I am a believer...

I remember watching an episode of the Phantom Gourmet one Saturday morning and being amazed that they had a South End vs North End debate going on. They brought in an "expert" on eating in each neighborhood and the point was for them to discuss which neighborhood had a better dining scene. Based on my previous experience with the South End (portion size, price) I was convinced that the North End was better. After this weekend I am really starting to think about which neighborhood is better.

I hadn't made dinner reservations because Alex was supposed to be on call Sunday and I didn't think he'd want to go out on Saturday night. I was surprised when he said he wanted to go out and I was even more surprised when he took the initiative and made the reservation! Let me tell you that he made a great decision! We went to Beehive and it was such a great dinner that it made me reconsider all my prior opinions about the South End. My only regret was that our reservation was so early that we didn't get to enjoy the live music. Not a problem though, because we will definitely be going back.

We were seated in this cozy table about 10 feet from the stage. The restaurant has a very vintage, New Orleans feel so I can only imagine how great it must be to sit there with a cocktail in hand listening to live music. I started off the night by getting their Blonde Sidecar martini. Wow. That's all I have to say about this drink. Just wow. This has to be one of my favorite drinks. It was so good. The flavors blended so well; it tasted like an alcohol soaked star fruit. Delicious!

We shared the Mini Beef Wellington appetizer. I have never had beef wellington so I didn't know what to expect. Alex has had it several times and was hoping that it would be good. Well, they brought it out and at first we were disappointed because it seemed like such a small serving. Fear immediately set in that the entrees would be small servings as well and that Beehive was just like every other South End restaurant. The appetizer was three mini beef wellingtons soaking in some kind of au jus. Over discussion about how puff pastry is made we ate the appetizer. I couldn't believe it was possible for such a little thing to taste so good. My taste buds were jumping in joy as the flavors filled my mouth. Alex said this was how a beef wellington should be made.

Alex ordered the Grilled Hanger Steak with potato gratin. He order it medium but it came out medium rare. Don't worry though, the man has never turned down a steak. The steak was tender and, for the first time ever, the steak was so big that Alex couldn't finish it. I could barely believe my eyes and ears when I looked at Alex's plate and then his face as he said "I can't eat anymore." This was definitely a first in the South End.

This picture isn't great because I only have one shot to take a
picture of Alex's food before he shoots me the evil eye.

I ordered the Paella. Paella is a plate full of goodness. It's composed of a risotto-style rice and all kinds of meat and seafood. This one in particular had chicken, sausage, shrimp, clams, calamari, squid, and mussels. The rice was very moist and the flavor was mild enough to really showcase and enhance the flavors of the meat and seafood.

I'm assuming that they have different desserts nightly because there is no official dessert menu. We were offered three things and I can only remember two of them. One was a cheesecake and the other was an apple-cranberry crisp. Because we had cheesecake at home I ordered the apple-cranberry crisp. It was such a great choice because this dessert was fantastic. The apples were tender and the cranberries were tart. The crispy crust was amazing. Don't laugh at this description, but it was very crisp! The oats and the cinnamon were the dominant textures and flavors in the crisp crust. It was topped with a spoonful of whipped cream.

Beehive is located in the South End and is a great place for dinner. If you are looking for a restaurant with great prices and great food I definitely recommend going there...you won't regret it!