Beijing Boyce

China Daily reports that Louisiana-themed The Big Easy will be chai’d on Sunday. Chaoyang Park authorities voided the bar’s 13-year lease, signed in 1998, in order to make space for a “peace plaza,” although they didn’t reveal whether this will be a government or commercial venture, states the newspaper. The creative layout, spirited music and Bloody Marys of The Big Easy will be missed. / Before losing its trio of capable bartenders earlier this year, Midnight packed in partiers and pumped out 50-kuai cocktails. Now, a signboard out front advertises 10-kuai drinks, including — and some might prefer this one with two paramedics, stomach pump and stretcher – Gin and Coke. / Browns, bursting at the seams last Saturday night, smartly anchored an ice-filled claw-footed bathtub of bottled beer just inside the door and thus siphoned off some of the thirsty patrons teeming at the bar. (Suggestion: Sell bottled water from the tub, too.) / Berber N, home of tasty kebabs before construction forced its closure on Sanlitun North earlier this year, has reopened across from Tongli Studios. Never have skewered chicken butts been more savory. / The last time I saw words such as “closed for maintenance work,” they were plastered on the door at First Cafe, which shortly thereafter pounded into coaster-size bits. That is, until Tuesday — and I hope it is coincidence — when I spotted them in neat longhand beside the entrance to Mojito, a fairly new place that has Beijing’s only draft Weihenstephaner. (Could a beer have a better name for the China market? The first half sounds delightfully Mandarin and the second evokes the Deutschland.) / Contrary to popular belief, Beijing does have table hockey, courtesy of W Sports Bar, where it is buried amid the ping pong table, dartboard, big-screen TV, pool table, art, grand piano, foosball table, etc. Is there anywhere else in town where you might simultaneously hear “Who’s serve?”, “bull’s eye!”, “I’ll have two beers, please”, “eight ball, corner pocket” and “this is simply too Dadaist for my taste,” all while someone chops out Mozart and a Formula 1 race shows? / Deep in Sanlitun South, a new bar is opening on the second floor of the building that Beer Mania calls home. With W Sports Bar, Q Bar and Yes Club nearby, a new party zone seems to be forming. / Speaking of Q Bar: one crane, four hours, and a dozen people. That’s about what it took to get a five-meter tree and some stone flower beds atop this bar’s increasingly green sixth-floor deck a few weeks ago. Fortunately, should the day come, it will only take a few seconds to get them back down. / With its latest Chicago blues act having returned stateside, Icehouse, the bar part of RBL, now features a mix of local and foreign talent in the form of the Rhythm Dogs (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays). Meanwhile, the employee turnstile spins on as Chef Dan Segal, who joined RBL this year after working at the former Louisiana restaurant in the Hilton, has left for Hong Kong. / Stone Boat continues with its funky live music line-up. The next three Fridays feature Enfants Terribles (electro-jazz, August 11), Muwen (traditional instruments, August 18) and Hanggai (”Mongol roots,” August 25), while Panjir Trio plays Saturdays all month. / Speaking of which, shortly after announcing the readers’ choices for its recent bar and club awards, that’s Beijing (TBJ) published its “editor’s picks.” Top spot of the year honors went to Stone Boat (good ambience and music, though the drinks and service are spotty), with honorable mentions to Area (was it on the ballot?) and Club Football (known primarily for its soccer pitches) [Ed. The bar was in fact Redball]. Nothing against those places, but I don’t think collectively they had the impact of Browns. It exploded onto the bar scene this year, is busy beyond belief, appeals to most every age group, nationality and profession, influences and attracts as customers other bar owners and employees, offers decent food and a good draft beer selection, and, last but not least, won the readers’ vote. Love it or hate it, the place has made a mark. By the way, TBJ deserves kudos for organizing these awards. Cynics claim the magazine uses them to placate sponsors, but since each of the 20 categories has one winner and seven losers, more clients are likely to be upset than pleased. (And if you don’t believe it, then a band of TBJ staffers will roll up their gargantuan 250-page magazines and knock you about like a pinata. Or, maybe not.) / Fromage fans must be quick on the return key trigger when they get Beijing Cheese Society invites. Next week’s California-themed event at Palais sold out in a few hours. / Correction: Last issue, I wrote that 5:19 Bar and Grill was starting a darts league. In fact, it is one of the hosts of the Beijing International Darts League, which welcomes new teams and venues (email Chris “Elvis” Milward at commish@beijing-darts.com).

(From Beijing Boyce XXII, first emailed on August 12, 2006)

Suzie Wong marked her birthday with a massive party last Saturday night that reportedly saw hundreds of people lining up at the door. / 5:19 Bar and Grill is starting a darts league next month and has all-you-can-drink Fridays (100 kuai until end of August) and all-you-can-drink draft on Wednesdays (50 kuai and up, depending on your poison). / First the Sanlitun beer mug was chai’d and now another nearby spot is on the dust heap of Beijing bar history. (See below: The Last of the First) / Wine-wise, Palette Vino in Shunyi has opened a kitchen to complement its wine tasting area; Summergate will host an Elderton wine tasting on August 1 at Bentos and Berries (50 kuai; reservations required); ASC Fine Wines will start its Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) courses later this summer and will hold a cocktail party featuring Freixenet sparkling wine on July 29 at Bed (60 kuai, includes two drinks); and The Cellar has memberships available in its wine club. / The Bookworm will soon launch a second branch - in Chengdu. / And after a short hiatus, the Beijing Cheese Society was back in action Monday, with a tasting of English artisanal cheeses at Le Palais. Speaking of which, Aria is holding The Pleasure of Cheese, with fromage from “the finest cheese capitals of the world,” August 1-25.

(From Beijing Boyce XXI, first emailed on July 27, 2006) 

The AmCham-China U.S. Independence Day party is slated for July 2 and will feature pizza, burgers, hot dogs and pizza, beer and soda, music from the Icehouse band and from Chris of Nashville, and children’s games and fireworks. I’m helping and thus onsite all the livelong day, and at least 33 readers of this newsletter will be there, including Kraft-D and Alpha Veda (see issues II, XII), who are flying in from Shanghai. Drop by and have some barley pops with us. Tickets must be bought beforehand, include four food and drink coupons, and are 150-200 kuai (children under five get in free). For more info, check amcham-china.org.cn, email me, or visit Browns tonight night (Thursday, starts 10PM), where I’ll be cheering my team Ghana as they play the U.S. in the World Cup. / The Canadians get into the patriotic spirit a day earlier, on July 1, with the Canada-China Business Council organizing a national day party in Wangfujing. For details, see canadadaychina.com. For those Canucks who want an early start, Richard Liu reminds that the Fourth Annual Canada D’eh! Cocktail is June 30 (10:30PM-2AM) at TRIO. Email info@clubcanada.net to RSVP. / Was it not literally yesterday that Beijing’s grape scene grew a bunch with the creation of The Cellar (soft opening: June 27) and its associated wine club? Now word comes that another club, this one focused on Bordeaux, is set to open (more details next issue). Speaking of The Cellar, memberships to Club 88 are now available. / The Beijing Cheese Society has been quiet lately, but no worries fromage fans, as co-founder Sharon Ruwart says that plans for more tastings are in the works. / Finally, I have sent out a short survey to those who have expressed interest in my planned Whisky and Bourbon Society. If you didn’t receive it, and are interested in the society, let me know. Special thanks to reader Eddie O. for his input.

(From Beijing Boyce XIX, first emailed on June 21, 2006)  

Is it just me or is Sanlitun South Street going through a renaissance? The past six months have seen Midnight, Browns (see review below) and The Bookworm open, all good places and nice complements to decent longer-established spots, such as First Cafe and The Pink Loft. A reader calls it a “golden age” for the area, especially as the beggars, fake-CD sellers and “lady bar” touts are conspicuously absent. Enjoy it while it lasts, my friends. / Speaking of which, that entire plot of land, which encompasses the aforementioned spots as well as places such as Banana Leaf and The Loft has apparently just been bought. What does fate hold? ~ Henry Li, the brains behind the now-defunct Vogue and Neo Lounge, as well as Public Space in Sanlitun, will open a new spot at February’s end. He said the 800-square-meter will be named after Duan Qirui, an early twentieth-century premier and warlord, on Pingan Avenue, four blocks west of Poly Plaza. ~ Mike W. reports that the Red Capital empire’s - comprising the Red Capital Club, Red Capital Guest House and Red Capital Ranch - has grown by hiring a new GM (from Indonesia) and floor manager (from Britain). Expect a full write-up next issue about Red Capital’s most interesting bomb shelter bar (and its “Lin Biao’s Crash” cocktail). / One year in and the Beijing Cheese Society, co-founded by Sharon Ruwart and Perri Dong, has matured into a most excellent club. With events featuring Spanish, South African, British, American and French cheeses under its belt, the society now fills its 50-seat events within two hours of sending out invites. Join the events list by emailing sruwart@gmail.com. / Speaking of which, Perri, formerly known as that’s Beijing’s Cai Guy, is now working for ASC Fine Wines. / Yvonne C passes on info that Le Palais Desserts and Lounge (www.lepalais.cn) has opened close to the Kerry Centre and has excellent sweets prepared by a Belgian pastry chef. / Phil, of Phil’s Pub fame, is opening a bar in Qingdao. I suspect the main reason is to be closer to his beer source. / Last issue, I mentioned that IKEA is moving. Reader Eric H reports that the new store will open in Wangjing in April and will be IKEA’s largest store in Asia Pacific and second largest worldwide. / I’m hearing good things about Saddle, across from Apertivo, whether the place is filling up for NFL playoff games or doling out breakfast burritos. It’s a snug spot. / The Pomegranate, in Shunyi, has an e-newsletter covering its televised sports schedule, weekly quiz and directions on finding the bar. Email the_pomegranate@yahoo.com with “subscribe” in the subject line. / Based on my careful observations of the past six months, about half of the men in Beijing bars do not wash their hands after using the toilet. Be careful with whom you share those complimentary peanuts.

