Throw It Back Thursday @ Tupelo Honey Cafe

Five stars for the fantastic first event of the year!
From the 90s inspired attires to the goodies scattered all around to the phenomenal food and drinks — this was a terrific event overall! Granted I did not comply with the dress code myself (smh), I was overly impressed by everyone else who did! What a great, casual setting for fellow Unilocalers to mingle while enjoying really delicious small plates and sipping on some serious old fashions! While I didn’t try everything off the menu that was served, the items I did try (the goat cheese grits with apple salsa & the baked mac n cheese with shrimp) were amazing enough to convince me that I need to return to THC asap!

Little behind the eight ball with reviews and playing catch up.
Got to meet other elite members as well as tasted several of the dishes at Tupelo Honey Café. The wonton, mac & cheese, and the grit poppers were my all time favorite.
Thank you Nikki for putting on another awesome event to showcase restaurants in the Charlotte area.
Love the theme of the 90’s brings back memories of the Rubix’s cube. Dare not mess with the miniature version for it will take me forever to put it back to it’s original panel of colors.
Cedric the restaurant manager, came by and introduced himself and made sure waitstaff took care of us at the event.
The liquor was a little too hard core based on the drink selections available. So, I went for a glass of wine instead.

There were fruit roll-​ups.
—end of review.—
No, but seriously, all the 90s candy/​treats was an awesome touch to this Throw It Back Thursday at Tupelo Honey Café.
I arrived late and missed the spiel on drinks and almost ordered a $ 14 Old Fashioned. Luckily, I saw someone make the mistake ahead of me and I quickly changed my drink order.
I was only able to taste the mac & cheese and the goat cheese poppers, both very good. It was really neat to hear the chef and meet the general manager. I like when restaurants take that extra time to explain to us Unilocalers more about their history, ideas, whatnot.

Does it make anyone else sad that we are «Throwing Back» to the 90s already… Where did time go? You wouldn’t have known that it was 2015 walking into Tupelo Honey for our first Elite event of 2015! Mad Libs, slap bracelets, Space Jam, fruit roll ups!!! So.much.awesome. It was great seeing so many familiar faces and getting to meet some new ones!
Thank you, Nikki for planning another fabulous event! Larken, your generosity and bourbon was on fleek. Thank you to the staff at Tupelo Honey for making me feel so welcome! Cedric for Charlotte Mayor!

«Raise da Roof» for Throw It Back Thursday! Props to Nikki on the first Elite event for 2015. It was great to see oldies and some new elites while filling in Mad Libs and eating a ton of candy.
Thank you to Tupelo Honey Café who hosted us and gave us the nice bar space to enjoy tastings from their new menu. I missed a couple of the items, but everything I tried was pretty awesome — nice small plates. Great to know that they have awesome happy hour specials! The servers kept the place clean and our abundance of empty plates were always cleared off the table by the great and friendly staff.
Make your own Old Fashioned was pretty awesome. There was a bit of a back-​up at the bar, but luckily the drink rep told me what was available to get me a the fastest drink possible. Cheers! Hopefully none of the other Elites thought I was «cutting» in line… but it seemed like the back-​up was quickly remedied anyway.
I sat in the corner, but PopRock Photography still managed to find me and take a ba-​gillion photos… Mad Skillz Tonya! I dunno if my bad 90’s catch phrases are doing this review any justice. There probably is a good reason why those phrases stayed in that decade.
Cheers to another great year ahead of Unilocaling in 2015!

Fresh Prince, Full House, Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, Spice Girls. AWWW snap! Love the Nineties? I lived the Nineties. All I had to do was dust off my suede jacket and polish my s**t kickers. Mad props to Nikki (aka Jazzercise Momma) for throwing the first great Elite shindig of the year. Delicious tasting menu from Tupelo Honey Café — they dropped the bomb (in a good way) on my tummy with Shrimp Mac and Cheese and Ham and Cheese Wontons! Unknown Brews and custom old fashioneds? Who you callin’ old fashioned, sucka? Of course GM Cedric and Chef Brian gots more tricks than Houdini and more skillz than Kid N Play. Yeahhh Boy!!!

