Cozy Corner

Cozy Corner
745 N. Parkway
527-9158


My dad loved Cozy Corner. Ask him what the best BBQ in town was and he didn't think twice before answering, "Cozy Corner's cornish hens." My dad was really excited the day that I graduated from college. Not because I had a bachelor's degree in Psychology, but because Rhodes was really close to Cozy Corner and that's where we were going to eat after the graduation ceremony.

After Warren moved to Memphis twelve years ago (!!), I'm pretty sure I took him to Cozy Corner, but we haven't been back post-monkeys. It's been on our "To eat" list for awhile, but we could never manage to get there. Until recently, they closed at 5pm everyday which was just silly! No matter, now they stay open 'til 9pm Tuesday through Saturday.

Warren and I took the monkeys (Satchel, 8, and Jiro, 6) last Friday night, around 6:30pm. I was surprised to find it almost empty. A young man, maybe a tween/early teen, in school uniform was sitting behind the counter ready to take our order. We peered at the menu board and tried to make up our minds. A cornish hen was a given, and Warren agreed to claim it as his order. Satchel said he wanted ribs and Jiro opted for chicken wings. They left me with the pulled pork sandwich. I made two of them dinner plates, which includes two sides, and made sure that I got four different sides: slaw, beans, bbq spaghetti, and corn on the cob. I also ordered three drinks and a water. I was a little surprised when the young man told me that the total was $40.62. (I may be in denial about how much the monkeys can eat these days.) I sent the boys to get a table while I waited on the drinks. The young man told me that they would bring the food over in a few minutes.

The boys had chosen a booth and we took a minute to take in our surroundings. The best thing about Cozy Corner is the smell. The smoker is going all day and you can't help but get hungry if you are within 50 feet of the place. (Just seeing the smoke coming out of the roof makes me hungry when I drive by.) Oldies play on the radio and there's a small dining room adjacent to the counter and waiting area. The walls have wood paneling, the floor is carpeted, and there's a general cozy feel. Off to the side of the dining room is an office and two small bathrooms.

Our food came out within minutes and everyone was excited. Satchel went for a piece of bread first, then devoured his corn on the cob, and then started in on his ribs.


Nice smile, huh?

Jiro seemed a little intimidated by his wings. I told him that there was no way he'd be able to eat them with his little plastic fork.


Jiro does not like to get his hands sticky or dirty, but he will if he's hungry enough. I pulled his wing apart to facilitate the eating of it. Once it cooled off, he did a good job of eating it, but he used about 20 napkins and wiped his hands after each bite. Not surprisingly, he only ate one wing. He was content to drink his Fanta and watch us get messy.

Behold the cornish hen.



It was too big for Warren to finish. However, Warren was a fan of the sides and had also offered his services to both Satchel and Jiro.


(No, honey, your beard is not that grey. It was the lighting!)

And finally, behold the pulled pork sandwich.


It was really, really good. And it was definitely the least messy thing to eat. I especially liked that it was on a hoagie. I let Warren have one bite, but that was it. I wanted it all to myself!

There was a floor waiter who came by to check on us from time to time and who offered to refill our drinks. I had ordered everything mild for the kids, but the waiter brought us a big bottle of hot sauce to adjust the heat as we saw fit. Also several other customers came in while we were there, and many of them were families.

We had a very lively dinner conversation consisting of "Who would destroy who in a battle" scenarios. We covered ninjas vs. a bomb squad, ninjas vs. knights, a samurai vs. snipers, and Yoda vs. Gandalf.

While Warren finished up, the monkeys and I visited the bathrooms to wash our hands. The women's room was very small--no chance of changing a diaper anywhere--but clean. The only noteworthy thing about the bathrooms is that if your monkeys are like mine, they will probably be confused by the multi-doored hallway and end up in the kitchen rather than back at the table if they aren't careful, so don't let them go alone.

Not surprisingly, we had plenty of leftovers. The take out boxes we filled were styrofoam (as were our plates and cups). Wouldn't it be awesome if an super famous place like Cozy Corner got their Green Fork certification and 86'ed the styro? Maybe I'll mention it on our next visit. (We'll probably go at lunch time when they have a special meal deal.)