T is for: Tupelo Junction Cafe
![](https://www.independent.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/30/foodtupelo01.jpg)
Where: 1218 State Street, 899-3100, tupelojunction.com
What: Owners Amy and Katie Scott’s vision for the menu is “Southern-style home cooking made with a fresh produce twist.”
How much: Breakfast and lunch entrees $11-$16; dinner entrees $13-$26
The dish: Brunch, breakfast, lunch, supper-call it whatever you choose if you order Pumpkin Oatmeal Waffles after noon. Tupelo Junction is open daily serving tummy-filling portions for breakfast and lunch from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. and dinner kicking off at 5:30 p.m. Neighboring State Street’s landmark Granada, the establishment has an appropriately warm and inviting open space for diners. Outside, there is a small sidewalk patio that is close to impossible to snag on a sunny Sunday morning. Breakfast and brunch specialties include Apple Cinnamon Beignets and Mom’s Pumpkin Oatmeal Waffles with caramelized bananas. Mimosas come in mason jars, spicy Bloody Marys are served with whole crab legs, and frothy cappuccinos are poured into bowl shaped ceramic mugs. The lunch menu features a popular Fried Chicken Salad with crunchy cornbread croutons drizzled with a lemony herb buttermilk dressing as well as a BBQ pulled-pork sloppy joe sandwich. Bloody Mary Braised Baby Back Ribs and Blackened Molasses Organic Salmon entrees prove that Tupelo’s dinner options are just as creative as its praiseworthy breakfast and lunch. Evening beverages such as Specialty Martinis, Crushed Mint Julep Coolers, and a locals-only wine list should not be missed. Sample them at Thursday’s Happy Hour, which runs from 5:30-7:30 p.m. amid live soul.
This week at independent.com, T is also for: Tuttini (independent.com/tuttini) and Tee-Off (independent.com/tee-off). And for all of our restaurants, see independent.com/restaurants. Next week, see what U/V are for: