Beijing Boyce

It might be game finito for Italian joint Frantoi Celliti after only a few months on the scene. An email by the owner to customers cited problems ranging from personal threats to inconsistent power and water supplies, and said matters are being taken up in court. Added to this, the place faced the combined challenges of scale (a seating capacity of about 150), location (a hard-to-find warehouse area on Sanlitun South), and marketing (promo emails sent with the subject lines in Italian only).

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Klubb Rouge has figured out what the rest of us have known for six months: the drinks cost too much. Though I’m not sure the right move is to go from RMB70-80 signature cocktails to all-you-can-drink for RMB158 (9 PM-2 AM, Sunday to Thursday) or RMB198 (9 PM-3AM, Friday and Saturday).

By the way, does anyone find the woman featured in the Klubb Rouge poster sexy? Frankly, that undernourished opium addict / vampire look is like so over for me. Plus, clothing that provides the coverage of dental floss doesn’t do it when the temperature dips below zero. At least add a scarf. And a toque.

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Friday ladies night is drawing large crowds at TUN though the last one saw some non-lady like behavior as a cat fight broke out near the bar. With gratis booze for the fairer sex from PM to midnight, methinks the attitude has steadily and weekly gone from excitement to entitlement. Still, if I were under 30 and single, it’s hard to imagine a better Friday night stop these days…

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File this one under I Did Not Know That: 1/5 bar, part of the 1949: The Hidden City complex, is closed on Sundays, though the other venues, including Sugar, Noodle Bar, 1/5 Taverna, and Duck de Chine are open.

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Last but not least, St. Regis Hotel held its official reopening party last Friday night with a full-on dinner in the ballroom. The best course? The cocktail reception featuring some of the St. Regis’ Bloody Mary range. Each hotel has a signature drink: For Beijing, it is the “Great Wall”, a blend of Tsingtao, Bloody Mary mix, and lime, while for Shanghai, it is vodka, Bloody Mary mix, soy sauce and Szechuan ground pepper (with a foam of vodka, white rice liquor, sugar syrup, and pear and cucumber chunks). Frankly, this is one world tour I would like to take…

Rome: Vodka, Bloody Mary mix, hot pepper powder, basil leaves, oregano, and extra virgin olive oil…

Washington: Gin, Bloody Mary mix, horseradish, clam juice, lemon juice, and seasoning, with a shrimp garnish…

Singapore… Actually, I’ll stop now: It’s not healthy to have such thoughts on a Monday.

By the way, accredited journalist get a 50-percent discount on drinks at the St. Regis’ Press Club Bar.

What’s with the RMB75+ hamburger trend in the Sanlitun area these days? Is it sustainable? Who has the patty power: Let’s Burger (RMB48+, no fries), Blue Frog (RMB75), and Union Bar & Grill (RMB86), or Luga’s, The Den, and The Rickshaw (all RMB35-40)? Or should I just go to Le Petit Gourmand and have a nice roast beef on baguette, with fries and salad (RMB35)? Questions, questions…

An Italian joint called Frantoi Celleti is slated to open this weekend in Sanlitun South, next to Tun (accessible by that side street near Pink Loft). Billing itself as an “oil bar, restaurant, and cafe,” this place seats 120+ and offers high ceilings, elegant matte black furniture, a wood-fired pizza oven, and displays of olive grinders and grape presses. Expect a heavy emphasis - including tastings - on olive oil. I’ll have more on this place shortly.

Speaking of Tun, word has it that ladies drink for free from 8-11 PM tomorrow (Friday) night.

Pekotan (Central Park) offers good ambiance and a nice selection of buffet items at lunch, but is a case study in inefficiency. Watching the staff continually drag out and return food containers to the display case is annoying, both because it is time-consuming and it makes it hard to see what’s on offer. Why can’t they simply just scope the items from the display case?

The chill in the air reminds that opportunities for outdoor imbibing are dwindling. It’s nearly last call for patios, decks, and balconies at The Boat, The Stone Boat, Pavillion, Kokomo, et al.