Martha’s Pick:

Tupelo Honey
830 Harney St
Fare: Southern Kitchen
Cost: $82 for two drinks, one appetizer, two meals plus two sides and two desserts.
Reservations: We made them for our Wednesday evening visit, but they weren’t needed. Plenty of seating!

Greetings, Eaters and Readers!

Have I ever told you that sometimes – I have this ‘deep in my bones’ feeling that I was a Southern woman in a past life? Because I do: the moment I hit the NOLA city limits? Intoxicating. I swear, it stirred something. Southern Gospel Choir? Moves me to tears. Southern drawl? If I hear it – I parrot it – out of pure affection, I swear.

Southern culinary comfort classics? Well slap yer mama and put the kids in the trees – sign me up! So when Jaclyn and I needed to enjoy a meal for our February research, and kill sometime before a Wednesday evening concert at The Slowdown – I landed on Tupelo Honey in the Old Market. No, it’s not unique to Omaha, but it is newer to Omaha – and one swipe through the menu on my phone was convincing enough.

I made a reservation but it was definitely not needed on a quiet Wednesday – and also for a part of the city that’s struggling with construction. The trendy interior was modern and cozy – and we took a high top booble (half BOOth, half taBLE) by the window so we could watch the city while we waited for each course.

Farmstand Peach Lemonade ($5.50) | Peach Don’t Kill My Vibe ($11.50) – Peach and pineapple sangria with orange liqueur, sparkling wine

Delighted to see so many peach-infused items on the menu (a flavor we both love), Jac ordered the peach lemonade and I got a peach (and pineapple) cocktail. Hers leaned more peach than lemonade, but no complaints were made as she sipped the glass empty before our main meal arrived.

I didn’t read much of my drinks ingredients once I read the name “Peach Don’t Kill My Vibe”. So I was double-y happy after my first delicious sip, realizing it was a sangria. No notes on this one – I look forward to more peachy sangrias any chance I get!

Biscuits for a Cause ($3.99) – Two buttermilk drop biscuits baked fresh with white lily flour, served warm with whipped butter and choice of blueberry or peach jam

When you go to a Southern restaurant, you can’t skip the biscuits – especially THESE biscuits. Mouths already satiated with peach flavor, we opted for the blueberry jam.

The salty butter melted deliciously over this pair of hot biscuits – and the sweetness of the blueberry jam was a perfect compliment. Our mouths were overjoyed with each bite. Our only regret is not ordering a plate for each of us.

And if damn delicious biscuits aren’t enough, you can feel good about ordering them, too. The proceeds to these amazing biscuits go to employee relief and development funds. And according to their menu, they have over $850,000 awarded to date! Make that $850,003.99 😉

Side Caesar ($5.50) | Side Fries ($5.50)

When it was my turn to order, I asked for a side of fries with my main course. And then I also added a side Caesar salad and said “and that can come out first, before my meal.” What I intended was just for the salad to come out first. What I got was both the fries and the salad. When I looked puzzled, Jaclyn said she interpreted me the same way the server did. So in that respect – I guess the staff at Tupelo’s follows your requests and instructions very well! The salad was straight forward, cool, crisp and the right size for a pre-meal salad. The first were my favorite kind of french fries – I think it’s a beer battered approach? That unique yum crunchy texture? They were hot and only would have tasted better…if they came out with my main course!

Chicken & Waffles, Sweet & Spicy ($16.95) – Boneless, honey-dusted, fried chicken and buttermilk waffles, Sriracha honey glaze and cilantro

I had the hardest time deciding WHICH chicken entree I wanted. Fried chicken? Chicken sandwich? Honey pecan chicken salad? Chicken tenders? DO YOU SEE THE DILEMMA? And the menu is full of all day breakfast options – one of my favorite features of any menu! So although I kept circling back to the Ashville hot honey chicken ranch melt, I ultimately picked the chicken and waffles – the sweeet and spicy version. And they weren’t lying – it DOES bring the spicy! I asked for some ranch in hopes of dipping and countering the spicy – but the server didn’t bring the ranch out until I was almost done. But I was right – the cold ranch would have been the perfect, light dip to help with the spicy. My dish was warm and good, but I don’t think I’d get it again. There are too many other menu items still calling to me. I’ll meet anyone down at Tupelo’s to keep exploring the menu!

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders ($15.99) – hand-breaded tenders sprinkled with ‘bee dust’, with choice of honey dijonnaise, smoky chipotle bbq, or spicy ‘bama firecracker dipping sauce, choice of two sides

Like me, Jac was all over the menu and had to land the plane if she ever wanted to eat dinner that evening. She settled on the “bee-dusted” chicken tenders, hoping it meant the honey sweetness would really shine through the breading. But … it didn’t. Her tastebuds searched again and again, but nary a sweet morsel could she find.

And the chicken itself? Surprisingly dry. She tried adding moisture to her bite with the honey dijonnaise, but that was unpleasant as the dijon actually burned her nostrils. She wishes she’d had classic honey mustard instead. She ended up eating one tender and tossing the rest.

Disappointing tender aside, let’s talk about the stone-ground goat cheese grits she got as one of her sides. These were so creamy and had just the right amount of goat cheese punch. We both lapped up the contents of the bowl – deciding it could be a meal in and of itself!

Like me, Jac also enjoyed her side Caesar. Noting it was a nice cleanser between the heavier foods.

Heavenly Banana Pudding ($4.99) – Creamy pudding, bananas, vanilla wafers, whipped cream

We’re both long-time fans of banana pudding. So Jac asked how big the serving was – and seeing the waitress’s small, bowl-shaped hands form, we ordered one for each. Solid choice, as we both happily spooned mouthful after mouthful. A cold and creamy finish to a hot and fresh meal is the perfect way to go, every time.

Jac said, “It’s no Magnolia’s Bakery, but it’ll sure do.” And I couldn’t have agreed more.

Final Bites

Sad that her tenders were a bust, Jac was still impressed with everything else she had. And she won’t let one underwhelming piece of chicken deter her from coming back – not with so many other contenders on the menu! (Looking at you, sweet potato pancake.) Tapping into my past life as a southern belle, this place still calls to me to come back and try other creations – in hopes those plates bring forward even more of the things we loved about Tupelo Honey’s.

Cheers!
The Good Bite Gals

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