Queen Bee Has Left The Hive

[mame11]

The awnings have been replaced on Queen Bee to read India Curry House. I don't know if Queen Bee has relocated but it is the end of an era. Perhaps the era ended long ago considering in the year and a half I have been in DC I have only eaten at Queen Bee a handful of times.

But, in 1990 I remember visiting friends in DC who took me out to Virginia to have Vietnamese food for the first time at Queen Bee. I think, but could be wrong, that Queen Bee was an important restaurant in the Vietnamese food world in America.

[Waitman]

Queen Bee was indeed the queen back when it opened -- back when the first great wave of Vietnamese restaurants broke across Northern Virginia in the late 70's and early 80's. It's been eclipsed, I think, for many years, but it offered the first taste of pho for many of us way back when.

[The Hersch]

Queen Bee was indeed the queen back when it opened -- back when the first great wave of Vietnamese restaurants broke across Northern Virginia in the late 70's and early 80's. It's been eclipsed, I think, for many years, but it offered the first taste of pho for many of us way back when.

I had the pleasure of carrying the US Mail in Clarendon back in the 70's...from late 74 till late 78, and witnessed the transformation of Clarendon into Little Saigon. It seemed to happen very suddenly, and I seem to recall it was concurrent with the demolition of the south side of Wilson Blvd. west of Highland St. for the Metro construction. Suddenly that whole row of buildings was gone, and everything on the other side of the street was Vietnamese except the Little Tavern. It was very, very cool.

[BookGuy]

I walked by yesterday and did indeed notice the Bee was gone. I had been there a few times over the years (I prefer Nam Viet a block away) and felt it was no better or no worse that the standard Vietnamese place. If you want a silly reason for not going back, it was because we felt that the wine prices were out of whack for a place like this. So it goes and it went!