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Across the street from the Walters Art Museum sits Cozy Corner, a warm little breakfast/lunch spot with handmade soups perfect for the chilly winter winds blowing through Mount Vernon. Its two booth tables beneath big street-level windows filled with cheery plants are pretty much directly under a hanging heater blowing warmth while classical music fills the tiny café. The menu features classic diner fare--chicken salad and burgers--and Asian specialties like bi bim bab. From the selection of five reasonably priced soups, we tried the vegetable noodle ($2.90), spicy chicken noodle ($3.50), and potato and chicken ($3.50). Cabbage, carrots, pea pods, white onion, celery, and thin, flat noodles swimming in savory chicken stock comprise the veggie noodle; the same with a handful of hot red chilies and peppery chicken takes the spicy chicken noodle to a satisfying, sinus-clearing level. The potato chicken had more of that peppery chicken in a beefy broth with crisp russet potato sticks, onion, and green onion slices. Expecting a cream base, we found this version surprisingly zippy. Also, don't expect bread or crackers on the side. Instead order the grilled cheese ($3) on white--a perfect minimum requirement for the classic: square bread, one slice of American cheese, and the thinnest layers of buttery toastedness on the outside. Cozy indeed.

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