By: Laurie Wallin
Capital Cooking Contributor
Tupelo Honey Café, originally
based in Asheville, NC, just opened in Arlington’s Court House neighborhood.
With its fresh, made-from-scratch southern comfort food, all-American décor,
and a “Moonrise” (late-night!) small plates brunch, this place is sure to be a
hit. The restaurant’s wood tones and “windows” produce a comforting, homey
feeling. The bar area has a mix of booths and tables, and with 24 craft beers
on tap, many of them local, I suspect it will be hard to find a seat.
Tupelo Honey Café’s drink list
looked amazing with its mix of cocktails, beer, wine, house-made sodas and even includes an “Arlington Signature Cocktail,” but to
start, I chose the Spring Seasonal drink, a Honeysuckle & Lavender Flip
which was made with Cathead Honeysuckle vodka, housemade lavender sweet &
sour, soda water and fresh lemon. This drink was light and refreshing with just
a hint of tart and I loved the lavender seeds sprinkled on top.
I began my meal with a classic –
fried green tomatoes. Tupelo Honey Café’s version includes goat cheese grits
and red pepper coulis, which elevates the dish. The goat cheese grits were light,
creamy and mild and the tomatoes were crisp and not greasy.
After polishing off the fried
green tomatoes, two house-baked buttermilk biscuits appeared alongside a dish
of blueberry jam. Made from fresh blueberries, these biscuits were buttery,
creamy, and soft and I could have made a meal out of those alone.
I couldn’t not order the fried chicken (buttermilk fried chicken breast), so
that was my dinner pick alongside a side dish of macaroni and cheese and a
small side salad with pickled onions. Similar to the fried green tomatoes, the
chicken was juicy, crunchy, not greasy, once again, the breading stayed intact.
The macaroni and cheese had a nice crust, and the sweet honey dressing went
well with the pickled onions.
I also had the opportunity to sample the Atlantic salmon made with a maple butter glaze served with sweet potato fries and quinoa with blueberries, lemon, arugula, & feta. The quinoa was really elevated with the addition of the blueberries and feta, and the salmon was nicely seasoned.
For dessert, I tried the Heavenly
banana pudding. With vanilla wafers, this pudding was light, had a nice
creamy texture and wasn’t watery at all.
Tupelo Honey Café also
features patio seating. I look forward to visiting again!
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