The Beehive Will Get Your Taste Buds Buzzin’ by Coby Goodrich

The Beehive Will Get Your Taste Buds Buzzin’ 

Descending a dim staircase and through a heavy curtain, the feel of the restaurant immediately matched the quality of the food. The Critic crew traveled into Boston again on March 19 to see the show Big Fish. Before seeing the play however, the crew had to refuel at dinner. Next to the theater is a restaurant called The Beehive, and we went in to eat and try the food. 

Upon entry, the Beehive is a very quaint restaurant. Old brick walls enclose a softly lit upper dining area, with impressionistic paintings hanging around the room. We were greeted by enthusiastic and polite waitresses, who led us down a wide staircase to the lower level. Heavy dark curtains masked the lower level from above, and when we passed through, more soft lighting and a quaint appearance again welcomed us. A central bar also took up extra space, which resulted in a cozier setting and a good use of space. A small simple stage was also located in the back of the room, which holds live jazz music some nights. We were then seated and a very friendly waiter took care of us for the rest of the night. He told us about the food and answered all questions regarding unknown food names, as well as actively engaging with us. When the food came, its presentation was very attractive. The setup showed that the cook had taken time to put each plate together and the food not only looked good, but tasted good as well. With recommendation from the waiter, I went with the Beehive Burger (very original). It was very far from your basic burger however, and was cooked perfectly with a special sauce on top that caused the flavor to enhance even more. The meat was well seasoned and the juices were “bomb” (an expression taken from our waiter). 

This is easily my favorite restaurant thus far and if you find yourself in Boston for dinner this is a place you should definitely consider. Its old-fashioned appearance and feel is very welcoming, the food is great, and the service is friendly and fun. 

High Expectations Gone Wrong by Vanessa Hsiao

A restaurant with perfect service, unique atmosphere, and delicious sounding dishes, what could go wrong? The restaurant was underground and had a funky and bohemian feel to the place. The service from the moment I stepped into the restaurant until I walked out of the restaurant was friendly, enthusiastic, and energetic. The menu was simple but difficult to read by the small bolded font with not much space between each item. The restaurant was expensive but the price range is expected from a nice, semi-formal restaurant.

I ordered the short rib farmhouse cheddar & fontina grilled cheese. I love grilled cheese and short rib and was intrigued by the combination. The plate was plain and was served with cucumbers and coleslaw. The grilled cheese was quite big and overly filled with the short rib. The bread of the first half was nicely grilled. The cheese was perfectly melted in the sandwich and tasted good. However, I did not enjoy the grilled cheese with the short rib. The combination tasted quite weird and felt like I had put two completely different dishes in my mouth at once. It didn’t exactly belong together. The short rib was decent but it tasted more like pulled pork. By the time I reached for the second piece, the bread had become soggy and cold. I disliked the consistency and the combination just did not work for me. I ended up eating the short rib alone, however I could not even eat the second piece because of the bread.

The people I went to Beehive with ordered burgers, salads, and steaks and were very satisfied with it. It might have just been that one dish that did not exactly work and definitely left a negative note for me.

Beehive, reviewed by Catie Wildman

Jazz music is Best in the Beehive 
by Catie Wildman

There is live music playing on an exposed stage surrounded by seating, with a mixture of jazz, blues, and other genres. Downbeat Magazine rated the Beehive one of the “Top 100 Jazz Clubs in the World”. Although the night I attended there was no live music playing, captivating jazz music was played while dining, and videos of musicians were projected onto a wall. Throughout the restaurant there was unexpected forms of art, such as manikin hands placed next to the bottles in the bar, and luxurious tapestry curtains on walls on the stairs headed downstairs. Many different styles of art were used, resulting in a modgepodge of art and forms of expression scattered through the restaurant.

The restaurant is equipped with two bars, one upstairs and another downstairs. The menu has a variety of foods from around the world including eggplant spinach Parmesan, prime burgers, to seared duck breast, and even Moroccan cigars. There were things I had never heard of in dishes, such as tabouli, and tzatziki. I ordered the roasted Scottish salmon with parsnip-mashed potatoes, sautéed spinach, and red wine sauce on the side. A surprise to me was the bits of baked sweet potato on top of the salmon; the sweetness complimented the dish harmoniously which I was not expecting. Parts of dishes were unexpected, yet the perfect addition that helped all the flavors to blend into food worthy of the gods. For example the plum sauce that was paired with the seared duck breast was raved about, and purple carrots were a pleasant surprise to be found in the lamb and chicken couscous. The food at the Beehive is prepared with such detail and the flavors combine to form perfection, and the art and music create an upbeat and pleasurable atmosphere. 

The Beehive by Julia Duato

The Beehive by Julia Duato

Wednesday night, about to have dinner with my friends, I wasn’t expecting a two floor kind of Arabic, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern atmosphere, which is what we found in the underground bohemian restaurant The Beehive.

As soon as we walked in, three waiters with exotic characteristics and ingenuity initiative to welcome the diners where standing up waiting for us to come in. Once inside and after walking down the stairs a stage was prepared for a band to rock the night, drums, microphones, and amps where sitting in there waiting to be maneuvered. The two bars laden with cocktails and alcoholic beverages gave a sense of adult craziness. The walls with contemporary paintings and posters, the colorful curtains and the low lights made the atmosphere around you change. A feeling of relaxation invaded you; intricate, involving and exotic. The food was without doubt a gift to your mouth, you could chose either way...the fanciness or the average meal. Either way, the Rib Eye, or the Prime Burger, the couscous or the Fish & Chips Dip were, without many words, an explosion in your mouth. 

The mixture of art, live music, the cuisine and the kindness of the people working in the restaurant make the client to want more. The Beehive has everything a good restaurant needs to have, the only thing the consumer has to contribute with is the company of their friends to enjoy the music and the food.