Economic downturns have the power to change lives. Some people get pulled under the punishing financial waves, unable to cope with their flagging industries. However, other people manage to dig deep, relying on grit and ingenuity to evolve and advance. When construction jobs started to dry up for Todd Grant, he didn’t wait for his central means of survival to rebound. Instead, he turned to his roots. While he was in middle school, his grandmother owned P&K, a soul food spot near Fremont High School, and he used to help her cook. Nostalgia and motivation ended up granting Grant a reprieve, as he opened an eponymous soul food cafe four months ago on south Crenshaw.

Statuettes of soul musicians are scattered throughout Grant’s spacious dining room, which features black and white checkerboard flooring and what looks like a stage in the corner. Out front, customers order at the counter and watch Grant cook as classic soul music emanates from pulsing speakers. Grant’s is a one-man-show, so this is far from fast food, but show some patience and you’ll be rewarded with some of the best soul food in Los Angeles.

Grant’s Fried Chicken Dinner ($8.99) featured some of the best yardbird in town. Grant seasons his chicken with garlic, pepper and seasoned salt and fries it in peanut oil until the skin becomes crispy and bronzed, locking in natural juices.

There’s no doubt that fat equals flavor, but Grant found alternate routes to Flavorville. Instead of relying on pork to supercharge his vegetables, he uses smoked turkey necks and tails, which impart smoky notes and still allow the vegetables to shine. Grant’s collard greens were a highlight, leeched of their natural bitterness, with an addictive likker. The corn kernels were fairly straight-forward. I prefer crusty, bubbly mac and cheese. Grant’s mac tasted pretty good but had creamier texture given his recipe, which involves shredded cheese, Velveeta and mushroom soup.

Oxtail Dinner ($13.99) was another winner, with rich, short rib-like meat that required some nifty knifework to pluck from the bony tail’s chambers. It was worth the effort. With our oxtails, we ordered smoky red beans and rice studded with andouille cuts, plus slow-cooked cabbage infused with smoked turkey flavor.

All too often, candied yams come from a can and arrive candy-sweet. Grant’s yams were clearly fresh, with a good amount of cinnamon, but no syrupy sweet aftertaste.

We received cornbread muffins with our entrées. Our initial batch was dry and lifeless. Grant realized they were off almost as soon as he delivered our plate. He quickly rectified the situation, returning with a fresh batch, which were steaming fresh from the oven. This wasn’t especially sweet cornbread, but it paired well with our oxtail jus.

Grant makes two different refreshers: raspberry tea and lemonade. Both were well balanced, with just the right amount of sweetness.

On the first available Fish Friday – September 3 – I returned to Grant’s with Bill Esparza (Street Gourmet LA) to devour several different fried fish preparations. Catfish, snapper, sole and “Nawlins’ style seafood gumbo” were in our sights. Unfortunately, Todd Grant was buried in breakfast and never made it to the store to buy fresh fish. Still, we’d each driven 45 minutes to reach the cafe, so we stuck around and embarked on a seriously beefy experience.

Meatloaf Dinner ($9.99) featured juicy, thick-cut slabs of onion-studded beef meatloaf rimmed with caramelized ketchup.

We received a choice of three sides and powered through the rest of the column, minus stuffing, which was unavailable. Steaming grits hosted a pat of margarine that quickly became a pool. The grits featured good texture. They weren’t thick enough to spackle a wall, and they weren’t soupy either. Chunky potato salad was featured a judicious amount of mayo. The only bland side too-soft string beans and potato chunks.

It’s a pet peeve when a restaurant dubs their dish “famous,” especially when the place has only been open for four months. Still, we trusted Grant based on prior plates, ordered The Famous G Burger ($6) and even added a $1 slice of American cheese. The store-bought bun also housed crisp iceberg lettuce, tomato, mustard, mayo, grilled onions and relish. The bun earns the burger a demerit. So did the fact that we ordered our patty medium rare, and it arrived well done. At least it featured a killer sear.

The burger doesn’t warrant a “famous” moniker, but the fried chicken or oxtails probably could someday.

Since Esparza is a taco connoisseur, to say the least, we ordered a single ground beef taco ($1.75).

The griddled corn tortilla hosted caramelized meat, shredded Cheddar, crispy iceberg lettuce and diced tomato. Even with hot sauce, this taco won’t win many awards, but as Grant said, it’s an extension of home cooking. If I ate this taco at home, I’d feel okay about things, but I probably won’t order another taco in his restaurant, especially with more tantalizing options on the menu.

On both visits, Grant’s was out of key dishes, but what Todd Grant decided to cook on those days worked out well, in some cases (chicken, oxtails, sides) very well. Even after only four months, Grant’s is already a worthy soul food destination.