Beijing Boyce

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Workers Stadium cocktail bar George’s celebrated a year of stirring and shaking by holding a  party last Saturday night. A crew from Sim spent the afternoon filming owner George Zhou as he made cocktails and then the staff quickly cleaned up the bar for the three-hour party, with guests having a choice of six different free drinks as well as snacks, including desserts from nearby Le Quai.

Zhou has been a mainstay on the Beijing bar scene for a half-dozen years, working at the former First Cafe before teaming up with Echo Sun to open Midnight Cafe (now home of Terra) and both Sun and Ralph Ziegenhorn to open Q Bar atop the Eastern Inn some five years ago. He sold his shares in Q Bar in the spring of 2010 and a few months later opened George’s, his first solo project. You can follow his Sina micro-blog here.

Jacket and tie needed for the martini deal at George's

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Attention Suit Up Day fans: George’s at Workers Stadium has two-for-one martinis for women every Wednesday. Men get the same deal–if they are wearing a tie and jacket. By the way, it’s good to see proprietor George Zhou has more time to spend behind the bar now that his place has settled in at Workers Stadium (try his Alfonso Special).

China View is turning into pizza central given the thin-crust pies from Gung Ho!, the wood-fired oven at Danger Doyle’s, and the superb value a few meters away at The Den (half-price from 5 PM to 10 PM daily), while Kro’s Nest Tube Station is nearby at the north gate of Workers Stadium. The delivery niche will heat up as Annie’s has thrown its chef’s hat into the ring and taken over the former Bella space beside Gung Ho! And don’t forget Buona at Workers Stadium West: they offer speedy deliver and good pepperoni pies.

Maxim’s in Solana has a lunch special from 11:30 AM to 2 PM, Monday to Friday, in its first-floor bistro. You get soup or salad, plus main course, dessert, and a soft drink or coffee for RMB88. I have only eaten at Maxim’s a few times but have enjoyed it. (Maxim’s will also have Christmas and New Year menus.)

Speaking of bistros, In Vito in Solana is closer to that niche and away from fine dining. The place is offering a more casual experience as well as good wine value given that all bottles under RMB1000 are two-for-one from 7 PM each night. This place also has a excellent Grappa selection, with 17 selections.

Plan: To have a few drinks and finally watch the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. Reality: Had a lot of drinks and missed most of the ceremony again. Such is life and I did have some fun during last weekend’s Olympic Flashback that ended up involving Paddy O’Shea’s, China Doll, Fubar, George’s, and Gung Ho Gourmet Pizza Factory, and raised ~RMB4000 for the charity CAI. (A modest sum but OK given I organized the bulk of the event in 36 hours. If only I had come up with this idea a week earlier, it might have raised RMB4100.) I already posted about the Futathlon and here are five more photos from the weekend.

We started on Saturday night with mixed drinks at Paddy O’Shea’s, which sold the most beverages, under the watchful life of Major Tom.

We then moved to China Doll, which made a special banner for us. The rain meant we couldn’t use the sky deck but also meant more people in the lounge and on the dance floor.

On Sunday night, we started at at Fubar, which held the Futathlon and made Fu Wa cocktails.

Then headed over the George’s, which raised the most money as we sold the donated Gung Ho pizzas here, too, to drink martinis, watch the opening ceremonies, and eat some…

pie!

Thanks to Paddy O’Shea’s, China Doll, Fubar, George’s, and Gung Ho Gourmet Pizza Factory, the team at CAI (especially Will “The Wallet” Hsu), and the contestants in the Futathlon (Gordon, Maggie, Shane, Will, and Kirby). As for the opening ceremonies, I’m going to have to borrow a DVD player, plug in my TV, get a couple of beers, order a large pepperoni pizza, and watch it at home. Don’t tell me how it ends…

Paddy O'Shea's as the opening ceremonies opened...

