Beijing Boyce

(To vote, go here and click the “plus” sign.)

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What would Yan do? Vote for this blog, of course!

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Being able to subsist on instant noodles, tea eggs, and draft beer, I don’t ask much, but would appreciate your vote in the China Blog Awards being held by Chinalyst. Last year, I pulled off a surprise win due to the support of readers and of Yan Xishan, the warlord who apparently blogs to us from 1941 via a Shanxi supercomputer and is backed by a “Juicy Pants Army” (hey, I don’t make this stuff up – it’s an actual blog).

This year’s awards have kicked off. Yan is again backing me and I hope you will, too. To vote, go here and click the “plus” sign. Also much obliged to those who vote for sibling site Grape Wall of China here.

Note: Unlike last year, I’m not going to point out that those who do not vote for me will be cursed by a lifetime of horrific luck followed by an eternity in that hell where you eat nothing but cardboard-stuffed steamed buns, drink fake booze distilled from window cleaner, and listen to the sweet music of a thousand expectorating taxi drivers 24/7. Because I’ve become a better person.

Several dinners with wine bigwigs on the schedule this coming week, including with Australian wine critic Jeremy Oliver, Spy Valley GM Blair Gibbs, Champagne maker Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, and Pio Ceesare’s Cesare Benvenuto. Details below (for the longer-term view, check this events page. It is always best to confirm details with the organizer.)

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Monday, December 8, 7 PM, Bei (Opposite House), RMB1398 +15%
A night with Australian wine critic Jeremy Oliver; eight-course dinner including demonstration of pairing wines and North Asian flavors; wines from The Wine Republic; RSVP at info@beirestaurant.com / 6410-5230

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Monday, December 8, 7 PM, Pinot (JW Marriott), RMB350
Spy Valley wine dinner, with winery GM Blair Gibbs; five-course dinner with four wines from Watson’s; RSVP with Lily Li at lilyli@asw.com.hk / 6588-9229, x801.

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Thursday, December 11, 7-8.30 PM, Amigo (Central Park), free
Petit Bordeaux wine tasting; buy two, get one free promotion during event; to RSVP, visit www.topcellar.com.cn, email to marketing@topcellar.com.cn, or call 13691-079-531.

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Thursday, December 11, 7 PM, Chynna Restaurant (Hilton Wangfujing), RMB628
Taittinger Champagne dinner, with owner Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger matching wine and Chinese food; by Torres China; RSVP with Sophie Sun at sophie@torres.com.cn / 5165-5519, x208.

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Saturday, December 13, 7 PM, St.Regis Hotel, RMB888
Pio Cesare Italian wine dinner, with the winery’s Cesare Benvenuto presenting Barolo and Barbaresco; by Torres China; RSVP with Sophie Sun at sophie@torres.com.cn / 5165-5519, x208.

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Wednesday, December 17, 6:30 PM Grand Millennium Hotel, RMB350
Chateau Ste. Michelle wine dinner, with ASC; RSVP with Helen Lu at eventsbj@asc-wines.com or 6587-3803.

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December, 7 PM, Aria (China World Hotel), RMB1388
World Series of Wine: Hidden Gems, with Summergate; RSVP with Danny Kane at danny.kane@shangri-la.com / 6505-2266, x36.

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January, 7 PM, Aria (China World Hotel), RMB4888
World Series of Wine: The Ultimate Dinner – The Judgement of Aria, with Summergate; RSVP with Danny Kane at danny.kane@shangri-la.com / 6505-2266, x36.

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If you intend to attend any of the above events, it is best to confirm the details with the venue ahead of time. To get a wine event listed, send event info to beijingboyce@yahoo.com.

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Note: If you like this blog, please vote for it in the China Blog awards. Just go here and click the “plus” sign. Also much obliged if you vote for sibling site Grape Wall of China here.

Nearly a week of healthier living built up pressure that could only be released with a pizza and burger binge, so I have been hitting some oldies but goodies in my Sanlitun / Workers Stadium neighborhood. I justify it as bulking up for the winter. A quick wrap:

Luga’s Villa: The tasty potato wedges save the day for the Mexican burger (RMB40), which I found a bit dry, so I recommend instead the fajitas (RMB40-RMB60), particularly the beef, as the serving size is huge, the ingredients fresh, and the wraps nice and warm in a basket. Good times if you get one of the comfy booths.

The Rickshaw: I’m a long-time fan of the medium wings, a newer one of the Oz burger (the ingredients include beetroot, pineapple, and egg), but went hybrid with the Buffalo burger (RMB40). It’s basically a chicken burger with medium wing sauce – the patty is a generous size and comes with a side of fries. By the way, this place is getting a good range of craft beers.

The Den happy hour: Carb-loading from 5-10 PM.

The Den: It still offers one of the best happy hours in town – 5 to 10 PM daily – as well as an efficient staff. I went last night with a friend and we had two tasty pizzas, two colas, and a basket of fries for RMB92. (For late-night eating, The Den deep-fried combo is hard to beat.)

TUN: A mini-burger is RMB10 to RMB12 and fries are something like RMB15 or RMB20. Given this, you can save a wad of cash – and buy another couple of beers – if you order the combo special. That gets you five burgers and fries for RMB40. By the way, wouldn’t the Beijing vibe at TUN go up a few notches if it had a few yangrou chuar sellers out front? (And yes, I realize this place is not an “oldie”).

Other options as the binge continues…

Second Floor: An unpretentious bar, with reasonably priced drinks, which gets pizza delivered from The Tree.

Kro’s Nest: I’m about due for a We Hate Tuesdays (first two kegs of beer free, then RMB5 pints) or Thirsty Thursdays (five craft beers for RMB80) visit.

Blue Frog: I’m also due to finally try Burger, Burger, the two-for-one burger deal every Monday.

Kiosk: Big bite burger!

The yet-to-be-named Saddle: This is slated to soon open on the south side of Nali and give patrons the option of picking their burrito wraps and ingredients, Subway sandwich style. Fingers crossed that they can do something close to a Taco Bell seven-layer burrito.

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Note: If you like this blog, please vote for it in the China Blog awards. Just go here and click the “plus” sign. Also much obliged if you vote for sibling site Grape Wall of China here.