Cozy Corner
Cornish Hen
2-Bone Ribs, Slaw, Beans, Bread
Banana Pudding
Recently relocated from the famous baby blue location across the street, it was with admitted disappointment that I approached the counter adjacent to Encore Café to order some barbecue, but thankfully what Cozy Corner has lost in charm and history has been well retained in the quality of the smoked meats, a Memphis tradition almost as heralded as Blues and The King.
Apparently inhabiting its small window for just over a month, the original location to be razed or renovated depending on the state of a building currently being assessed, it was to the pleasant greetings of two young women that I was greeted on approach and with the kitchen team hard at work serving up Styrofoam clamshells of ‘cue to a patronage that continues to seek them out the only question was how much to order in addition to the famous Cornish Hen – an answer made easy by a number of small offerings and a total bill of just under $20 for what would turn out to be quite a bit of food.
Offering items with the option of dry rub, or mopped with sauce, it was perhaps five minutes after placing an order that items were readied and returning to the table with plasticware in hand the richness of smoky sweetness tempted right through the packaging, the first bites of two small ribs that were surprisingly supple despite being almost entirely meat temporarily making me wish I’d ordered more, the bread proving a amicable mop for leftover sauce while the sides were mostly forgettable, though certainly not bad.
Transitioning next to the much acclaimed bird, a surprisingly ample specimen with crisp skin almost too much for the white knife to handle, it was after a few minutes of fumbling that I gave into temptation and literally taking matters into my hand the phrase ‘finger licking good’ could not have been more appropriate, a deep smoke ring present in both dark and white meat with the sort of juiciness one generally associates with fried poultry, each bite as good as the last beneath the tangy barbecue and destination-worthy enough that it is easy to forgive the lack of charm in the current space, if not the lackluster banana pudding that tasted as though it came straight from the back of an off-brand Jell-o box.
