Beijing Boyce

… new lunch menu.

Any mention of this place (map) in Beijing brings giggles and jokes about mammary glands. Example: Who has the biggest breasts at Hooters? The chickens. (Yawn.) Frankly, I prefer to make fun of people who wear baseball caps backward or perch sunglasses on their heads while in a nightclub, both avoidable acts, but to each his or her own humor.

Anyway, I had not visited Hooters for over a year. But after being handed a flyer in front of China View, and finding myself famished, I stopped in for another look.

The 17-item lunch menu includes both Chinese and Western dishes, from a garden salad and corn soup combo for RMB22 to a Cajun chicken burger for RMB48 to Thai fried rice with salmon and soup for RMB32. And each includes a soda – we received free refills – with a coffee or tea an extra RMB10.

On my first stop, I tried the Buffalo chicken burger (RMB38), available at different levels of spiciness. The breaded patty, in a sesame seed-topped bun, was huge if a bit greasy and came with a side of curly fries. (If someone could take this bun and The Rickshaw (map) patty, we would have a perfect combo.) On my second stop, I tried the chili hot dog (RMB38) – the bun outsized the wiener but nonetheless had tasty toppings and, of course, it came with those curly fries.

Overall, I found the food decent value and the experience good, given that the waitresses are efficient, friendly and in most cases, speak above-average English. For those planning to make their first visit, know ahead of time that the staff wears short shorts and does dance routines that cover musical genres from hip hop to disco to country.

Also, this provides an alternative to The Den (map) next door, where I generally lunch when in the area. I like many dishes on The Den’s RMB45 lunch menu – the chef’s salad, for example, is a tasty affair of chicken, beef, ham, and mozzarella surrounding a mountain of lettuce, onions, black olives, and more, and comes with a soda or coffee. What is not so good is getting nickled and dimed (example: not being told that if I order a diet Coke instead of a Coke I have to pay more), having to pay for water, and so on.

Also, re Hooters:

- The two-for-one happy hour is from 3 PM to 6 PM, Monday to Friday, and this includes coffee.

- Wings are RMB1.99 from 6 PM to 9 PM on Wednesdays.

- And the place also retains one of the city’s odder Champagne deals. Buy a bottle of Dom Perignon and get ten wings for free.

The only thing I would change? I’m no fashion maven, but nylons with short shorts?

2:45 PM? Check. The Macarena? Check. Congo line? Check.