Tupelo, Cambridge MA

This weekend we stayed close to home. We went to Tupelo , a cozy Inman Square restaurant specialized in Southern comfort food. We had been there for dinner before, but for some reason we had never thought about it for brunch. Boy, we won't make the same mistake twice!
Diego said it was the best brunch meal he ever had. And I think he was mostly thinking about the egg and chorizo sandwich (roasted peppers, onions, cheddar and watercress on a portuguese sweet roll) with home fries, but the amazing service we had may have contributed to the feel-good atmosphere. I didn't catch our server's name, but the three of us (Diego's mom was there) agreed that he exuded "joie de vivre". With a big smile on his face, he complemented the whole brunch experience. He even convinced us to have dessert, something we never ever do when having brunch. The pecan pie from Petsi Pies (from the same owner as Tupelo's) was like nothing we'd ever had. Sweet but not overwhelmingly so, it had the perfect marmalade tying the pie together and a rich crust. It came with Toscanini's bourbon ice cream, made specially for Tupelo. We didn't care much for the ice cream (there was a tiny hint of bourbon, but it was mostly cream), although our lack of appreciation may have something to do with our unconditional loyalty to Christina's Ice Cream. Our server made sure we had fresh coffee throughout.
Ok. Let's get back to the brunch. We had the daily special crispy grits as an appetizer (deep fried grits squares) and they were just right. Super soft pureed in the middle and crunchy on the outside, it was the perfect southern comfort food in a bite size. I tried to compensate this high caloric intake with a spinach, apple, bacon and red cabbage salad, but I may have missed the mark by asking for the creole vinaigrette on the side. Everyone around the table agreed the mustard-based dressing was the best of the plate.
To drink, Diego ordered a local beer, Saint Botolph's Town from Pretty Things, and he said it was great; more than a beer, almost a brunch drink. I went with the classic half OJ, half grapefruit.
So, was this the perfect brunch? Yes, if we go with Diego's claim as he was biting his chorizo sandwich. I should try something "brunchier" (i.e. not a dressing-less salad!) next time to make a good judgement.... but even now I can say that if this is the perfect brunch, it is only such for winter; Southern comfort food may not be so comfortable to eat under a 110 degree sun!