Restaurant Review: Tupelo

Tupelo in Inman Square used to be Magnolia's, and still retains some of the decor. The water glasses are new though - large Ball jars - and, as far as know, the artwork on the bathroom doors is fresh. We both agreed that the red walls are nice, the sconces are out-of-place Art Deco and the painted mirrors look kinda crap. Oh, but the food. It's lovely.

We arrived close to 8:00pm on Friday night and were told it would be about a 45 minute wait for the two of us. A fella waiting in line just ahead of us said it was worth the wait and that folks gather round the small bar to kill the time. Only two beers on tap, but one was Brooklyn Lager, so I was set. Our friendly bartender served us straight away, and the host swung by once before we were seated, just to confirm our place on the waiting list. We were led to our table in what felt like no time at all.

We started with a deviled crab salad on garlic toasts: flavorful and with a nice afterburn that I doused with my frosty brew. Pete ordered one of the specials for dinner - jambalaya - which full of warm, "slow and low" flavors and crammed with big shrimp and hunks of andouille sausage. I had the brisket for my main:

Daube of Beef: Beef braised in red wine with hominy mashed potatoes with charred peppers, roasted corn salsa & Creole horseradish cream. 15

The meat had a crispy edge but was still fork-tender. The three items on the plate meshed well together, and I admit that more than one forkful contained meat, potato and corn together. We stalled for a while, but then gave in and ordered dessert. Pete had the blueberry pie with vanilla icecream; I had the brown butter pecan pie with bourbon icecream. BROWN BUTTER. My newest love. Nom. A free beer from the waiter for me (just me? awkward?) and then we paid our modest bill.

I like the wave of southern-inspired cuisine that is making its way through Cambridge. Tupeolo uses big, bold flavors on its gently priced plates and I look forward to a return trip.

Tupelo
1193 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-868-0004
http://www.tupelo02139.com/