Lotsa Soul, Baby

 Jesse's Place (1395 W. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 954-523-4774) bills itself as "a fine soul food restaurant." They got that right. The room is simply arranged, a dozen or so tables for two to the left, a counter for ordering and takeout to the right. The breakfast menu contains eggs, pancakes, bacon and the like; the only real soul dish is a catfish-and-grits combo. Lunch and dinner specials rotate daily but usually feature a few of the following: meatloaf, oxtail, turkey wings, curried goat, stewed chicken, catfish and fries, and a gutsily piquant jerk pork. Cooking is down home, and so are the prices: Lunch specials, with vegetable and starch, are $4.99; complete dinners, with rice, yams, string beans, macaroni and cheese, and cornbread, are available for $9.99. Big, Southern desserts like peach cobbler and red velvet cake are baked on the premises daily. Jesse's is a place worth checking out -- but keep in mind they're closed Sundays, and on Thursdays, they serve only lunch.