Some of my favorite Sundays are the ones when Todd and I meet up with my cousin Nikki for brunch. She planned my bachelorette party and was the maid of honor at my wedding, but we’ve been super close since childhood, when we used to make costumes out of our grandma’s excess sewing material. Because Nikki lives upstate from me and Todd, we usually try to pick a brunch spot that’s midway between our towns. Recently we tried out The Beehive in Armonk; it had gotten great reviews, and we wanted to see if it lived up to the hype.
A side of bacon, a chocolate-chip pancake (what’s with the sole orange slice?), and a side of ham.
The breakfast menu, served from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day, was pretty expansive, and the dishes ranged from simple (oatmeal with brown sugar, homemade pound cake) to more complex (french toast stuffed with cream cheese and apricot jam, topped with a berry reduction). The prices varied, too. I thought that $11 would be a reasonable amount to pay for that french toast, but $5 for a fruit bowl seemed crazy. I could buy a whole tub of fruit for that price! I almost didn’t order the side of ham I wanted when I saw it was $4.50, but I bit the bullet and ended up being pretty happy with how generous of a portion they gave me. Todd’s side of bacon (also $4.50) was another story; you can see from the photo above that he only got three pieces, and they had a weirdly burnt taste to them.
Corned beef hash eggs Benedict.
Nikki ordered the corned beef hash Benedict (right) and Todd ordered an eggs Benedict with smoked salmon and avocado. The hollandaise sauce in both was light and airy, and the eggs were cooked right: slightly runny on the inside but firm on the outside. The hash was plentiful and delicious, salty and savory in all the best ways. The Benedict, while satisfactory, wasn’t anything special; it could have used more salmon and maybe a small salad on the side. Then again, it might just be a pet peeve of mine when egg dishes don’t come with a side salad.
So, this wasn’t a flawless brunch, and clearly there are improvements that Beehive can make. But one thing was kinda close to perfect: my brioche french toast baked with macadamia nuts and fruit, topped with fresh berries and raspberry sauce. True, the pineapple was likely from a can, there were only four strawberry slices, and the raspberry sauce was nearly nonexistent. But sometimes less is more, and what this dish lacked in fruit quality, it made up for in french toast goodness: golden, buttery, crispy but chewy, sweet yet yeasty. I’m not even a french toast girl, but this one was the stuff that dreams are made of.
Brioche french toast.
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