(From Beijing Boyce IX, first emailed on January 26, 2006)

Sharon Ruwart, co-founder with Perri Dong of the Beijing Cheese Society and popularly known about town as The Cheese Vixen, brought a full load of fromage from New York to the latest BCS event, November 14 at icehouse. While in the Big Apple, Sharon visited Artisanal, which, she writes, “[is] not only a wonderful cheese-focused restaurant, but also boasts the only cheese-maturing “cave” in the United States.” Sharon picked up five cheeses for our tasting pleasure. She also gave us a quiz, in which we learned, among other things, that a woman in Wisconsin wore a “cheese bra” to a sporting match. (“I bet it was made from Swiss cheese,” quipped the woman beside me). In any case, here are the cheeses, in tasting order, with excerpts from her handout and some notes of my own.

Azaitao, Farmstead, Portugal: “Coagulated with thistle rennet, the interior should be smooth and almost runny at room temperature: Raw milk, aged 90 days.” Yep, it was smooth and almost runny. Being a people person, I asked my tablemates - Lisa, Yuntao, Mike and Toni - to rank each cheese from a low of 1 to a high of 10. (We were like a Little Cheese Society within a Big Cheese Society.) We gave the Azaitao a 6.75.

Bouc Emissaire, Chaput Dairy, Quebec: “You’re got to love a cheese called “the scapegoat,” creamy, buttery: Raw milk, aged 60 days.” “Smells like ammonia,” said Mike, and I had to agree. I thought this one was more chalky than buttery. We gave it a 7.1. The Bouc-E was great with Chardonnay (see the wine list below), but gross with the Merlot-Cabernet.

Constant Bliss, Jasper Hill Farms, Vermont: “[Made from] uncooled evening milk: The cheese ripens from the outside in, going from a bone-white to an ivory color as the cheese ripens and softens. The cheese is named after a Vermont settler killed by local natives in 1718 when guarding a local military road. Raw milk, aged 60 days.” All I can say is that Bliss got a bum deal with this tribute: salty attack, gluey finish, 5.75.

Gruyere, Farmstead, Switzerland: “Hand-selected by a Swiss farmer named Rolf (cue Sound of Music), firm but supple texture [the cheese, not Rolf] and complex taste.” Sharon got tricky, putting this side-by-side with a Gruyere from Jenny Lou’s. We hemmed and hawed about which tasted best, which shows how much we know. Our scoring system fell apart, but it didn’t matter because the king of cheeses was up next. Ladies and gentleman, presenting:

Shropshire Blue, Colston Bassett Dairy, England: “We picked this because a cheese plate should always have a blue, and because with its deep orange color, it’s gorgeous. It’s a modern cheese, invented in the 1980s [the decade that gave us Duran Duran, the Breakfast Club and the BBO – “bottom bottle opener” – a groove in the glass of a beer bottle’s bottom that could be used to open your next brew. Pure genius! Pure 80s! But I digress] - meaty and tangy. Pasteurized cow’s milk. Aged 90 days.” This crumbly cheese was, as Sharon put it, “gorgeous.” According to my notes, “It started off with a tangy cheddar taste that quickly morphed into a blast of dirty diaper-stoked stinkitude.” I had three helpings. Score: 9.5.

The three wines for the night came from ASC, with the able Karen Nelson on hand and the icehouse staff keeping the vino flowing. The wines were: Santa Rita Reserva Chardonnay (Chile) 2004 (128RMB), Columbia Crest Two Vines Merlot-Cabernet (Washington State) 2001 (151RMB) and Taylor’s Special Ruby Port (Portugal) (192RMB). Sharon gave special thanks to Jackie Connar for helping with admin and to Susie Jakes and Jeff Prescott for bringing the bread. Sharon is on the lookout for “mules” to hand carry cheese into China, so if you’re interested, send an email to sruwart@gmail.com. (There, I wrote that whole story without a single “who cut the cheese” or “who moved my cheese” crack.)

