This weekend my husband and I met a work friend for Sunday brunch at Tupelo Honey Cafe. It was a very fine day in the Queen city. After a brief but very cold winter and a few false starts, I felt like finally Spring was happening. The sun was shining, the temperature neared the 60s and the drive was easy.
Tupelo Honey Cafe is located on the second story of a slightly nondescript building. The first thing that I noticed was a crowd waiting for tables to open up on a beautiful porch. The wait I hear can be long but the owners have done a very fine job of making everyone comfortable. Have a seat on the large porch and let the perfect Spring breeze calm you as you wait.
Fortunately, I had reservations (you can make these via the Tupelo Honey Website). We were seated almost immediately. When you walk inside, you will notice the high ceilings and the bright feel of the place. I loved the exposed brick and wood along with an open kitchen. I felt the spacious outside carried over into the inside very well. The place was packed but I never felt crowded and could have a nice conversation with my brunch-mates.
Our waitress was friendly but not overly so and checked on us appropriately throughout our meal. After we ordered, she brought us each a warm buttermilk drop biscuit and a serving of Tupelo Honey's blueberry jam. It was delicious. I thought the jam was perfectly balanced but could have used a tad bit of lemon.
I ordered the Southern Fried Chicken BLT sandwich with tomato soup as a side. My husband ordered Fried Chicken and my friend ordered the Shoo Mercy Pancake. We received our food in a fairly quick amount of time considering how packed the dining room seemed to be. My tomato soup was spicy and sweet and well seasoned. My husband is decidedly not a tomato soup fan but enjoyed the few spoonfuls that I shared with him. The chicken sandwich was massive. Perched between two buttered buns, a generous slice of tomato and fresh green lettuce, sat a hand battered fried chicken breast. Also, the bacon was to die for - sweet and smokey. My husband loved his biscuits and gravy and his chicken he said was delicious. My friend seemed to be relishing her massive, fluffy pancake.
We had a wonderful experience at Tupelo Honey Cafe. I am certain that we will go back and try their dinner service sometime soon. Most of the time I roll my eyes when I see buzz words like "New South Flavors" but Tupelo Honey Cafe feels sincere in their attempts.