What a fun themed event by Nikki. The 90’s were a good time and what better way to revisit the decade than with a party to stoke old memories. It was fun seeing everyone’s interpretation as 90s fashion was very varied from year to year as it pulled farther from the 80s.
Having the childhood candy and toys was a great touch. I don’t think I’ve have war heads or fruit roll ups since elementary school.
Tupelo Honey Café was a great host and was nice to see a very personable GM greeting everyone.
The food that I did get try was pretty good especially the ham and cheese wontons. It was also a really fun idea to create your own Old Fashioned. I’ve made them before but this allowed me to make one with ingredients that I don’t typically have on hand.
Nice job throwing Space Jam on the tv. A classic.

First «elite only» event!!! Considering I am one of the most un-​shy people in the world, going solo events don’t scare me at all! Grabbed a spot at a table and met some lovely ladies this evening.
Cool theme, great costumes, toys, candy, awesome food and drinks! What a fun event!
I loved the Create Your Own Old Fasion. Whiskey isn’t exactly my drink of choice but I do love a good Old Fashion every now and then! Mine had Sasafras bitters and the whiskey soaked cherries… score! It was delish. I also had the Teleporter from Unknown. I have always been a fan of Unknown brewery and was glad to sip on one of their beers!
Now onto the food! Delish. I love the new menu at THC! Small plate style is such the way to go. I was able to try a sample of the shrimp mac and cheese, fried grits, goat cheese bruschetta, and the meatballs. All of which were amazing!!! The meatballs and mac and cheese being the two winners in the group. Thanks to Tupelo Honey for allowing us to sample your menu. I will definitely come back to try some more! I also really appreciate the GM Cedric coming out to introduce himself. Such an awesome touch.
To top the night off, I won one of the raffle prizes and get to go to the Art with Heart event next weekend!
Overall, thanks to Nikk and Tupelo Honey for an amazing first event of the year!

Well I THOUGHT (for a nanosecond) of giving a 4 star review because THC didn’t provide quite enough food to satiate ALL our Unilocal appetites… but I thought again and said, NOT!
I mean, HOW can you give anything less than 5 stars to a FREE Unilocal Elite event? Please ‘splain that to me Lucy!” Because I can’t.
Another 5 Star shout out to our amazingly gorgeous Nikki W for putting on yet another superb Unilocal Elite event! Woo Hoo!
THC put on a GREAT event, and everyone who was «anyone» showed up… including the GM, Chef and Publicity Manager! I’m very pleased that the Exec Chef showed up to explain his devine food and make sure we were all loving the food…
So onto the food… there were SOOOOO many choices… I don’t know where to begin! I guess the pictures will have to do most of the talking. Take a look at my picture for the menu and you’ll get a good idea what was served…
Like fellow Unilocaler Shauna said, this style of «buffet» isn’t my favorite either because you basically have to arm wrestle other Unilocalers to get your food. Michael N challenged me to this, but when he saw my «massive guns» he thought otherwise (LOL). But you get the drift.
My faves were the Lamb Meatballs, Ham Wontons, Goat Cheese Grit Poppers and Baked Mac and Cheese. Actually everything I tried was really good. But like my Unilocal pal Gianna said, «I’m STARVING» after this event, which isn’t very usual for our Elite events! It really was kind of hard to make a B-​Line to the food… but I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining because I LOVE our Unilocal Elite events! Just think that a couple improvements can be made to make them even better!
Finally, the Staff was super AWESOME as always! Of course this wouldn’t be a Paul Unilocal Elite Review at THC with OUT a shout out to Tiara, my most fave cool BarChick! She took care of not only me but our whole crew. She does so with a smile, warmth and efficiency. I did my best to take care of her and the entire crew with a nice Tip… I sure hope my fellow Elites did the same.
Oh, did I tell you I actually WON SOMETHING!!! Given a choice, I will ALWAYS opt for a Cookbook, and I got their THC Cookbook, which is beautifully illustrated! I can’t wait to try out some of their recipes!
To me, it’s always great seeing my awesome fellow Elites and of course my most Fave CM in the Universe the Super Wonderful Nikki!

