Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/555971
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF INTERCONTINENTAL BOSTON (SHRIMP); BY MONGIONE (HONEY) Oh, Honey! BOSTON RESTAURANTS ADD SOME BUZZ TO THEIR MENUS AND THE SUSTAINABILITY MOVEMENT WITH THEIR OWN BEEHIVES. BY JESSICA BOWNE It's a bird! It's a plane! Nah. It's just Noah Wilson-Rich, PhD, founder and chief scientific officer of t he South End – based Best Bees Company, buzzing around the city's luxury hotels—the Taj, the InterContinental, and Fairmont Copley Plaza, to name a few. Wilson-Rich and his staff build beehives by hand (and custom-paint them, too), then install them for clients. "Beehives are more productive and healthier at these urban hotels than outside the city," he says. (No one is sure why, but he lists fewer pesticides, city heat, and the quality of urban f lowers as possible explanations.) "This isn't just a fad. The bees are actually doing better with these hotels. This is a sustainabil- ity mission for these brands." This fall, Wilson-Rich and his hoteliers are harvesting a dark honey (it's lighter in the spring) produced from the wildf lowers, false chamo- mile, and Japanese bamboo that the bees have snacked on. Here are a few Boston hotels that are drizzling their dishes and cocktails with homegrown honey. INTERCONTINENTAL The InterContinental's dedication to honey starts with the name of its restaurant Miel Brasserie Provençal ("miel" is the French word for honey) and continues with its menu and its rooftop hives. The honey is harvested by Wilson-Rich and Executive Chef Didier Montarou, who infuses honey into the acacia honey sautéed shrimp salad, the charcuterie board, and the house-made honey-roasted granola parfait. "Honey is a natural product that is easy to cook well and easy to pair food and wine with," says Montarou. Miel even has a closed-circuit television that shows diners a live feed of the hives. 510 Atlantic Ave., 617-747-1000; intercontinentalboston.com TAJ BOSTON A grande dame of Newbury Street, the Taj started producing honey with just two hives and now has six in its rooftop garden, managed by Best Bees. In 2014 they produced 36 jars of honey, which were poured into cocktails and dishes at The Café, like the Bees Knees martini and the honey ricotta cheesecake. "Our chefs as well as our bartend- ers really enjoy coming up with new recipes utilizing the honey from our rooftop hives in desserts and specialty cocktails," says Thomas Santaniello, the hotel's director of food and beverage. "Having our own supply of fresh, natural honey provides a unique experience for our team as well as for our guests." 15 Arlington St., 617-536-5700; tajhotels.com FAIRMONT COPLEY PLAZA When you're sitting snug in a leather booth at Fairmont Copley Plaza's Oak Long Bar + Kitchen, it probably doesn't occur to you that there are three beehives nearby. The honey is used in the specialty butter (served with hearth-baked bread) and a honey-soaked cocktail. "Oak Long Bar + Kitchen is committed to be as sustain- able as possible," says Executive Chef Paul Scheff ler. "We shop local, use local vendors, and grow our own herbs on our roof, so keeping bees made a lot of sense to our operation. Plus, with the continued decline in bee population, our team in the restaurant and hotel wanted to try to help make a difference." 138 St. James Ave., 617-267-5300; fairmont.com SEAPORT HOTEL & WORLD TRADE CENTER Call them ocean-loving bees. The harborside Seaport Hotel has six hives, managed by Best Bees, containing more than 1 million bees. The honey is harvested a few times each year and used in dishes at the hotel's Tamo Bistro and Bar, like the spicy bourbon-glazed chicken wings and the steak tips with honey vinaigrette. 1 Seaport Lane, 617-385-4000; seaportboston.com BC Fresh honey is a boon to local diners—not to mention local bees. RIGHT: The acacia honey sautéed shrimp salad at the InterContinental. 84 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM TASTE Dine Around