Festivities for NYC Pollinator Week kicked off last night with the Beekeepers Ball at the South Street Seaport/Water Taxi Beach, where guests dressed as bees and beekeepers sipped honey mead. NYC Pollinator Week, taking place now through June 28, is a celebration of local honey and the bees who produce it, and also serves as a rallying cry to legalize beekeeping in the five boroughs.

The Feed buzzed around, sampling honey-infused fare—a burger served on a honey-glazed doughnut, honey beer floats and People’s Pops strawberry-rhubarb-honey Popsicles (our favorite honey combo of the night). But you don’t have to don a yellow-striped cardigan or even a pair of wire wings to get in on the sweet action. Restaurants around town will be featuring honey-inspired dishes throughout NYC Pollinator Week. Read on for recommendations…

Chef-owner Jacques Gautier of Palo Santo will be dressing greens grown on his restaurant’s rooftop in vinaigrette with honey from Paul and Barb Ballard, beekeepers in Roxbury, New York. Meanwhile, John Tucker, the owner of Rosewater, has started some hives of his own; he’ll be featuring an appetizer of fried goat cheese with Black Mission figs and prosciutto, a lightly smoked duck breast in jasmine-honey glaze entrée and a honey funnel cake for dessert.

In Manhattan, Txikito’s chef Alex Raij will be serving intxaur pastela, a Basque honey walnut tart with frozen honey yogurt. Over at Redhead, the chefs are loyal to honey sourced from Andrew’s Local at the Union Square Greenmarket and Tremblay Apiaries in Van Etten, New York.  They’ll incorporate honey in gin and vodka cocktails, and plan to “play around” to show how honey can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. Head over to Jimmy’s No. 43 for walnuts toasted with local honey, bee pollen and sea salt—a perfect bar snack to accompany Long Island Meadery and Manhattan Meadery’s mead by the glass. Make yourself a busy bee and check out Just Food’s full list of participating restaurants and Councilman David Yassky’s bill to get the honey flowing from the rooftops of the city.—Jeanne Hodesh