(From Beijing Boyce IV, first emailed on November 18, 2005)

The Bookworm is holding “A Giant Book Sale” on Sunday, November 20 from 10 AM to noon to raise money for earthquake victims in Pakistan. The Beijing International Peace Vigil Group is sponsoring this and proceeds go to the Red Cross. See beijingbookworm.com for a map. / Chopschticks next comedy show is at Icehouse on November 19 at 7:30 PM. For tickets: 13701210489 / Tickets@TheComedyTour.com / Sequoia Cafe is holding “Bordeaux: An Introduction,” with Sommelier Raphael Sarri, at 7:30 PM on November 19. The event includes one white and five red wines. RMB190. There is limited seating, so email frank_siegel@hotmail.com or call 13301377336 to reserve a spot. / If that’s not enough Bordeaux for you, ASC Fine Wines will hold “128 Great Years of Bordeaux,” an eight-course wine dinner at China World Hotel on November 26. RMB1388 net / In honor of the Beijing visit of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (he said he’d be back), Montrose has reopened its Kerry Center wine store (they said it’d be back, too) with a special on Californian wines. They’ve gone all-out with a poster that gives Arnold an ungodly aura and makes him look like a cult leader. How Californian. Montrose’s Ethan Perk writes that the Kerry Centre shop will have a half-price sale on selected wines and spirits, December 1-3. / I’m soon to be homeless and am looking for new quarters. I’m currently in Sun City, right behind Morels, and am looking for something in that area. If you know of a good spot, let me know (no agents please, I’ve already got one). / Nearly 30 people nestled into the second floor of John Bull Pub on November 12 for a Spanish cheese and wine tasting. The cheese was hand-carried in from Spain and matched up with five wines, also hailing from the land of the bullfight. Unfortunately, I haven’t yet got a list of the cheeses and wines so I’ll have to get back to you on this one / That’s Beijing Big Wigs Mike and Toni came over with all the fixings for Cape Cods two weeks back. Vodka, cranberry juice and grapefruit juice – that’s Mike’s mad mix. They keep things nice and simple there in Boston ~ The December issue of Food and Wine magazine lists the top ten vineyards in the world. Lo and behold, among them was Seven Springs Vineyard, the winery owned by the family of my co-worker Andrew MacDonald, in Oregon. (I wasn’t aware that state had been settled yet.) Congratulations Andrew. When’s the tour? Cheers.

(From Beijing Boyce IV, first emailed on November 18, 2005)

Icehouse got its name because during the Qing dynasty the place was apparently, surprise surprise, an icehouse. Maybe that’s the problem. After all, if it had good feng shui, then emperors past would have used it for a dining room or guest quarters, instead of a place to store frozen water. I know, I know, the lounge is partially owned by Handel Lee, who is associated with all that is high class in Shanghai and Beijing. Thus, my discomfort is obviously due to a personal deficiency in taste. Even so, I’m not the only misfit, because numerous other people have found Icehouse to be too boxy, too flat, too vacant, too much like the cement-floored, soulless events room in my hometown’s ice hockey arena (of course, only I made this last connection).

While I’m griping, why does Icehouse make it so hard to tell apart the men’s and women’s toilets? I went into one toilet only to run into a woman. I headed into the other toilet only to run into — another woman. I then realized that the first woman was cleaning the place and went back. The result is a terrible dilemma: either I have to use valuable memory space to remember which toilet to use or I have to start wearing adult diapers. This is all the fault of Icehouse!

Finally, there’s that hallway, which I’m guessing is 80 meters long. It’s impressive going in, although some oxygen tanks along the way would be nice for the less fit. Coming out, especially if you’ve had a few drinks, you could end up bashing your head off the walls a dozen times and/or be sober by the time you reach the door.

Okay, to be positive, I know some people who like Icehouse and I’ve had a few good times there, too, notably at the Chopschticks event a month ago and at that’s Beijing‘s launch of their 2005-6 Insider’s Guide to Beijing a few weeks back. The latter event featured Grey Goose vodka, and saw plenty of happy people, including a magazine editor who described Icehouse as “fantastic!”

Still, the feng shui factor remains. I dunno, Icehouse reminds me of the New York Yankees baseball team. They spend outrageous amounts of money on their product, they have lots of strong backing and they have a good customer base (Icehouse has Chopschticks comedy shows, ASC wine tastings, Beijing Cheese Society events, etc.). The stars are aligned, but something just doesn’t feel right.

(From Beijing Boyce III, first emailed on November 3, 2005)