The Unilocal Elite faithful gathered once again to throw it back to the 90’s and hunker down ’round the huge Boos Block table at Tupelo Honey Café for a sampling of their new small plates menu and have a crack at formatting your own Old Fashioned from the bar. With a bit of Space Jam on in the background, and a good assemblage of both old and new Elites, this event was both fun and informative.
The new small plates menu will definitely be a hit for THC. Between lamb meatballs in a mildly spicy tomato sauce, a killer baked mac ‘n cheese with cajun blackened shrimp and (the highlight of the night for this Unilocaler) goat cheese and grits poppers served in a spicy jalapeño sauce and a finely diced apple salsa, there should have been something to please most palettes.
Nikki’s 90’s style candy bar (complete with to-​go bags for those willing) was also a nice touch.
I do have to say the staff at THC was exceptionally welcoming and went out of their way to make this a nice time for all– from constantly cleaning plates and silverware for each new course to shaking hands to make sure each of us felt welcome. The Southern Hospitality was out in spades!
And, as always, Tonya form Poprock was out to memorialize it all on (digital) film and ensure the sprit of the night was appropriate captured. If she didn’t get a shot of you, it was because you were hiding in the corner with your back to the crowd. Gotta love the candid shots.
Good space, good food, good drinks, and some great friends– what’s not to enjoy about that?!
What a promising start to Unilocal 2015 in CLT and THC’s new small bites menu. Bravo to all.

I love the 90s, still, & what a fab time we all had last night at the first elite event of 2015!
Nikki pulled all the stops last night with throwback candy & retro toys.
Tupelo had an amazing spread, although the small bites weren’t really enough for our crowd. But everything I tasted was delicious. My favorites were the shrimp mac ‘n cheese & the grits popper. My first old fashioned drink was refreshing — I’ve never had one before tonight.
The staff were so nice & pleasant & the bartenders kept the alcohol flowing.
Thanks Nikki, Tonya & Tupelo!

First Unilocal Elite Event.
Shout out to everyone who rocked a 90’s inspired look!
The presentation & taste of every item I sampled was lovely. In tossing it up (a socializing term from the 90’s) with a few Unilocalers, I missed the shrimp mac & cheese. One of the restaurant’s design team overheard my misfortune. Shaking his head in disbelief, he determined it unacceptable.
Within minutes, I was serenaded –ok, well, not really– presented with my own private heaping portion, and it was joy on a plate. Joy! My favorite item of the event.
Thank you Tupelo, and thank YOU, my gracious henchman, for getting me the good stuff!

WOW — what an awesome start to the Unilocal calendar year. Everyone has pretty much summed it all up. Great candy/​treats, amazing food, awesome drinks… you mix that all together with a great bunch of people and you are guaranteed to have yourself a great evening.
I was super excited about trying HTC’s new menu. I’ve been here numerous times, but only for breakfast/​brunch. I wasn’t even aware that they served dinner or that they even had a full bar. With me living half mile away I’m bound to come back very soon!
The food that we got to sample was absolutely delicious! It’s hard for me to pick a favorite. The «make your own» OF was a great idea. I’m really picky as to where I order an Old Fashioned at. I have found many places in Charlotte that make terrible and I mean TERRIBLE old fashioned cocktails. Lo and behold, I checked off my usual go-​to ingredients on my OF card and what I got back was a perfect cocktail! I was soooo pumped!
Cedric the manager was extremely personable and friendly. With the great staff that he has, they will continue to do very well. A big thanks to everyone at HTC for all their hard work and being a great host. Once again, Nikki provided us with an awesome event — the biggest thank you goes out to her. There’s tons of work and preparation that goes into these events. We just show up and have a great time, but Nikki spends days upon days working hard — making this all possible and assuring that everything gets executed as planed! THANKS NIKKI!

