Bee’s Cuisine has remained mostly under the radar since it opened last February. Even without fanfare, Bee’s Southeast Asian offerings have quickly become a go-to spot for East Siders tired of nondescript Chinese dine-in and delivery options.
Bee’s got its start in 2006 as a family-run outdoor booth at the Fondy Farmer’s Market, selling eggrolls and fried rice, and, later, crab Rangoon and their signature stuffed chicken wings. With the move to Farwell Avenue, they expanded to a full menu and a complete dining experience. The location (in that little strip mall between the Pizza Hut and the Great Clips), is quiet and homey, a great place to dine and talk without the interferences of bar chatter or television. Still a family-run operation, the service is friendly and very attentive.
The menu offers a fine variety of both familiar Asian sides—eggrolls ($1 each), crab Rangoon (75 cents each), and spring rolls ($2-$3 each)—and also some more unique items, including coconut flake-fried bananas (75 cents each) and homemade pork and ginger sausages ($3 each). Both the eggrolls and the Rangoon stand out, each lighter and crispier and with a fresher taste than is expected. The real gem, however, are the stuffed chicken wings ($3 each). Described as “boneless” on the menu, it should be noted that these are actually de-boned full wings, not the little lumps of fried meat that often pass for boneless wings. Stuffed with noodles, carrots slivers, cabbage, and onion, the wings are pulled straight and grilled, creating one of the most unique wing offerings in the city.
The entrée menu is neatly divided into noodle dishes, rice dishes, curries and stir-fry, with a house special of a Lao mince meat salad called laab ($15). The rice dishes are pretty basic and include meat and rice (fried, steamed, or sticky), ranging between $10 and $12. The curries include Thai favorites served over steamed rice and range between $10.75 and $13.75. The stir-fry menu is highlighted by a very tasty pad ka pao ($10), a ground pork and vegetable dish served over rice with a spicy garlic and chili sauce and topped with a fried egg. The noodle menu is headlined with a delicious pho ($8-10), made with a nuanced beef broth, steak slices and Asian meatballs.
The menu also offers a rice noodle pad Thai ($10-12) made with beef, pork, chicken, shrimp or tofu and a special house sauce that pairs with the fried noodles for a filling and flavorful dish. Each of Bee’s entrées are offered with a spice option of 1-5. Be advised that this rating does not screw around. A “2” gives a meal a very nice kick and a “3” is right about at my personal line between tasty and painful. Anything above that I can only image to be fork-melting territory.
In June, Bee’s began to offer delivery service (within a five-mile radius) via grubhub.com, making it one of the top options for delivery food on the East Side. Bee’s offers the convenience and low-prices of a traditional Chinese delivery spot with the cuisine of a more upscale sit-down establishment. It is certainly among 2016’s best new openings in the area.
