New Tupelo Grille owner brings fresh look to popular Whitefish restaurant while leaning on tradition

Ownership recently changed hands and the interior of the Central Avenue restaurant has undergone a remodel, but the Tupelo feel and the menu favorites remain.

Last October, Dave Pike purchased the popular restaurant from Pat Carloss, closed it for renovations and reopened in mid-February. Pike and director of operations, Jeff Carl, said the kitchen was the focus of the renovation, but the work extended into the restaurant.

“I wanted to bring some freshness to the aesthetics here,” Pike said. “Everything from the floor, the ceilings, the lighting, the painting.”

Additionally, all the tables and upholstery are new and the bathrooms have been completely remodeled. 

The one thing that didn’t experience big changes was the menu.

“We thought it was important to keep some of the tradition and the heart that was here from Tupelo for 30 years of business but also freshen it up a bit,” Carl said. “So a lot of those tried and true dishes are [on the menu], a lot of the ones that Pat had created back in the day.”

Pike said several time-tested Southern comfort foods are still available, alongside a few new offerings from executive chef Joshua Dicks.

Joshua Dicks grew up in Kalispell and said he spent most of his 20s in Whitefish, “doing lots of fishing and a little skiing.” He worked for Iron Horse, then at the Yellowstone Club and the Gallatin River Lodge near Bozeman. After spending time working in Hawaii, he and his family chose to return to the Flathead Valley. 

“It takes a couple months when starting to cook at a new restaurant to get a feel for what to order and how to prep,” Dicks said. “It fluctuates.”

He said some days he may be cooking for 300 people and then next, 100. As an example of the volume of ingredients needed, Dicks said the kitchen can go through 40 pounds of butter in a day and a half.

Even though the renovation took about four months, many of the employees returned to work at Tupelo. 

“We wanted to keep our staff. It's a long time for them to go without working,” Pike said. “We’re fortunate that, essentially, the whole front of the house staff stayed.”

Carl added that about 30% of the back-of-house staff returned.

Live music has been a staple of the Tupelo lounge for years and that tradition continues. Currently, from Thursday through Saturday music begins in the lounge at 7:30 p.m. In the summer months, Carl said they will host musicians more frequently.

In an attempt to tidy the bar area which, Carl said, had always been cluttered with a lot of different kinds of booze, they got rid of many of them, choosing instead to focus on typically Southern libations: bourbon, whiskey and scotch.

“Tupelo has created quite a reputation and a following for itself,” Carl said. “As we got into this venture … we both realized it was important to keep some of that while still adding some freshness and vibrance to a place that had been around for awhile.”

PIKE ALSO owns Jalisco Cantina on Wisconsin Avenue. In December, the Casita of Jalisco opened in the small home that sits just north of the main restaurant. 

The Casita is cozy, with the kitchen and small seating area open to one another. A heated case full of burritos allows customers to grab one, choose from an array of beverages available at the counter and be on their way. 

The casita offers grab-and-go options for breakfast and lunch including burritos, hot dogs and soup. For now, the main sellers are the burritos and tacos. Carl said the burritos are bigger and more substantial than most.

"They’ll feed two people most of the time,” Carl said. “Instead of having to stop and grab a small burrito somewhere, you can grab a bigger one here … eat half and take it up [to the ski hill]. You can wrap the half with the foil, ski and eat the rest of it for lunch.

“We wanted a healthier, heartier option than something that is most of the time, microwaved or reheated, and we think we’ve done that,” Carl added. “Our staff there is great. We’re a little bit more expensive but we pay a little bit more and we use real ingredients. 

The Casita is run by an eight-person staff. Reni Frosinos prepares orders and Chloe Kasselder works the counter while Teppei Fujimoto runs the grill. They said while most of their customers are heading to the mountain to ski, they also have a lot of regulars, folks who live in the neighborhood.

“I think this place will really pop off in the summer,” Kasselder said. “We’re going to have some picnic tables outside and we’re going to get a beer tap, maybe, and you can order right here [at the window] in the summer.”

Until then, the Casita is open from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for hungry skiers on their way to the Big Mountain.

“We also have al pastor tacos which are the best tacos I’ve ever had,” Kasselder said. “I feel like there’s an art to making al pastor tacos and you have to get it right and I feel we get it right.”

Frosinos said the pork is marinated in lime and orange juices and the al pastor tacos are served with pineapple salsa atop.

“It's spicy and savory and sweet,” Frosinos said. “Super good.

    A new mural adds color to the lounge at the Tupelo Grille. (Julie Engler/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    Teppei Fujimoto, Chloe Kasselder and Reni Frosinos are part of the staff at Casita de Jalisco. (Julie Engler/Whitefish Pilot)
  

    The Casita de Jalisco's kitchen, counter and seating area. (Julie Engler/Whitefish Pilot)