Beijing Boyce

I popped into Union Bar & Grille last Tuesday to meet Cale Jackson, who consults on this place as well as restaurants in Hong Kong and Taipei, who recently told me that Union finally has a gas hookup and thus the full menu – including one-pound rib-eye steaks – is available, and who first got me into martinis many moons ago when he owned a bar called Buca Buca (I’m not sure if I should thank or blame him). I played guinea pig and sampled some food as well as three wines brought in by an outfit called Golden Gate. But first, two other items:

1. I tend to think of Union as a restaurant, but this place has a splendid U-shaped bar with excellent post-work potential. There is plenty of space, a layout that lets you check out fellow patrons, and trays of candles anchored above that provide a soothing atmosphere no doubt made better by a daily two-for-one happy hour from 6 to 10 PM. Drinks include Cosmos, Mojitos, and Strawberry Daiquiris (RMB42-50), beers ranging from Heineken (RMB35) to Brooklyn Lager (RMB60), and three choices of wine (RMB48-60). I have yet to try the cocktails, but will do so soon.

2. This place also has a brunch menu, with more than a dozen items, from your standard two eggs, hash browns, toast, and meat combo at RMB45 to eggs benedict with hash browns and toast at RMB58. A cup of coffee is RMB20 and, says Jackson, is bottomless.

Back to the wine: There are ten by the glass and 30 by the bottle, organized from light to full bodied and ranging in price from RMB172 to RMB750 per bottle. I tried three of the lower-end wines and found them passable, with the Painter Bridge Chardonnay 2006 being best of the trio (RMB48 per glass).

I wrongheadedly ate half a pie from Pizza Buona shortly before going to Union – if you order, get the large pepperoni - and thus did minimal nibbling. I found the steak juicy and tender, though that one-pounder will set you back RMB308, with a side of tasty baby potatoes and other veggies, but the highlight were the creamy (with a hint of tang) scalloped potatoes (RMB20), a dish we need more of in this town. I could see myself getting a couple of orders of these and washing them down with a glass of vino.

By the way, I tried the burger on a previous visit, and it ranks among the best in town, though it is pricey at RMB86 (that included a dreaded 15 percent service fee).

In any case, I will have soon have more on the drinks at this place.

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A day earlier, I popped into Blue Frog for my third (fourth?) try at the RMB50 lunch special. I had wanted lasagna, but it wasn’t ready, so I settled on a sandwich and beef soup. As with other visits, I found the meal a bit light, with the value coming from the refill on the coffee. For burger fans, Blue Frog still has them two-for-one on Mondays and continues with its RMB25 cocktails on Tuesdays. New manager Lee is a friendly soul – he told me if I wanted lasagna, I could get into the kitchen and make it myself, and thus showed an openness to allowing patrons to see the inner workings of the Blue Frog. All kidding aside, he circulated regularly to make sure we were well cared for.

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Finally, I wrote yesterday about The Stumble Inn, which has taken over the Sangria space on Lucky Street. The opening party is now set for Friday, January 16, at 7 PM and will feature free food and drink from 8 PM to 10 PM. Owner Shane O’Neill describes itself as a “pub and game house” and states it will “stay open until the last person leaves.”

Remember when the original Saddle opened and people were happy to have hefty late-night burritos with which to settle their booze-filled tummies? Then the owners started The Rickshaw a stone’s throw away, and then a manager there left on dodgy terms, took over the Saddle and turned it into Luga’s, and then The Rickshaw guys opened The Saddle Cantina not a hundred meters away from that old Saddle, and then the Luga’s guy opened Luga’s Villa about as close? Suddenly we had quite a few places serving up Tex-Mex in a very small area. And now there is another: Side Saddle, a spin-off of The Saddle Cantina and a hop, skip, and jump from it on the south side of New Nali Studio.

As noted here, this is a “do-it-yourself” joint. You simply go the counter and point at the items you want – Subway sandwich style. I dropped by late last night and got one a burrito loaded with pork topped with refried beans and rice, topped with nacho sauce and jalapeno sauce, topped with sliced jalapenos, salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

Tasty. Filling. RMB40.

(One suggestion: Label the sauces et al so patrons can decide what they want without having to ask “and what’s that one?” a dozen times.)

Given the limited seating, this isn’t really a place to stick around and have a few drinks, though a deck out front will be able to hold a dozen or more people when the weather improves. But for a late-night bite, this ranks among the better options out there and the manager – Luis, formerly of El Fognicito – is very friendly.