Restaurant Information	Rating View Rating Key
Beehive Tavern & Grille St. Charles, IL 60174	Review posted 03/05/06

Sometimes it is a bit difficult to switch gears directly from what one might call a “fine dining” experience to a “pub” atmosphere… but that is exactly what Lauren and I did over the past week or so. We simply needed a night out for some comfort food and a change in scenery after the revelry during the holidays. I found out that the Beehive was in the location of several previous restaurants and bars, and since we were already in the area and had heard of the redone place in St. Charles, we thought that it would be a great stop for a sandwich. Many years ago, I had been in the physical plant that is now the Beehive, and the first thing that I can tell you is, the renovation that has taken place certainly makes one heck of a difference… and a positive one at that!

There are two somewhat distinct areas in the place: one side is basically the bar area, although there are a few tables where food can be served. In another area that might be considered as the “back of the house” there is a more formal dining area with about 6-8 tables in the middle and a number of booths around the outside of the room. The wood is dark and the room has a warm and comfortable feel to it. There is also a pool table and several games that are available in between the two areas.

The menu is not extensive but there are plenty of appetizers (like traditional potato skins or the very chic and different Beehive Sliders), soups (different every day), or salads (like Farmhouse Chicken, Caesar or Cobb). There are great-sounding sandwiches (like the Prime Philly Steak, Classic Reuben or Beehive Chicken to name just three), main entrée choices that are sure to please (like the Pub Pepper Steak, Grilled Pork Chop with Apple Relish or Dijon Sauced Portabella Mushrooms with Bleu Cheese), as well as several pastas and even personal pizzas. There is both comfort food and comfort to bee – pardon the pun – found at the Beehive. And the prices are very reasonable.

We decided to order the Sonora Quesadillas (Flash grilled pepper jack and cheddar cheese quesadillas filled with green onion, cilantro and black olives, served with salsa and sour cream: $6.95) as an appetizer; Lauren wanted the Fish and Chips (Beer-battered Atlantic Cod, deep fried until crispy golden brown, served with fries, coleslaw and tartar sauce), and I liked the sound of the Farmhouse Chicken Salad, so I ordered it ( Grilled, marinated chicken breast served with seasonal greens, tossed with herb vinaigrette and garnished with grilled potatoes, Farmhouse cheese, roasted peppers, portabella mushrooms, pickled beets and broccoli: $8.95).

Most importantly, the food was not only imaginative – I don’t remember ever seeing many of the menu items anywhere else – but excellent in flavor and well-presented on the plates. Lauren’s fish was truly crispy and served hot and my salad was as big as it was tasty; I ended up taking a lot home with me. And better yet, a friend had given me a coupon that gave us one free entrée with the purchase of another. Our cocktail selections were reasonably priced – $5.25 each for both a Stoli on the rocks and a Long Island Iced Tea –and reasonably sized too. I also found out that Colm Headly (owns McNally’s Irish Pub in Elmhurst) is involved in the management of the place… and that is a very good sign; he is well aware of what it takes to run a successful restaurant.

We were surprised at the number of children in the Beehive that night, but I have seen increasing numbers of youngsters in places where they shouldn’t be until a much older age. Parents however do not seem to have a problem exposing their children to smoke and alcohol and possible offensive language at too young an age. My only comments that lean toward the negative side are a result of the service. We were not yet close to being finished with the Quesadilla appetizer when Lauren’s dinner salad showed up. Lauren had not even looked at the dinner salad when the dinners appeared. The timing was terrible and it gave us a very rushed feeling. Worse yet, after taking our dinner order, we only saw our server two other times, one of which is when she brought the check. She did at least apologize and offer to take the dinners back; she also subtracted my beer from the check. She needs a bit of training in timing when serving, but kudos to her for better manners than many I have seen.

I really like the Beehive and would encourage you to make it a regular stop for food and beverage. With a little additional effort on the part of the servers and/or kitchen staff, Beehive could easily be a 4-Zin rating. For now, I give it a very solid Three-and-a-Half Zins

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