News on The Beehive?

[thecleave]

Just wondering if anyone has information yet - I believe they were supposed to open last night. TIA!!

[butterball929]

any website, phone number, or thoughts on whether or not they take reservations? also, when is the music, bar scene? just a little confused... thanks!

[MC Slim JB]

http://beehiveboston.com/

They take reservations. They're using OpenTable, but weren't doing online reservations yet, last I looked, so call. Live jazz, mostly, starting at 10pm downstairs.

[Bob MacAdoo]

I stopped in for a nightcap last night and must say this place was incredible in terms of decor, lay out and vibe. This is a great addition to the grown up night life scene.

While we did not dine, a couple at the bar seemed to be enjoying the food -- so much that they ordered another round of appetizers. I plan on making a reservation in June for dinner.

[thecleave]

Wow...thanks everyone! I'm going tomorrow night, so I'll be sure to report back.

[limster]

The foods we had was very solid but nothing out of this world, and with the price points weren't bad. IIRC, apps from ~$9-14, main courses from $19 to $24, with a $32 ribeye ad $12 or $14 burgers as outliers. Crispy asparagus was my favourite and totally worth getting. Serious spicy kick to the robust veggie burger. If this first impression is representative, the lively hipster atmosphere and the live music makes it a cool destination overall. By itself, the food that I had wouldn't be a sufficient draw for me, although I would certainly want to try more on the menu since I only sampled a few things.

Wine list is a bit esoteric on the low end, on the high end it's big on champagnes and sparkling wines.

[Bob MacAdoo]

What was the crowd like? Older? South End residents? Or more downtown?

I'm looking forward to going.

[limster]

I didn't really pay attention to the crowd, but it seemed somewhat mixed, with probably most folks in the 20s or 30s.

[icculus]

I stopped in last night to check it out. Wow. Space is much larger than I had imagined possible. I only peeked downstairs, but it alone is larger than Pho. We had a few drinks: including a signature Negroni with something sweeter than Campari as the bitters, and The Mexican, which was a margarita/daiquiri combo. We sampled the mussels, clams, & frites in green garlic broth as well. Pretty tasty. Frites were... wider and flatter than shoestrings (more like fat laces). Came in a large bowl. Mussels were great, clams were sorta small, dime-sized. People near us ordered some small butcher plates with sausages that looked great. And they also got the cod entree which smelled fantastic and almost made me change my dinner plans (thai takeout).

There was a huge amount of staff on at the time and I imagine they'll need a lot most nights. Some were even wired up with earpieces because of the enormity of the space. Several familiar faces (Pho, Silvertone, in particular although I'm sure others of you will recognize a lot more).

Crowd was large and still growing when we left at 8:30. But the place is big enough for more people than all of the other Tremont St restaurants combined ::slight sarcasm::

Word is that there will be 100 patio seats out front... and 60 out back. Yes there's some sort of back patio off of the downstairs bar.

Great location, amazing space (cool subway tile walls), nothing seemed forced, chill & friendly vibe, clearly more geared towards socializing then dining, which is something that has been lacking in the SE... I'm thrilled to see it finally come to fruition and am completely impressed by the result.

[MC Slim JB]

Wow, sounds amazing.

I'll speculate that their Negroni variant uses Aperol, which is sweeter, more orangey, with a strong vanilla flavor. It's made by the Campari people, and its American distributor appears to be promoting it heavily these days: it has suddenly appeared on dozens of bars in the last few months. I'm not a fan: it reminds me too much of St. Joseph's Aspirin for Children.

[icculus]

Yes. Aperol. And it was Hendrick's in this instance as well.

[tatamagouche]

I mean, I get the derivation, but...

[MC Slim JB]

For those of you who didn't grow up crunching candy-like chewable kiddie aspirin, St. Joseph's has a unique combination of fake orange, fake vanilla, and saccharine flavors. I learned to swallow aspirin whole rather than taste that stuff. That, sadly, is what Aperol reminds me of. I was glad I tried a glass of it at The Franklin before buying a whole bottle for my home bar.

[Kat]

St Joseph's! I used to cheek the pills and then spit them out behind the furniture. Hated the taste. When we finally moved, my mother found them everywhere. Don't think I would like that cocktail either.

[MC Slim JB]

A friend went to a soft opening event, had this to say:

"It's the most beautiful, interesting room and the live music just makes the whole experience very special. Food was very good and very reasonable. They make lovely cocktails, serve exactly the right size portions. Complaints: paper napkins, tight table spacing in the pit in front of the stage. Beats Pho on atmosphere by a landslide and the food is about a hundred times better as well. Obviously the cuisine is much different, but we were impressed. It's nothing too crazy but it's creative and a tad daring without being weird or overdone."

Obviously a strong first impression. I'm hoping to try it myself soon.