Alice Eats: The Bee's Knees
82 Lower Main Street, Morrisville 888-7889
Ask anyone where to find good food in Morrisville and they will tell you The Bee's Knees is the place. When I spent this past Sunday in Hyde Park, I did consider heading to the Stonegrill Restaurant & Pub, (You cook your meat yourself! On a hot stone!) but was lured to the Bee's Knees by the siren song of chicken and goat cheese pot pie.
You heard me right. As if chicken pot pie weren't already luscious enough, chef Jeff Egan adds Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery chèvre to the already creamy sauce. I have salivated over that dish for years, and was not disappointed. I usually expect a conventional pie crust or puff pastry on my pot pies. This bowl of stew was topped with a buttery biscuit. Inside, free range Misty Knoll chicken practically melted, along with lightly tangy artichokes, which perfectly matched the character of the sauce. Caramelized onions and small leaves of fresh spinach gave the concoction further character, though it certainly didn't need more flavor.
The comfort food dishes at the Bee's Knees forgo traditional sides in favor of thick, but smooth Champlain Orchards apple sauce (A little too sweet for me. I prefer the company's unsweetened variety.) and a mixed green salad with hearty balsamic vinaigrette on the side. Drinks are grab-and-go from the fridge out front at the casual café. I paired my meal with carbonated watermelon and strawberry juice from a company called The Switch. It also went nicely with the Tex Mex chicken burrito, which had all the right flavors (and fresh corn and beans), just not enough of them.
On the way out, I picked up dessert from the counter of baked goods. There was a lovely-looking blueberry pie, but I grabbed a brownie and a day-old peppermint-chocolate muffin. The brownie was closer to fudge than cake — very dense and richly chocolaty, but also somewhat grainy. I think that if the muffin had not been stale, it would have been a revelation. Though it was dry enough to be difficult to eat, I couldn't stop myself from trying. The flavors of fresh, chopped mint and dark chocolate were addictive. I can't wait to try a fresh one!
Wow... I grew up near Morrisville in Waterville. I remember the town as being pretty empty except for a tiny pizzeria that had a Centipede arcade game (very exciting to a Luddistic rural farm rat like me), and an Ames store in an otherwise deserted little mini-plaza. Learning about The Bee's Knees makes me think the town is worth revisiting!
Posted by: Molly | July 13, 2010 at 02:12 PM
Alice-Glad you enjoyed your stop at The Bee's Knees. A correction, though: Jeff Egan hasn't been the chef here since last November. That Chicken Goat Cheese Pot Pie was created by Blair Marvin (past chef here who now owns Elmore Mountain Bread). Tom Cote is doing a fabulous job of running the kitchen now. - Sharon (owner, The Bee's Knees).
Posted by: Sharon Deitz | July 13, 2010 at 05:18 PM