Big changes headed for the eight-restaurant Tupelo Honey chain (which also plans to open two new locations in Virginia and another in Myrtle Beach this year):
The new menu, which will begin in the Raleigh site Jan. 14 and roll out in Charlotte next, Jan. 28, will keep "long-standing tried-and-true Southern favorites" but add many sharing plates, such as country ham and cream cheese wontons with shaved honeyed Brussels sprouts salad; baked three-cheese macaroni with Cajun blackened shrimp; and house-cured Atlantic salmon with crispy potato pancake and tomato jam. It's adding entrees as well: roasted duck breast with cherry port wine sauce; grilled lamb chops with blackeyed pea and French green bean salad and mint chimichurri; and pan-seared sea scallops with spring pea risotto.
Drinks get new emphasis, with Tyler Alford (formerly with Commander's Palace in New Orleans) taking on the bar program. The interiors change too, with new paint colors, and the signature yellow plates are out; off-white ones are in.
Also new: Throw It Back Thursdays, a '90s retro night when there'll be a '90s movie on bar TVs, build-your-own old fashioneds and a free bar snack with purchase.
A news release quotes the company's executive chef Brian Sonoskus: “Southern tastes are changing as a new generation of diners is influencing the way in which we eat. They want to share their food as a table, they want bold global flavors, and they want to be able to customize their meal." Reacting to that, Tupelo will offer chicken choices, for example, of Southern buttermilk fried, Cajun blackened or curried fried thigh with fresh apple salsa.
Also quoted is CEO Steve Frabitore: “After looking at our research, we want the Tupelo Honey experience to remain
creative, fun and relevant. We’re still focused on Southern food – both traditional as well as the Southern food that’s being influenced by different cultures, ethnicities and traditions now thriving in our region.” Tupelo Honey began in 2000 in Asheville; it now has locations (on addition to Charlotte) in Knoxville, Johnson City and Chattanooga, Tenn.; Greenville, S.C.; and Raleigh. Info: www.tupelohoneycafe.com.
Thoughts?
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Tupelo Honey changing it up
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5 comments:
The food was never really good, slightly over-hyped. If only the non-chain restaurants in Charlotte got as much press...
This is one more step on the way to the chain becoming a Southern version of Chili's.
When I went to Asheville I used to visit the original location. The food and service was very good. I really think they lost something when they expanded. I found their food in Charlotte lackluster and typical of a chain quality and presentation. Too bad................
CHAIN...I have always marveled at how folks claim not eat at chains.... And how bad the good is at chains, yet they never notice that the same trucks that deliver food to the CHAINS make stops at their NON CHAIN restaurants as well.
Man, I was hoping they'd come to Roanoke...
That's what makes a great restaurant. One able to turn good ingredients (the same the other restaurants get) into something exceptional.
There's nothing wrong with chains, and there are some great ones out there, sadly I don't believe that Tupelo Honey is one of those.
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