The Hive

I found the Hive to be a bit odd for a bar mainly becaue I felt like I was in a Starbucks that happened to serve alcohol. The bar has a lot of sky lights a well as sits with large windows that face the street so it is extremely "bright" for a bar, especially at happy hour and also considering it does not get dark in the summer until 9pm. Perhaps it has a different "feel" in the late evening. Seating is stiff couches and chairs. I can't say I was comfortable at all. We ordered a signature cocktail-the "Arkansawyer" which is Hendricks gin, homemade lavendar syrup and lemon juice. Refreshing and good (I had two) but not at $10 a pop at 5:30 on a Tuesday. Ouch. We tried a cheese plate which was ok but nothing too exciting. I hae been more impressed at the cheeseplate offered by the Pressroom on the opposite end of the square. Bigger and you can choose your cheese selection. We also attempted the spicy sweet fries after seeing another patron chow down on them. They were good at first. I never tasted any "spicy" but drizzled in I assume honey, they were sweet. After a few however, they just seemed greasy.
It was a busy place with lots of people visiting, drinking wine, some working on laptops, etc. I would probably try the restaurant (Attached) for lunch maybe but again the atmpsphere was less than appealing, to me. Too sterile and cafeteria like. I do like that the 21c signature green penguins just appear sometimes out of no where. My favorite part of this visit was walking around the art galleries in the lobby and surrounding halls of the hotel. Some interesting pieces to say the least. Not sure I will be back for cocktails. I'd much rather relax and visit at the Pressroom or Table Mesa.

Have wanted to try this place for a while, so decided to go for lunch one day last week.  The decor, service, and ambience are top-notch, and the food was very good, if a little pricey.  We had the burger and a chicken salad, and both were quite yummy, though a little on the smallish side.  And if you get lonely at your table, or would just like an additional dining companion, the staff will slide a little green penguin up to join you at your table!  

Whether you go for lunch or dinner, make sure to allow time to walk around the entire 21C hotel lobby!  There are art exhibits of various media (paintings, electronic/projection, computer generated, sculptures) throughout the first floor.  Definitely worth a peek.

Given the positive reviews and word of mouth about the new restaurant at the 21c Hotel, I had high expectations when going to The Hive for brunch.  To be fair, The Hive only recently opened for brunch, but,  to me, brunch is often an indication of the success of a restaurant during their regular core business hours.  If a brunch is simply okay, chances are the restaurant overall is simply okay.  Why would a good restaurant risk its reputation with any sub-par moments of truth with their diners? Every moment counts.  

So here goes, the overall rating for brunch today: C minus.  And value? A solid D.  I will break the rating down into every part of the meal, so that you can understand the overall rating.

Brunch for two:

1. Host: Grade A.  Arriving at 11:30 AM, the staff was very gracious and immediately seated us.  The restaurant ambiance is eclectic and spacious, but do note that this not a place for private, romantic dinners.

2. The Menu: Grade C minus.  The current brunch menu is an incoherent amalgam of relatively few items--17 to be exact, of which 7 are categorized as entrees.  I observed diners looking at the front of the menu and then turning to the back of menu looking for more  options.  Additionally, the choices are remarkably unremarkable.  Do we want to offer more lunch or more breakfast items or neither?  Would you like Pea soup or a goat cheese salad with your pancake entree?  The Hive doesn't know what to offer, because they don't stand for anything yet.

3. Service: Grade B.  The entire staff is eager to please and were certainly a pleasant part of the meal.  At least six people approached us today seeking feedback, except the kitchen staff.  They WANT to help you, but there is only so much they can do, if the meal is so-so, and the kitchen is unaware of their food issues. The staff is friendly, yet slightly green, like the penguins.  

4. The meal:

a. Virgin Bloody Mary: Grade C-minus.  Have you ever had a SWEET Bloody Mary? Well, for me this was a first, and I was not thrilled with the taste.

b. Cappuccino: Grade B.  The coffee was fine.

c. Citrus and Berries with pecan crumbles and honey: Grade D.  A sad, undistinguished plate of ten small pieces of fruit and a forgettable presentation of crumbs.

d. Pancakes: Grade B-plus.  For this $13 entree, you receive two pancakes with a slightly crisp texture and thick (albeit globular) maple syrup.  The pancakes were quite good and served as the appetizer for the meal, as the fruit dish itself suffered (see c).

e. Frittata with chorizo and spinach: Grade D.  Expecting a moist, spicy or tangy dish,  I was very disappointed to receive a dull-tasting frittata that happened to be very dry--like NWA in August. The dish is small, so I encourage you to order sides, if you're a normal eater.

f. Bacon: Grade B.  Produced in house, the bacon was flavorful (again, very dry) and complemented the frittata well.

g. War Eagle Grits: Grade B.  These tasty, cheesy grits were the most substantial portion of the meal (and moist), and helped to complete the meal.  However, if you do not like grits, you can choose skillet potatoes, which I did not try.

h. Chocolate Custard Dessert: Grade C.  You would think by now that we would have been full, but I assure you, you will not feel that way as you proceed through the course of the meal.  With this dessert, we received four little refrigerated chocolate custard mounds the size of small marshmallows,  I'm sure a lot of effort went into creating this dish, as well as the others,  from scratch, but the dessert was unimaginative and punctuated the entire disillusionment with the restaurant.  

One hundred dollars later, I am disappointed to see another promising restaurant fail the standards of basic chain restaurants--reliability, menu options, and value (not cheap, just value commensurate to their pricing).  I WANT to support these local establishments, but I'm afraid this moment of truth has made me reluctant to return to The Hive for other meals.  Your moments of truth may vary.