My friend Alex, born and raised in New York, has an obsession with southern food and culture even though she’s never been to the south. She invited me, a southern belle, on her tour of my region’s cuisine. As we made our way to Beehive Oven, a Texan restaurant, we expected to be greeted by the buzz and chaos one finds in a Texan steakhouse instead we walked into a quiet and empty restaurant. The ambiance screamed ‘New York does Texas!’ Perfect for New York City but too prim and proper for Texas. The dimly lit restaurant had sky blue walls and tabletops in an array of colors: rustic red, natural oak, and matte silver which were paired with Tiffany blue metal chairs creating a calm atmosphere, a stark contrast from the gritty greys of the noisy neighborhood.
We started off with a Southern classic, fried green tomatoes, they had a crisp light outer crust with a bright crunch and a tangy and juicy center. The star of the night was a loaded biscuit sandwich that included fried chicken, a sausage patty, mushroom gravy, pimento cheese, and an egg cooked over easy. When our plates arrived our eyes grew wide and we repeated “ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh” while we began to dig in. Although I ordered a sandwich I had to use a fork and knife to eat through all the layers. After the first bite we sat in silence enjoying the flavors while the mellow folk music serenaded us. My fried chicken was a pinch too salty but the sausage patty had my taste buds screaming for more. It was packed with flavor with the perfect amount of spices and sweetened with honey. I broke the egg yolk and watched it flood my plate with color. The biscuit it had soaked up the yolk, the creamy and sweet mushroom gravy, and the pimento cheese. The result was a finger-lickin’ good combination.
We had been consumed by our plates and only made eye contact in order to exchange bites from one another. Alex’s breaded chicken steak was missing the Texan spices but her maque choux made up for it. The sweet corn based dish had roasted red peppers, a light cream sauce and a hint of paprika that paired well with the semi dry steak. After our last bite we realized the trendiest Brooklynites had filled BeeHive Oven, all attempting a southern experience in the concrete jungle.
ROZZCOE 