I am still coming down from my 90s themed candy sugar high and thought I would share my thoughts on this event…
Great theme, costumes, toys, and candy. That little Rubik’s cube is going to come in handy someday!
The food I was able to try was tasty. The grit cake and mac n cheese were both yummy. I don’t always love the buffet set-​up because food is brought out and you must hightail it to the line to get any. This is probably just a personal preference. I realize this is a tasting and not an entire meal, but I noticed some filling their plates to max capacity while others scrape what little is left on the serving tray or miss out all together. Just a gentle reminder to my fellow Unilocalers to be mindful of others :)
I didn’t try any of the free drink options since I am not a Porter or Whiskey fan. I brought some cash so I went for a Malbec instead.. Hey you win some lose some…
And speaking of win some… the highlight of this event for me (besides chatting with some very nice folks), was winning tickets to Art with Heart! I have not been to this event yet and I am so excited!
Thank you for all of the hard work that was put into this event, Nikki, Tupelo, Sponsors, and Tonya P.

Why, yes. I do love the 90s!
Every time we spotted a new 90s item the reaction was the same:
«Ah! Slap bracelets!!»
«Ah! Silly putty!!»
«Ah! Fruit roll ups!»
«Ah! SPACE JAM ON THE TV!!»
This was such a fun event. From the grunge looks to the Old Fashioned. This was my first time having an Old Fashioned and I enjoyed it. I loved being able to pick my ingredients.
We met Cedric, the General Manager, and he is lovely! He repeatedly checked on our table throughout the night and was super warm and friendly. The entire staff was awesome, helpful and efficient.
Other Unilocalers are right, buffet style at a Unilocal Event is a dangerous way to go. But if you can get to the front of the line, totally worth it. We actually discussed this at our table. Unilocalers are sweet, hilarious, wonderful people, everywhere except the food line. Haha. Really, for good reason though — THC’s food was amazing, the wontons and the Mac & cheese may have tied for my favorite. The combinations of food in both items were perfect. I wasn’t a huge fan of the grit cake, but one of the servers told us that she asks for hers to be «well done» and I think I’d like to try it that way too.
I love themed parties, and our wonderful CM always rocks these themes! Thank you to Nikki and Tupelo Honey Café for having us, Poprock for doing her magic as always, and Woodford Reserve for the Old Fashioned Bar!

Great Event, Even though I got waylay-​ed by work for the start of the event, I had a blast. Upon arriving, I was very happy to see other Unilocalers embrace the dressup theme. I didn’t have the be sad this time as being the only one dressed up. A lot people dug threw there closest and pulled out some great 90’s attire.
I was sad to miss Tupelo’s event last year, but this was a good one to fill the void. The build your own Old Fashion’s were awesome and were created by a great bartender staff. Luckily after stumbling in late, I just so happened to be standing next to the table were the food came out. I missed the first couple rounds, but I hit the mac+cheese+shrimp right off the bat. It was great. The shrimp was a nice surprise touch. The Goat-​cheese and Grits square were good, and I normally hate grits.
Chef Brian made some great trays, and it was good social environment. Cedric was a great person to meet, and took great care of everyone. Thanks again for the great and socialable event. I’ll be back to Tupelo in the future to get teh plates that I missed.

I always have an awesome time at Unilocal events but this one was absolutely PERFECT to start off 2015 right! The people, the venue, the food and all of the nostalgic memorabilias and candies made this a night to remember!
This was my first time at Tupelo, despite passing the café DAILY on my commute home. I love that they are incorporating tapas to their menu. I’m partially bias as I am a tapas fanatic! Not only were the dishes creative and original, they were all so delicious and flavorful! I hope everyone got a taste of that goat cheese/​candied figs/​Appel concoction because WOW! Can’t wait to come back for BOGO tapas on Thursdays!
Nikki was oh so adorable as always. I loved the towers of childhood candies. She even gave all of us bags to stuff with our favorite goodies! My goodie bag was filled with ring pops, nerds, sour dippers, fruit roll ups and of course, a Rubik’s Cube and slinky
Last let’s acknowledge the GM who came out to greet rah and every one of us elites! He was so personable and sweet in wanting to make sure we were having a wonderful time. The executive chef even came out to say hello.
Thanks, Nikki! I had so much fun!

