Elite Event: Ugly Sweater Holiday Hoopla @Tupelo Honey

Oh Em Gee. Eat their food. They even made things like cauliflower and beets taste delicious and somewhat sinful, so when they focused on things that are generally well-​liked, they knocked it out of the park.
Their chicken with melted cheese was juicy and on the lighter side, even though it was fried. They pickle their own shrimp and okra in-​house. Their filet was succulent and perfectly cooked with a lightly spiced sauce. Their scallops looked golden brown and were firm without being chewy *and* they had made entire platters of them perfectly. Their pulled pork & collard egg rolls tasted great and their asparagus was lightly oiled and sprinkled with sesame seeds. I was getting so full of awesome food that I didn’t have room to try the mac n cheese or fried okra.
Many people adored the crab cakes — I liked them, but thought they were a little heavy handed with the bread crumbs. The pecan pie they brought out was a little sweet for my taste, so I had another biscuit with blackberry jam on one side and butter & honey on the other. The biscuits, how could I forget the biscuits? They were the crowning achievement for me — light, fluffy, flaky, and buttery all at the same time. Best biscuits I’ve found in Charlotte. They are ah-​may-​zing and worth the trip all by themselves.
Like many other Unilocalers, I’ve tried to visit the Asheville location, only to be put off by a 2 hour wait time. I learned tonight that there is a reason for that wait. I feel like I’m letting out a secret by writing this review & I should hoard Tupelo Honey’s opening for as long as possible to keep the lines down and the parking free, BUT it is wonderful and you have to try it.

Once again the Unilocal faithful gather ’round the bar to spread holiday cheer with good eats, meets and enough ugly sweaters to call for a Fashion Police Intervention, all the while meeting our new CM Nikki and donating toys for a good cause.
After months of rumors it was really nice to get a peek inside the new Tupelo Honey. The space has been completely renovated from the former tenant and you can tell there was no expense spared here. Plenty of rustic looking wood, a spacious bar area with a long common table and a partially open kitchen to make sure you know you who’s working for you behind the scenes.
And Tupelo’s drive to impress didn’t stop there. They brought out the big guns with a literal ton of food that showcased the plentiful Southern fare menu here. Large, fluffy biscuits with jam and butter, fried chicken tenders, roast beef, super creamy mac ‘c cheese, crab cakes and some of the largest scallops I have ever seen. They were seared perfectly and seeing plate after plate of them come out was something of a Christmas miracle. Bottom line, if you went home hungry that one’s on you bro! And that’s before we even talk about the rich and gooey pecan pie and Nikki’s candy bar standing by, ready to be plundered. Impressive.
Add to that the fine folks from Sierra Nevada providing plenty of their Celebration IPA and a rather strong holiday cocktail featuring Reyka Vodka, along with a couple wines from Rodney Strong Vineyards and you’ve got all the mixings for a seriously good time. Luckily, our own social butterfly, Tonya P, from Poprock Photography was there to mix it all up and expertly memorialize the whole thing on digital film. That’s a good thing considering most of the sweaters on-​hand need to be contained and burned lest they be worn out again.
The company was lively, as always, and our hosts were most gracious in making sure all enjoyed. This event was truly over-​the-​top and only makes me excited for the future of Tupelo Honey and our Unilocal Elite Squad. Best holiday party of the season!

What a great party to get everyone in the holiday spirit! As always, we had a blast at a Unilocal event. Nikki and Tupelo Honey were awesome hosts. After showing up we beelined it straight to the bar to get down on some type of blueberry holiday cocktail, which was great (and the right strength for a Wednesday night).
The finger foods were all good as well, and seemed to be coming at us nonstop. After getting a second wind for more food, I decided it was time to head to the candy bar and punish the large carafe of peanut M&Ms, before loading up a goodie bag with York’s and PB cups to keep the sugar buzz going upon returning home.
We had a ton of fun with all of the Unilocalers in sweaters, and can’t wait for the next event.

What a great Unilocal event to kick off the holiday season with our new community manager, Nikki. She did a wonderful job putting it together.
Tupelo Honey Café’s employees are kick @ss and handled our big group so well. Tons of delicious food and drinks kept flowing through. They were on top of their game. Made sure everything was in order. THC offered all kinds foods for vegetarians, pescatarians, omnivores and dessertarians :) I will definitely be coming back. I really enjoyed their signature biscuit and jam. No one was shorted, plenty for everyone to have seconds.
It was great meeting new elites and I enjoyed this jolly event and looking forward to the next.

