The old Cozy Cottage location, at 2423 South Downing Street, closed at the end of November, but owner Michael Mueller has introduced a very similar menu at the new Cozy Cottage, though the larger digs allowed for an expansion of that menu. And Mueller brought a chef from the original restaurant, which he and his mother opened in 2005, to execute those expanded offerings.
Mueller has added chilaquiles, salmon Benedict, salmon and lox, and other items to a breakfast lineup that already featured many morning staples. The lunch menu has some new sandwiches, too, including the Tennyson Club, a tri-layered combo of turkey, ham, cheddar and Swiss cheeses. And Mueller is planning monthly specials featuring fresh, local ingredients, as well as such popular Cozy Cottage mainstays as carrot cake pancakes and Irish eggs with corned beef.
The new Cozy Cottage already has a quick-service menu of fresh fruit, pastries and coffee to go; the former bar area has been turned into an espresso bar and retail shop selling honey, jams, coffee and other items. And Mueller says he's counting the days until he can use the large patio, which will double Cozy Cottage's capacity -- and also be a great place to enjoy the tight Tennyson community.
In the meantime, "so far, so good," Mueller reports. "I expect there to be some slow days to gain traction in the neighborhood, but this community is tremendous, and all the local businesses here are blasting me out on their e-mails. Hopefully we'll see some good turnout from it.... I can't say enough about each and every one of them who have bent over backward to help me."
Former Cozy Cottage customers are helping out, too. "We sent out an invite to some of our really good customers to come up and have a little something on us," says Mueller. "We gave away a lot of free food, but it's all good will. You give a little and you get a little."
