Chittenango, N.Y. — “I want my birthday cake to be that cornbread.”

My wife is usually sparing with her praise. She’ll tell me if something is good or not, often with the kind of details she knows I’ll use in writing. Rarely is she as effusive as she was during our recent visit to Ruby Begonia’s in Chittenango.

Two triangular wedges of cornbread came as part of an added side dish ($5), though we could have ordered it as a starter ($12). I have no culinary training, but I want to know how one creates cornbread that’s as dense as a brick yet soft and moist like cake. It was sweet without being cloying, buttery without being overwhelming. A drizzle of hot honey added just enough spice to wake up the palate.

It was cornbread worth fighting over. I’ll admit, though, that my wife tucked the l

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