For some reason my trusty Unilocal app didn’t give me the option to check in to the event, just the venue. Regardless of all that, what an awesome time.
The second I walked in the door I was told, «ohhh, your gonna win». It wasn’t a sweater but I’m pretty sure I was the tackiest/​ugliest thing anybody had ever seen. Value Village came through!!!
WOW! The food. I mean WOW. I’ve been to the Asheville location quite a bit but its been a while. My interest has perked back up and I’ll def hit that location up this weekend when I’m up there for Warren Hanes Xmas Jam. It should be great, but don’t remember it being as good as this one.
As far as how they took care of us. Some southern favorites like bicuits, southern style fried chicken «cordon bleu», some pickled veggies, and fried okra would have been sufficient for the 5 stars. Great asparagus as well. Especially with a decent Cab and Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale up for grabs.
But then they went the extra mile. I saw crab cakes and grabbed one ASAP. I guess it was done in a tall mold. I liked the look and the flavor, plus the ridiculous amount of crab, but a little more char could have made it a 10 out of 10 instead of a 9. (Not complaining by any means). I felt spoiled at that point.
Then the scallops came out. Seriously? Like close to if not to U-​10. I had to rub my eyes to make sure this was real. Perfectly cooked. Seared, lightly seasoned and absolutely scrum-​diddly-​umpsious. Then the beef with Mac and Cheese as well. Only got a bite off of my +1’s plate, but the horseradish au jus was perfect.
Please excuse me if I didn’t explain a dish right. I was enthralled with conversation and never asked or heard a good description of any of them. Will ask more questions when I check you guys out for real.
On top of all that, the staff was extremely punctual on grabbing our leftover plates. As our group was may have been over the recommended crowd for that area that was key. The bartenders were great. Still served with a smile even though they were barely getting tipped tonight. Whats up with that guys??? Speaking of the booze. The wine was pretty good and I’m always a fan of Sierra Nevada. However, the vodka drinks, didn’t really do it for me. Just being honest.
Soooo, here we are. The pie. I couldn’t stuff another bite, so they brought out to-​go boxes?! Really? Never have they ever, at any Unilocal event. I saw somebody get one earlier and didn’t want to be the guy that asked. Plus, I’m not a sweets person so wanted everybody else to get there’s. I shared 2 small pieces between me and my roommates. One of the best pecan pies I’ve ever had. They are always waaaaay too sweet for me and normally grainy with all that sugar. Absolutely loved it.
Nikki, I could tell you were up to par when I met you at Kennedy’s but now I know you are more than up to the task of throwing one hell of a party. And as far as the ugly sweater competition went. That THC book is unreal. I feel like I could open a catering company just as a copycat. Have yet to see something not worth making yet. Best Unilocal event ever?!
I will be back, and many times over.

I am familiar with the Tupelo Honey location in Asheville, and, when I discovered that they were coming to Charlotte, my taste buds did a double flip! Tonight, Nicki hosted a Unilocal Ugly Sweater Hoopla here, and the restaurant did not disappoint. The copious amounts of delicious Southern style food reminded one of Caligula, with the exception that everyone was in distasteful Christmas sweaters. Years of food arrived… fried okra, pork tenderloin, Mac and cheese, red cabbage, scallops, crab cakes, sesame asparagus, pecan pie… and more. There was a candy bar, complete with bags for stocking up. Wine and blueberry cocktails were a-​plenty! Oh, and the delightful Unilocal fingerless gloves brought back memories of when I was an eighties chick and made my own.
Nicki, what a fabulous first elite event! Thank you ever so much!

Finally got to visit Tupelo! Glad Charlotte has one. Steve, the owner, gave a little speech and said it brought about 140 jobs in to the area!
The fried chicken, scallops, fried okra, pickled veggies and beef tenderloin were truly amazing! Some crab cakes seemed more bready than others but had a nice flavor.
The blueberry cocktail needed some more bubbles and more sour to me, but Sierra Nevada Celebration and the Rodney Strong white was nice, especially with the very generous amount if bites. I’ve never seen the restaurant need to bring out take away boxes at an event before! Such great pie. I’ll be back and Nikki… great first Elite event. Keep it up and thanks for taking the toys for the kids!

Ok, the rumors are true– Nikki our new CM knows how to throw one awesome party! Delicious Food, plenty o’ drinks, merry people cheesing it up with their festive gear, giving to charity, a candy bar, and Tonya capturing every moment, what more could one want ?
I LOVED all of the food at Tupelo. Some of my favorites were the scallops (huge and super tasty), the beef medallions, the beet salad, the chicken cordon-​bleu, the pickled shrimp, the biscuits, … my stomach was doing a happy dance!
The wine I tasted was nice as well… and did anyone see those awesome wine-​glasses with the tree logo? Yea, I want one of those!
Service was warm and friendly and the newly re-​done building was beautiful. In fact, I enjoyed myself so much that I am looking into having our office holiday party there.
Thanks to all who clearly worked so hard to put together such a wonderful event :)