Buzzing at Beehive – Boston

I can’t say no to live jazz. And I can’t say no to kicking back with a beer at a downstairs bar with picnic tables that are too cool for school. The scene is always set at Beehive, and the place is always buzzing with the sound of a chiller life. You don’t dance so you talk. You shout a little over the jiving jazz, but not so much that you feel like an ignorant tourist speaking English to a foreigner. Because they’re still the foreigner…even if you’re in their country.

I digress, but the laid-back pace of brunch really gives you a little time to think. And I think the music isn’t the only thing that’s jazzy at the Beehive. The food is as classy and classic as this relatively new oldie genre that appeals to the young and old without ever getting old. Sure you can get drinks at any place on Tremont, but live music is a rarity if you’re unwilling to cram into Wally’s. Unfortunately, the brunch is best for solid staples – this menu lacks creativity, ironic for a house that hosts cohorts of artists.

The French Toast is an airy, thick-cut crust covered with Chantilly cream and berries, sweet as honey itself. A sweet mainstream staple of brunch, this one is for those who dine with a hive mentality and want to pollinate some fruit to start their day.

The Eggs Shakshuka is the self-acclaimed “true Bohemian brunch”. I don’t know much about Bohemians, but I never met a food culture I didn’t like.  Poached eggs run a river of gooey yolk over a base of buttery polenta, trapping little honeycombs of tangy tomato sauce in between. If this is the Bohemian version of my glorified southern eggs and grits, buy me a closet of hippie-chic and play me a rhapsody.

Boston values the individual, but still so many flock to the hive. Every culture needs a queen, and the Beehive dominates the South End social scene and houses a happy home of hippies, hipsters, and the just plain hip. Overall, brunch isn’t the best thing Beehive has to offer – only visit this South End if you're trying to jazz it up.