Beijing Boyce

Fill this under “painful landings.”

The Saddle, which spun off Cox and The Rickshaw, held a raucous closing party last Friday - the landlord wanted more rent and the economics of the business no longer made sense, went the thinking.

The party marked the final day of the popular Margarita and burrito spot. Or did it?

According to management, ever-popular manager Luga, who split time between Saddle and The Rickshaw, informed them that he negotiated with the landlord on the side and is taking over the spot. Again, according to management, Luga plans to do burritos - he has poached The Saddle cook - and signed a lease for lower rent.

Ouch.

Expect to hear more on this one…

Add The Junction on 6 to the rather short list of good cocktail bars in our city. The Mojito, the Hemingway and the Long Island Sunset I sampled with Special K - who gets a major hat tip for insisting I try this place - were superb. I haven’t been this excited about a bar since Chad Lager at The Rickshaw hustled me off to Ichikura.Junction 6 is a homey spot in that “we keep the freezer in plain view of patrons” kind of way: it offers minimal decorations, a simple bar, basic but comfortable tables and chairs, Cuban videos (with Chinese subtitles) on a flat-panel screen and, of course, the drinks. It won’t win any design awards, but I’ll take excellent cocktails over fancy decor any night of the week.

“I make the best Mojitos in China,” says co-owner and bartender Alberto Gil Heller.

No sugar rushes here. The Mojitos (35 kuai) are well-balanced, refreshing and perfectly minty, and come with a kitschy stir stick. This is a place I need to bring Agent Red Wolf.

The Hemingway - which includes rum, cherry liqueur, grapefruit juice and lime juice - is a beautiful marriage of ingredients, though a bit sweet for my tastes, thus making one enough.

We finished off with a Long Island Sunset, recommended by Alberto after a request for something drier. This drink is delicious (hints of cranberry and what he later told us was Whisky), a tad astringent and - be forewarned - deceptively strong. This is a cocktail to take your time with.

Junction also offers a range of spirits as well as foreign beers (Becks, Bud et al) at 30 kuai a pop, while the Qingdao is 20. The pizzas are ideal filler, and best eaten before you start on the cocktails.

Efficient service, great drinks and a bartender who cares about his craft - just what we need more of in this town.

The Junction on 6 is in building 6 in the Moma apartment complex. If you come through the main gate, you will find it to the left and toward the back. Look for a neon “cocktail” sign.

TRIO opened in May of 2006 and included: a reincarnation of the city’s oldest non-hotel bar, Frank’s Place, at ground level; a seventy-seat New York grill and piano bar, Park Grill, up top; and the high-end wine-centric The Cellar in, no surprise, the basement.

Frank’s Place has done well, particularly with the improvements made to the deck since opening day, but both The Park Grill and The Cellar have struggled. TRIO management reports the latter has been rented to a Korean company that operates eight wine bars in Seoul under the brand Le Cave. Look for a similar deal in respect to The Park Grill.

“The result is not that different from the original concept,” says one investor. “We’ve just teamed up with strategic partners.”

What it means is that the TRIO management can focus on its bread and butter - Frank’s Place - while its new partners can provide added marketing and sales power. This might end up being one of those win-win-win situations.

Also see Frank’s 1.2