Joes on Highland — no apostrophe because there are two men named Joe who own it — has been one of my favorite fried chicken joints since it opened about three years ago. (I was surprised when I looked that up, as it seems it’s been longer.)

The fried chicken is flat out good, with a thick and crisp coating and that’s the way I like it. Sometimes it’s a little spicier than other times, but never even Gus’s hot, much less Nashville hot. It’s your mama’s fried chicken with a little kick.

And it’s available for takeout right now, including a family meal that contains some massive pieces of bird.

Quarantine Cuisine: Char

The meal for four comes with eight pieces of chicken, Yukon gold mashed potatoes, milk gravy, cole slaw and eight angel biscuits.

It’s packed in a deep aluminum pan, and fried chicken travels well, particularly chicken with a brawny and durable crust like Joes.

The mashed potatoes, the gravy, the biscuits scattered on top of the chicken — all good. I complained when I removed the cole slaw, because it was slightly warm from being tucked down the same pan, but by the time it was put on a plate, it was fine.

I love the thick and lumpy mashed potatoes — Joes’ have not been put to the whisk — and still contain bits of skin.

If you like yours lighter, grab the milk and butter and thin them to your preference. I’ll take them as they are, topped with a slightly peppery milk gravy.

Slaw is a hybrid, made with a little mayo and a bit of vinegar, and fine, but far better is the side of purple hull peas. We ordered those in addition, but you can switch your side for $2 per pint; it’s money well spent.

Really — aren’t peas and potatoes the ideal side for eating fried chicken indoors? (Potato salad for a picnic, though.)

Ordering wasn’t seamless, but at Joes, things seldom are. It’s part of the experience, even the charm.

Joe Spotts and Joseph Soliman operated a weekly dinner for a couple of hundred people out of their 7,000-square-foot apartment in Cuenca, Ecuador, before moving to Memphis and opening the restaurant; things were done differently.

Quarantine Cuisine: Garibaldi’s

Quarantine Cuisine: Aldo’s and Slider Inn

On delivery, the hiccups were minor. I stayed on hold so long when I called to place the order that I hung up and called back.

They didn’t include a receipt and I had to send someone for it, which could have been inconvenient but it happened that someone was driving past and didn’t mind doing it.

Four of us ate and had four pieces of chicken left — even the wings are huge. I tossed the leftover cole slaw because it doesn’t keep well, but ate fried chicken, mashed potatoes and peas for a few days.

There was a piece left when I cleaned out the fridge before garbage pickup.

Quarantine Cuisine: Sweet Grass

If the bread pudding is available for dessert when you order, take advantage. We had dessert in the house and didn’t, but it’s superb, made from the restaurant’s biscuits and finished in a light cinnamon syrup.

Is a little more dessert really going to hurt you at this point?

Joes on Highland, 262 S. Highland, 901-337-7003. Order at joesfriedchicken.com; you have to pick up the family meal but can have items from the regular menu delivered via the standard delivery services.