Beasley’s Chicken and Honey, located at 237 South Wilmington Street in Raleigh is absolutely a perfect place for a plain Jane kind of girl like myself. If you are looking for simple, southern food with an edge… this is the place for you too.
With its urban atmosphere of high ceilings and exposed joists, an abundance of daylight from the many windows at the front of the restaurant, charming pie pans for plates, and mason jars for glasses, Beasley’s gives off an extremely relaxed vibe.
Beasley’s offers a minimum of four affordable Southern inspired staple entrees throughout the year, with other interesting specials offered almost daily such as “Fried Fish Friday” or today’s hickory smoked brisket with roasted tomato malt slaw and Yukon potato salad.
The four main entrees include quarter fried chicken, a fried chicken biscuit, fried chicken and waffles with honey, and chicken pot pie. All of their entrees have a deliciously unexpected twist.
I ordered the fried chicken biscuit and split a side of mac n’ cheese and chocolate bourbon pecan pie with my mom while my dad got the chicken pot pie.
Gift. From. The. Gods.
The deliciously warm and doughy biscuit (though it is not like a classic Bojangles’ type of biscuit…) was spread with a sweet honey dijon sauce, topped with a hunking, salty, crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside piece of boneless chicken and garnished with perfectly pickled green tomatoes.
The pickled green tomatoes in contrast with the salty chicken was a perfect and original touch. They tasted almost like a sour candy and the tartness was so refreshing!
The macaroni and cheese was different from any other I’ve had. It was baked in a casserole dish so it was in solid form. The aged cheddar and unconventional bits of pimento in the side item made for a flavorful and explosive eruption on the taste buds.
Ingrid Carney, a 50-something mother of moi and difficult to please food critic said, “I did not want to come here. I was not expecting this at all but I am so pleasantly surprised. We have to take your brother here when he comes back to town. I can’t wait to come back.”
My dad got the chicken pot pie and I got to taste it. I never knew that anything could compare to the amazing Marie Colander chicken pot pies that my mom used to heat up for me as a kid when she was short on time.
Beasley’s original take on the chicken pot pie was in a soup bowl instead of a typical tin. The stew of the pie was made of the same ingredients of your average pot pie. However, it had more gravy than I’m used to and had an unexpected sweetness to it. Honey, maybe? A floating crust was on top of the pie instead of holding the entire thing inside of it. It was so light and crispy and I cannot wait to order it the next time I go.
Last but not least was a rich chocolate bourbon pecan pie. Three of my favorite things in the world in one pie?! I’LL TAKE IT.
Beasley’s used whole pecan halves instead of chopping them up which was a plus. They didn’t drown the pecans in chocolate (another positive). It was perfectly nutty with just a hint of chocolate and it went so well together with the buttery crust. It was such a great treat after all of that southern goodness, however I feel as though the pie could have used a little more bourbon. That could just be the Irish drinker in me though. The warm piece of pie was cooled down with a heaping scoop of vanilla ice cream. All together it was a spectacular end to a fabulous meal.
All in all, my experience at Beasley’s Chicken and Honey was a great one. The service was fast and fine but the food was even finer. I definitely recommend it to anybody who is hungry in the downtown Raleigh area.
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