BBQ — The Hive way
In the dog days of a Southern summer, few things speak to the soul the way traditional Southern food does. The food that families gather for, that transports adults back to simpler childhood days and the food that a whole culture and way of life have built up around. Those special dishes are what you’ll find at The Hive’s next Fork + Bottle meal.
“I think a lot of these foods, they do not evolve or change much from generation to generation,” head chef Matthew McClure says of traditional favorites like barbecue burnt ends, fried okra or funnel cake. “You know, I’ll probably try to be smoking chicken like my dad did when I get older and cooking up some of these same kinds of dishes — trying to recreate that childhood experience.”
With McClure — now a five-time James Beard Award semifinalist — at the helm, The Hive restaurant inside 21c Museum Hotel is a jewel in the Bentonville food scene and already known for its refined country cooking. The Fork + Bottle series, McClure explains, is a way for the restaurant to offer guests something a little different about every other month. An Irish feast for St. Patrick’s Day, celebrating Bourbon Heritage Month in September and Indulgence in December as examples — McClure says the series has landed on the themes that seem to work really well, but he’s keeping each menu fresh and “pleasantly surprising.”
Photo courtesy: 21c Museum Hotels
Each Fork + Bottle series dinner involves a bottle pairing, which varies from wine to beer to spirits. Chef Matthew McClure’s Americana-inspired barbecue dinner on July 19 pairs with spirits and cocktails from Kansas City whiskey house J. Rieger & Co.
“We’re kind of forcing ourselves to try to do more research and really try to come to the table with more unique offerings and not just a copy and paste from the last year’s menu,” he shares. “This is kind of an opportunity for us to show that we have a lot of talent in the kitchen and we’re able to flex those muscles a little bit.”
— Jocelyn Murphy
jmurphy@nwadg.com
