Brooklyn’s recent obsession with fried chicken, pies, and all things southern-made has for the most part overlooked what is, IMHO, one of the most vital parts of Dixie cuisine: biscuits! So I was stoked to see that BeeHive Oven, which has been hawking some deliciously fluffy biscuits at Smorgasburg for the past year, recently opened its own brick and mortar restaurant in Williamsburg.
Native Texans John and Treva Chadwell have put together a menu that spans all things southern, but with a focus on the humble biscuit. And, in a clutch move, they don’t limit the biscuits to AM offerings–here they are the main focus whether you’re in for breakfast, lunch of dinner.
The core of BeeHive’s menu is the build-your-own biscuit option, which allows you to choose from toppings ranging from fried chicken and bacon to gravy and collard greens. You can also go with their pre-designed sandwiches, like the over-stuffed Ruby biscuit, which layers crispy fried green tomatoes with sautéed shrimp and remoulade sauce, or the Sandra, an open-faced option with creamy sausage gravy and a fried egg. In the non-biscuit category, there are Texas favorites like chicken-fried steak and shrimp and grits. (Don’t worry, if you go that route you can still get a side of biscuit bites to dip in their very tasty jams–the vanilla-pear jam we tried was outstanding). Dessert includes Texas chocolate sheet cake and a “cinnibiscuit” (basically a biscuit-y version of a Cinnabon) and there’s a very serious beer list, with options both down-home (Lone Star) and Brooklyn-y (Evil Twin’s Bikini Beer Session IPA). The owners also have plans in the works to debut South Carolina-style (mustard-based) barbecue soon.
The biscuits themselves are actually a bit on the small side, but once you load enough toppings on, one is definitely enough for a meal. I went with fried chicken, pimento cheese and tomato and was impressed with every element.
BeeHive Oven, 182 South 2nd Street (near Driggs); 347-987-4960, open for breakfast and lunch on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, breakfast through dinner on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and Sunday brunch.