Beijing Boyce

Last Friday ranks among those days that start with a wine tasting at 11 AM, when our taste buds are supposedly at their best, and end the next morning at 3 AM, when my wallet is definitely at its worst. Thank Buddha the list of such days is short. The itinerary, for no particular reason, in reverse order…

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Q Bar I met my buddy O-Zone four years ago in First Cafe, where two of Q Bar’s three owners - George and Echo - then worked. Thus, it is often the finishing point for our nights out. This time around it meant my first drink there since the price increases just before the Olympics: RMB60 for a martini straddles, if not crosses, the value line. O-Zone ordered a Gin Tonic, I has a Planter’s Punch, and the third co-owner, Ralph, gave us a try of his new dish - sausages and fries. Nice for Oktoberfest… -

Ichikura With the bar about half full - that would be six of the dozen or so seats - we got comfortably numb. I asked the bartender for an Alfonso Special. Never heard of it. I wrote down the recipe. He scrutinized it, then headed to the far end of the bar and alternated between scratching his head in thought and mixing the drink. The result: pretty tasty. As usual, he turned on the “beam to heaven” - the coaster-size light that shines up from beneath the bar’s transparent top and on which he places the cocktail glass for the pour. -

Aperitivo We snagged the last table on the deck and watched the crowd pass - pedestrian traffic continues to be heavy at night since the police started to bar vehicles from this street. By the way, while Aperitivo is known for wine, my buddy The Fish swears by the Margarita. -

Tun O-Zone and I decided to meet here. Free drinks for ladies from 9 PM to midnight - I wonder how other bars feel about that deal!? - brings in a good crowd though the music seemed a bit heavy for this sort of event. Anyway, I’m sticking with Tun as my “sleeper” pick. -

Sequoia Café The return of these Friday night wine tastings drew many regulars and quite a few newcomers. The theme: the Margaret River area in southwestern Australia. I wasn’t too keen on any of the five selections, but perhaps my taste buds were exhausted by two earlier tastings. In any case, it is good to have Fridays with Frank back, since I know of no other wine events that create this sense of community. -

Frantoi Celliti Drei Kronen 1308 I met fellow beverage researchers AU and GA to drink wine at 1949: The Hidden City and we decided to chase it down with food. We walked to Frantoi Celliti, the massive new and sparsely patronized Italian joint near Tun, and found it darkened at 5:15. Someone spotted our faces pressed against the glass, popped the door, and said 5:30 is the official opening, with 6:30 or 7 PM better for dinner. Hmmm…

We decided to eat at Drei Kronen 1308 instead. The deal: AU and GA would go first and I would catch up after heading home to drop off my laptop and pick up three “free beer” coupons I received at a Klubb Rouge event (same owner). Everything went to plan: I arrived, they already had mugs of beer and plates of sausages, and I gave the coupons to the waitress.

The bill seemed a bit heavy when it arrived. We soon discovered why: it was carrying the weight of those three beers. The explanation: we did not present the coupons upon arrival.

Did anyone mention that when I handed over the coupons? No. Does any such rule appear on the coupons? No. Does it make sense to create coupons to encourage people to come and then create a bad impression by not honoring them? No. After our firm suggestion that they reconsider the policy, a scrum of wait staff and management ensued and we found our bill reduced.

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1/5 Taverna About 70 wineries from the Golden State were on hand as the California Wine Institute organized a mid-afternoon tasting at 1949: The Hidden City. This one saw a mixed crowd of distributors, journalists, restaurateurs, and consumers spend two hours trying to visit all of those tables. Talk about California dreaming (the details).

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Green T. House I headed to this arty and austere downtown restaurant around 10 AM for a Wine Australia event. Before we sampled 13 wines from Down Under, including top-end selections from Penfolds and Henschke, we had a lesson about… tea. The reason? To link China and Australia by arguing the much-loved beverages of the two nations share everything from physical properties to traditions for enjoyment. In terms of marketing, call it sophistication meets warmth and fuzziness, and deserving of its own post. Coming Monday…