Legendary | Worth driving from anywhere
Jozsa Corner
Review by: Michael Stern
Jozsa is Alexander Bodnar’s middle name. Jozsa Corner is the name of his restaurant, and it is true in a couple of respects. The restaurant is a corner building; more important, it is Alexander Jozsa Bodner’s domain. Alex, as regulars know him, is not just chef and proprietor; he also is a spellbinding raconteur whose presence is a vital part of the meal. Dinner (available only by appointment) is less like a visit to a restaurant and more like coming to a party at the home of a gregarious and welcoming host.
It is a casual party. Dishware is disposable, wine is BYOB, everything is served family style in large bowls and on platters to pass around the table. As each course comes from his kitchen, Alex is there to let you know what it is and where it fits in Hungarian cuisine. When he is not busy cooking, he might sit down at the table to join his guests and regale them with his personal history (including a dramatic escape from Hungary during the 1956 revolution), with his philosophy of food, or with philosophy in general. When the meal is done, a handshake hardly seems adequate to express thanks. This is a man I want to hug.
Beyond the glow of Alex’s radiant personality, what makes a visit to Jozsa Corner memorable is the food he cooks. The menu is a repertoire of Hungarian classics at their finest, including two kinds of goulash (beef or pork), haluska (cabbage and noodles), chicken paprikash, cucumber salad, peasant soup, palascinki (crepes) for dessert, and the fried potato flatbread known as langos. There is nothing that isn’t wonderful. My favorite dish is Transylvanian goulash, a web of sweet pork and tangy sauerkraut crowned with sour cream to create a complex flavor that leads taste buds on an exhilarating thrill ride. Haluska — a mix of cabbage, noodles, and spice — is comfort food supreme, impossible to stop eating.
Note: Do note that dinner is available by appointment only.
Directions & Hours
- Monday: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
- Tuesday: Closed
- Wednesday: Closed
- Thursday: Closed
- Friday: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
- Saturday: Closed
- Sunday: Closed
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One Response to “Jozsa Corner”
Ralph Melton
May 8th, 2011
“Always call ahead!” is especially true of Jozsa Corner, because Alex Jozsa Bodnar provides dinner by appointment only. But with an appointment for space at the two long dining tables that fill the dining room, you can get a multi-course feast of whatever Hungarian country fare Alex decides to provide that day.
On one recent visit, the dinner included these dishes:
– sliced vegetables, cheese, stuffed grape leaves, and pork cracklings
– langos, a fried bread topped with herbs and cheese
– vinegary coleslaw topped with dill
– vegetable peasant soup with noodles
– haluska (buttered cabbage and noodles)
– spicy Hungarian kolbasz sausage
– braided peasant bread topped with poppy seeds, fresh from the oven
– Transylvanian goulash, made with pork and sauerkraut
– vinegary cucumber salad
– chicken paprikash with noodles and homemade dumplings (called nokedli)
– and dessert of langosh and prunes
Alex joined in our toasting with a blessing from the grandmother who taught him how to cook: “Isten Éltessen Sokáig, Füled Érjen Bokáig…”, which means in translation, “May the Lord liven you so long that your earlobes reach your ankles.”
(N.B.: Jozsa Corner is BYOB, and only takes payment in cash.)