 215-8186
