The Beehive

For my friend's last night in Boston she wanted to go someplace fun with great food. Never having been to The Beehive but hearing so many great things, we decided to give it a go.

I was very impressed by the restaurant's atmosphere as soon as we walked down the stairs. The dim lighting creates a very laid back vibe, and the art along the brick walls makes it feel as if you're in an artist's studio. Though we were seated in the back corner, we had no trouble seeing the musicians setting up on the stage. About a half hour after sitting down our experience became even better when the live salsa music started.

Starter
The pumpkin and gorgonzola flatbread pizza caught all of our eyes at the very start, so we thought it to be the perfect choice for our starter. Soon after it arrived covered with a sprinkling of what seemed to be arugula. While the gorgonzola was very prominent (and delicious), none of us really got much of the pumpkin flavor. If anything it added a subtle sweetness to the pizza, but that may very well have just been the dough, itself.

Main Course
For her main dish Lauren opted for the grilled cheese with shortribs, farmhouse cheddar, and fontina. I had heard great things about this sandwich, and it certainly didn't disappoint. Sandwiched between two perfectly grilled thick pieces of what seemed like texas toast was ample cheese and juicy shortribs. Next time I come I will definitely be getting this. (Note: the picture doesn't do justice to the size of the sandwich)

To accompany this she ordered the Beehive frites with sage and sea salt. They were more or less thinly sliced fries with a hint of sea salt on a bed of sage. I wasn't crazy about them, but they certainly weren't anything to complain about. Next time I'd like to get the poutine where they are covered in cheese and gravy.

Mel not surprisingly choose the prime hanger steak, roasted mushroom sauce, and potato croquette. Though I didn't try it, the steak looked perfectly cooked medium rare. The croquette, which I did try, was very tasty and not too greasy.

Cara and I both ended up with the duck, scallion, and jalapeño risotto. The waiter had to make sure the last two of this dish were available for us, so apparently it was a popular choice. Though not crazy about jalapeño, I thought it sounded fun. The jalapeño flavor was prominent throughout but not overbearing and contrasted nicely with the chunks of duck that had a really nice sweetness to them. The dish was very cheesy and hence filled me right up after not even eating half of it.

The Beehive also has a nice wine list, and our server was incredibly helpful in steering us in the right direction for our choice of wine -something not to weighty but leaning a bit toward sweet. All in all I had a great experience and am looking forward to another night with great food and live music.


The Beehive is located at the Boston Center for the Arts in the historic cyclorama building at 541 Tremont. Visit http://beehiveboston.com/ for more information.