Beijing Boyce

Frank Siegel poured five “new world” sparkling wines at his last Friday night tasting and I popped in to give them a try. While 15 people signed up for the event, some 30-plus came through the doors, which is good in terms of showing that event’s popularity, but can make it tough for the organizers in terms of knowing how much wine and food to prepare (to get on Frank’s sign-up list, email him at frank.siegel@gmail.com).

Luckily, Frank is no fan of effervescence, so his share could be donated to the collective good. Here’s how the bubbles came up for me, ranked from first to fifth…

Miguel Torres Pinot Noir Bruite (Chile): It smelled toasty, and slightly of yeast and nuts. It was tart - sour apple - and I could imagine getting a stomachache after a few glasses of this (fifth place).

Norton Cosecha Especial Extra Dry (Argentina): The nose is light and peachy, with a faint toastiness. I found it bit rough going down. “I’m not enjoying number two” say my notes which kind of says it all (fourth place).

Redbank - Emily, Pinot Noir Chardonnay (Australia): Very little nose; some toast and slight nuttiness; nice creamy bubbles and a light apple and citrus taste; this one I liked (first place).

Bridgewater Mill Brut (Australia): Some petrol and toast on the nose; a bit tart, not as smooth as number 3 (third place).

Chateua Ste. Michelle Brut (Washington State): Dry, reliable, I can live with it, though it does seem to be missing some oomph (second place).

We also tried two Hungarian wines from the previous week’s tasting. My notetaking is a bit spotty, but I can say that both were tasty and a fitting finale to a fun night.

I hoped to be in Shanghai tonight for the International Wine Challenge. Instead, I was in the office - as an atypically blue Beijing sky darkened to black - facing a question that someone somewhere must find more fascinating than which of six Bordeaux is best.

Who delivers hotdogs in our area?

I’m working on a publication, see, and needed a photo of a hotdog - it’s totally legit, none of this pay-site stuff. Just a standard wiener and bun, with a well-placed squirt of ketchup on top… a frank, a red hot, a weenie… what H.L. Mencken called “a cartridge filled with the sweepings of abattoirs.”

It sounded easy enough. (Plus, it gave people a chance to make the obligatory Maggie’s joke - hey, that place does have a fantastic hotdog cart out front.)

I headed to our building’s lobby, where Starbuck’s used to sell a hotdog-like product - maeyo! - but now has horribly dry 18-kuai tuna fish sandwiches and good but pricey 28-kuai chicken Focaccia. The mom-and-pop shop down the hall had a stock of pre-made burgers - with what I’d guess is a 5,000-year-old shelf life - but nothing tubular.

It was time to head upstairs and get out the heavy artillery - our office’s ammo dump of take-out menus. Tim’s Texas BBQ - they have the sausage, they have not the wiener. Steak & Eggs - it’s a dog-less home. [Ed: Wait, they have a JUMBO hotdog but we needed a regular weenie.] Sequoia Cafe - not even a bone. Chimo Cafe - grrr!

Finally, we hit pay dirt, so to speak. Grandma’s Kitchen - the place had dogs. And, in hindsight, why wouldn’t it? After all, they’re Grandpa’s best friends.

We ordered two - one for the lead role, one as understudy. With the total bill below the 50-kuai minimum order, we tacked on a four-cheese pizza. In less than an hour, one happy hotdog was getting its 15 minutes of fame - posing, preening, and showing off its carefully applied ketchup squirt.

Every dog has its day, as they say, and this one surely did. But with the shoot over, and with a little more ketchup, we then had our dogs.