Beijing Boyce

With a name sure to inspire either fashion shows or spouse-swapping parties, Shunyi’s newest drinking hole The Green Cap Bar quietly opened last weekend. Headed by former Pomegranate manager Pat Walsh, this place is cozy enough with its plank floors and faux fireplace, and includes  two screens for sports fans and seating at a small bar, at several high tables, and on two sofas. The menu includes pub grub like hot dogs and BLTs, though a more savory bread might work better, and Guinness and Carlsberg on tap. The deck overlooks the pond at Western Beijing Academy and in nice weather will be a nice place to chill out, peruse the bar’s collection of Swinger magazines, and enjoy a beverage. Walsh says he will have a formal launch party after Halloween.

Baba ganoush meets books as second-floor Tongli Studio restaurant Biteapitta now has two-shelves of Hebrew paperbacks.

Last Thursday, I attended an American Airlines event at Switch, in the old Super Ganbei space in 798, and finally got a look at this new venture by catering outfit Culinary Capers. The event saw visiting chef Sam Choy and Culinary Capers’ Billy Kawaja each cook two dishes, with attendees either watching at the open kitchen or on screens in the main area. (Switch held a team-building event for 50 executives the night before and an Australian Football League party the night before that, thus showing the quick turnaround time possible.) Two items stood out: 1) the tender lamb and 2) an appetizer Culinary Capers’ Debra Lykmarke described as a “crepe purse” — it is a small crepe folded, stuffed with four kinds of mushrooms, and tied at the top with chive. I wonder would happen if you filled these things with melted Snickers bars…

Soon he'll be pretty in pink.

The facade of Kro’s Nest at Workers Stadium is covered with tarps, the sign on that facade is gone. Though a visit this weekend found it business as usual inside, word is the change outside stems from a dispute over the pizzeria’s name which in turn stems from this dispute between former collaborators Yuan former and Olaf Kristoffer “Kro” Bauer that saw the latter forced out. Bauer is expected to soon open his own restaurant in the Lido area and says he plans to use the Kro’s Nest name. As to what happens at Workers Stadium, I only hope the next sign I see does not say Origus. [Update: SleeplessinBJ has reported on Twitter that the sign says Tube Station Pizza, that being the sibling chain of Kro's Nest. I'll try to stop by this afternoon and get some pics....]

Lee Mitchell, known for his work at Blue Frog, Parkside, Luga’s, and now The Stumble Inn, has taken over as head mason at Shuangjing bar The Brick. So far, the decor and the availability of Pabst Blue Ribbon king cans remain unchanged, though Mitchell says he plans to revamp the food menu: He’ll keep some items, including the donkey meat pizza, and add others, with bacon nachos already making an appearance. He has also created The Dude list to provide more White Rusian options, including a version with ice cream, for the Big Lebowski night each Tuesday.

Those who like to collect glassware in the shape of historical figures will be happy to know that Fubar, after selling some 3,000 of its white Buddha glasses, is ordering some pink and gold versions. The glasses come filled with booze and cost RMB100. It’s not something I’d want around the house–frankly, there’s only room for one chubby pasty white guy–but they seem popular with many customers. Look for the new glasses to show up in about a month’s time.

With The Brick and Bang! Bang! Pizza within walking distance of each other, another decent drinking hole or two would provide Shuangjing with some pub crawl potential. It looks like it might happen as soon as next month.

Fubar co-owner Chad Lager is part of a team that plans to open a bar called Grinders in late November just down from The Brick. Lager says the place will serve, well, “grinders”, also known as hoagies or submarine sandwiches. On the beverage side, the plan is to offer highballs (think Cuba Libre, Moscow Mule, and Tequila Sunrise), craft beers, a wide selection of wine, and quality coffee.

The team will include Lager and brother-in-law Trevor Metz as well as spouses Fiona Liu (previously at Aperitivo and The Rickshaw) and Jing Liu (previously at Kerry Centre). They happen to be sisters and if this isn’t the perfect setting for a reality TV show, I don’t know what is.

Lager adds that he intends to install a stripper pole. “I personally will perform once a week,” he says. “You touch, you pay.” I’m pretty sure he was joking…

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The city’s ongoing salute to names with exclamation marks continued on Saturday night as Bang! Bang! opened on the first floor of Hopson International Park in Shaungjing. The place is both pizzeria and pub, with more than a dozen seats at the bar, several high tables, a loft with three lounge areas that offer views of the main floor, and colorful art. The backers include Robin Howlett, best known as the former manager of Souk. Bang! Bang! should get a warm welcome from those Shuangjing residents who feel their part of town is under-served when it comes to Western bars and restaurants.

I tried five different kinds of pizza during the opening party and will simply say they were “tasty“, especially the one with pepperoni and the one with feta cheese. I am being general since any nuanced judgments were made impossible after an earlier visit to the home of Mr Hao and Ms Hao resulted in the consumption of a bottle of Pinotage, super-sized Manhattans with the alcohol level set to stun, and an episode of Glee. I don’t know how anyone’s brain could function after that. And it didn’t help that the fourteen ingredients in Howlett’s special Sangria at the opening party included vodka, though the food, drink, and general vibe did mean I awoke the next morning with warm if fuzzy memories.

I’m back for more soon.

(Photo: Mr Hao)

Refresh!, the new cafe in the old Tous Les Jours space in China View, has a superb deal until the end of this month.

All wraps, sandwiches, and salads are RMB20 (regular prices start from RMB25) and come with a free coffee or tea (regular prices start from RMB15). Yesterday I tried the Mexican wrap (tasty), Indo wrap (the peanut  sauce didn’t work for me), Mozzacado sandwich (my second favorite item–I liked the mix of Mozzarella, avocado, and bacon), and Caesar salad (fresh ingredients though I didn’t like the dressing). Two acquaintances gave thumbs ups to the Thai wrap and tuna wrap.

The packaging is done well, the coffee–other places, please take note–comes in a thin-lipped cup so you don’t end up dribbling it all over like a two-year-old, the place is pleasantly bright with its tangerine and lime accents, there is table and booth seating on the main floor and second level, and the wireless signal is good.

Refresh! also has paninis, baked goods, smoothies, and freshly squeezed juice. But until November 1, you can’t beat a wrap, sandwich, or salad with a coffee or tea for RMB20.

You can find it below Hooters on Workers Stadium East and find more details on the Refresh! website.