Whoop there it is (er…was), a 90s themed Unilocal elite event! Since I didn’t get a chance to dress up in any 90s gear (lame, I know), I figure I’ll try to pepper my review with as much 90s slang as possible.
My Unilocal elite status is still pretty new for me (I made elite Nov ’14) so being able to attend these kind of events is pretty rad. Upon entering, I was greeted enthusiastically (as usual) by our fly CM/​fearless leader Nikki. Who may I add, was giving me Saved By the Bell realness with her outfit… complete with scrunchie! You go girl!
I didn’t get to partake in the make-​your-​own Old Fashioned because home girl here does not and cannot hold dark liquor. If I do? I will be straight buggin. One of the lovely waitresses brought me out a non-​alcoholic beverage instead and kindly kept it refilled for me.
While waiting for the food to come out, I got to meet the Tupelo GM, Cedric, who was da bomb. He even posed for pictures and took selfies! I also got to check out the goodies that were to be found on my table and others: fruit roll ups, blow pops, mad libs, slinkys!
The food was brought out buffet-​style and my fellow elite folks made sure every bit was scooped up. Word. While I didn’t get a chance to sample everything, the ham wontons were all that and a bag of chips.
Two reasons I didn’t get to sample everything:
(1) I was too slow
(2) I was too busy running my mouth meeting my fellow Unilocalers (no duh)
My absolute favorite part was getting to meet new-​to-​me Unilocalers and getting to connect offline with my current Unilocal friends. Being amongst a tribe of people who just ‘get it’ is mad refreshing.
I want to give a HUGE shout out of appreciation to the totally awesome crew and waitstaff of Tupelo. Everyone was so kind and hospitable. And of course, Nikki. I could never leave out a note of thanks to her. AS IF.

What a fun event! This was my first Unilocal event here in Charlotte and it did not disappoint! Tasty bites, cool outfits and great company. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming and Nikki was extremely nice. Oh wait, let’s talk about the Throw back candy: YES! There were Airheads, Nerds, and Blo pops! The ‘make your own’ old fashioneds was such a great idea and they were tasty too! I can’t wait to bring my friend to Tupelo Honey Café for Throwback Thursdays. Cedric the general manager was very nice and engaging which was great. Looking forward to the next event and returning to this venue. Way to start 2015 off right!

There were so many fun things about this event that it’s hard to know where to start.
1. The 90s
2. Slap bracelets
3. Silly Putty
4. Candy
5. Space Jam
6. Prizes
7. Cheese
I’ve never been to Tupelo Honey before so when Nikki announced an event to try their new menu I jumped right on it. Excited for any theme event and southern food we walked in to the upstairs located Tupelo Honey.
Greeted by a scrunchied CM we were given cards to fill out for our Old Fashioned. After choosing Woodford with spiced cherries and muddled orange and cherries I was given a work of art drink. We picked out a table and before too many people got there I raided the candy bowls. Ring Pops, Warhead dip, Sweet Tarts, and Fruit Rollups.
The food was brought out in waves and sieved with a cafeteria line style. I had the wontons with ham and cheese, the macaroni with shrimp, and the goat cheese with toast. They were all delicious. I never thought I would like Mac and cheese with shrimp.
The staff was incredible, working diligently to supply us with new small plates. We also met the GM and the chef. A great crew they have working there.
Thanks to Nikki for a great event. It was so much fun and I will be on a sugar high for a while. Also my husband thanks you for giving me a slap bracelet for random slaps of fun on the wrist.