I'm no Jenny from the Block (Party) Association and I've only been a staple in the area for a week (cumulative) but I'm here to tell you this is a place worth going to. Yes, it's expensive. I'm from Texas. Every place I go in Manhattan is expensive. That's a given. The question is...will you talk about the food when you tell your friends about the place next month. Yes ma'am, I will. In part because of the food (see below) but in large part to the outstanding, friendly service. Tip of the cowboy hat to Cowen W. He served us professionally and tolerated me. Fun dude. Guys, don't be put off by the drink called the Ginger Rogers Sour-something. Just rename it Fred Astaire's Magic Dance Potion and order it. Wait. What? The bourbon, fresh ginger juice and honey (select list of ingredients) help out with what's coming next. The Smashed Green Papaya Salad is delicious and has a nice spicy kick to it. Then the Betel Leaf of Poached Shrimp comes along and says..."you thought that was spicy?" Whoa. After my tongue whimpered and went to sleep, I felt the stingy goodness working it's way down until what seemed like my stomach. Hoping that's the end of it. Won't update the review either way. Next up was the Steamed Sesame and Pork Dumplings. Not spicy, just tasty and good. Also did the lamb chops and were glad we did. For large plates we had the Green Curry of Market Vegetables. If that's how all vegetables tasted, I'd seriously give that vegan thing a try. That's a lie. But they were really good. Finally, we split the Coconut Braised Beef Short Rib. After the first bite, I told my dining colleagues to leave me alone for the next 10 minutes--I was going to a happy place with this tender meat, flavorful broth and sweet rice delight and I didn't want to be disturbed. It was then that the Donna Summer song came on and things got emotional. I blame it on the Ginger Rogers. Last but not least, their one and only dessert item. A better Yelper would have remembered more details, but it was a beautifully prepared mix of something banana, tapioca, crunchy goodness and blow-torch toasted meringue. Not short-rib-leave-me-alone level...but a damn fine dessert. Here's the part where I guess I say I wish it were less expensive. Not at the risk of it being less good or Cowan making less money. If you have an issue with a $200 bill for all the food listed above (plus 3 drinks), then there are probably places better suited for you. Or, just go and get the coconut short-rib. OMG. Hope this place sticks around as we will be hitting it up regularly on our trips to NYC.

The Lucky Bee has the most fun vibe of any restaurant I've been to in awhile. I felt happy and relaxed the minute I stepped in to this tropical paradise aglow in pink light. Then came our fruity, tangy, spicy or sweet cocktails - if you really want to feel like you're on a Caribbean island order the one that comes in a young coconut (see picture). After you finish drinking they will crack the whole coconut open for you to devour the soft flesh inside. Brilliant. It also doesn't hurt that the servers are all hip, cool, friendly, and quite attractive. Yeah, I said it. We definitely didn't mind chatting in between courses with our awesome Australian waiter! Oh, but the food! Even with the vibe and the drinks and the service, it's the food that was the most mind blowing. We had one vegetarian friend in our party so we mostly stuck to those options - the tuna poke (a special of the night), cucumber salad and main dish of green curry with market veggies were all fantastic. The green curry had such a great spicy kick to it! For us meat lovers, we also sampled the outstanding dumplings (seriously, don't pass these up) and the even more amazing short ribs in a coconut sauce. I mean, I am already dreaming of returning so yeah, The Lucky Bee is a new NYC favorite.

Delicious food. Fun atmosphere. Food: Crab meat in betel leaf - must get Papaya salad - didn't like the green beans Chicken wings - delicious Oysters good - ok; what is up with the cilantro sauce Beef curry - delicious Fried whole fish - delicious

One word: creative Inside is nicely decorated with the color pink everywhere. Arrived to the place around 12ish therefore wasn't able to try their food (kitchen closes at 11:30). However, we did have some drinks. Bartender was a bit slow at making drinks (it wasn't busy as it was almost closing time) but at least we enjoyed them :) Will return just to explore the food menu.

Love the decor, the ambiance, and most importantly, the food!!! The vibrant colors and style at this restaurant really do brighten up your mood :) Teal and hot pink all the way! Their attention to detail is clear, you'll find their little bee logo in a lot of places including on their plates. Super trendy, great place for a date! I was a little skeptical about this place at first since it's another asian fusion place that's gotten a lot of press/hype lately, but I was pleasantly surprised. Even though there were no online reservations available, when I got there at 7pm on a Friday, it was relatively empty so I wouldn't worry too much about that. Here's what we ordered: Twice cooked pork hock bao bun (cucumber, chili relish, hoisin) $14 Yum, pretty original as the pork here is twice cooked and crispy (instead of the usual soft pork belly). The cucumbers and chili relish really brighten up the dish with sour notes and crunchy texture. Comes in twos! Betel leaf of crab meat (peanut and chili paste, cilantro, kaffir lime) $15 I've never had betel leaf before but it was a pretty good vessel for the crab meat and everything that came with it! The plate had 4 delicious leaves; these were also a great dish where the sweet/sour/savory notes were balanced wonderfully. Peanuts/Lime/Chili paste give it a nice aroma . You could probably eat a bunch of these and never get sick of them :). Khao Soi Curry of organic chicken (egg noodles, house chili oil) I can't remember how much this dish was, but this was really good! This is more of a sweeter curry, so don't order this if you don't like that. There's lots of chicken pieces in the noodles, plus a large drumstick on top. The egg noodles do get a little too heavy once you really dig into this dish, so share with your friends! Whole fried fish (szechuan salt & pepper, soy, lime) $38 AHHHHHHHHH my favorite dish of the night!!! I seriously would come back to The Lucky Bee just to eat this whole fish again. It comes whole, except they already cut off and deep fried individual pieces of the fish meat for you and they all sit on top of a curled up deep fried fish bone. I kind of wish they deep fried it more so you can eat the fish bone like chips, but it wasn't crisped enough yet! The fish meat seriously tasted like tofu with a crispy shell, and if you read my other reviews, you know I love anything that's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside :) Comes with a dipping sauce but you don't really need it since it's already crusted with salt and pepper. Do remember to squeeze that lime on it though! It comes out piping hot too!!! A++++++ Food was delicious, but the service really does need a little help. I feel like they all mean well, but I wish they were a little more attentive. Service was pretty slow, including the hosts in the front who didn't really notice I was behind them for a while (they were standing with their backs facing the entrance discussing something) until another server called out their name. I was seated at the bar while I waited for my friend - the bartenders were all really nice and friendly btw - but when my friend arrived, it took another few minutes to get us seated and get our orders placed in even though the restaurant was half empty. I would seriously come back just for the fish though... ;)