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This Sunday marks the second anniversary of the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games. I missed most of the opening in 2008 due to a seven-hour Beijing bar crawl with Nicolas Carre, so last Saturday I decided to find a bar with a big screen where I could show a repeat this Sunday (August 8 at 8 PM) and get some reasonably priced drinks. That mission changed course slightly as I contacted two other venues and a charity, CAI, that “provides arts and sports programs in migrant schools” (CAI will handle all donations. Thanks to iShaw for the recommendation). Here is the current agenda for anyone interested in a flashback to an event that symbolized change both good and bad for in this city and country.

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Saturday, August 7

China Doll, 11 PM-2 AM

The place: This Sanlitun bar, club, and lounge delivered a winning performance for fun during the Olympics as residents, athletes, and celebrities gathered for nightly shenanigans. Gold-medal moment: Standing beside Michael Phelps at the bar when he said three years had passed since his last cigar. My friend procured a Cuban stogie and Phelps happily puffed away.

The Olympic angle: China Doll will show footage and photos from its Olympics parties and display its flag decorated with the signatures of scores of Olympic and Paralympic athletes, including Usain Bolt.

The deal: Look for “flaming gold medal” shooters for RMB30, with RMB15 going to CAI.

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Sunday, August 8

Fubar, 6-8 PM

The place: The speakeasy present meets the storied past at this bar hidden in the city’s first premium sports venue, circa 1959, and site of football matches during the Beijing Olympics.

The Olympic angle: To honor the Olympic mascots–and because it plays on the bar’s name–the drink de jour will be the Fu Wa. Look for a 500 ml pour that includes pepper berry vodka and other ingredients blended with ice.

The deal: Each Fu Wa is RMB25, with RMB15 going to CAI.

George’s, 8 PM-

The place: A hop, skip, and jump from Fubar, this upscale bar is owned by George Zhou, who has been making cocktails with the precision of a competitive archer for more than five years.

The angle: George’s will screen the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, starting at 8 PM. Well, most of it. As it is a school night, we will stick to the start and finish and leave out most of the agonizingly long entry of the athletes.

The deal: All martinis are RMB30, with RMB15 going to CAI.

Salud, August 8, 2008

George’s will have its formal opening tonight in the southwestern corner of Workers Stadium across from Le Quai. The bar is the newest project of George Zhou, former co-owner of Q Bar, and will offer a select menu of free drinks tonight, including rum cokes, gin tonics, mango mashes, passion fruit mojitos, sparkling wine, and a shooter apparently called the G Shot, from 8:30 PM to midnight. This place is dangerously close to my apartment and I have already visited a handful of times to enjoy the blend of tasty drinks, comfy seats, and calming decor.

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George’s opens tonight in the southeastern corner of Workers Stadium barely three months after the man in question, George Zhou, left as a co-owner of Q Bar a few blocks away. Last night, about 50 people were on hand to “soft open” this spot, just across from Le Quai, and while the menu only listed about a dozen items, the staff competently fulfilled other drink requests, including one for an Alfonso Special. The main area is open and airy, with a long bar, long ledge, and two long tables, and is conducive to communal drinking or for those on a solo mission — if it turns out to have anything like the vibe of the former First Cafe, where Zhou previously worked, you will end up making friends with your neighbors. George’s also includes lounge areas up front, where the doors slide open wide, and on a smaller second level. The menu last night saw drinks priced from RMB30 to RMB45, with the World Cup games being shown on the big screen. I’ll have more on this place soon…

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A fixture on the scene after more than five years in Sanlitun South, first with the former First Cafe and Midnight Cafe, then as a co-owner at Q Bar, George Zhou plans to open his new spot, George’s, within the next two weeks. With the painting and flooring finished during the past few days, and the furniture and most equipment installed, it is matter of fine-tuning and training at this point.

Given Zhou’s history, the focus will not surprisingly be on cocktails. The place is stylish and airy, with dark wood and cobalt blues and grays dominating, including in the lounge area on the smaller second level. My first thought is this place might appeal to those who find venues such as Apothecary and D Lounge in nearby Sanlitun too exclusive  and/or pretentious.  In any case, this is a quick turnaround from Zhou after he and former partners Echo Sun and Ralph Ziegenhorn parted ways in less than friendly circumstances almost three months to today.

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See also:

• Q Bar deal done: Echo Sun, Ralph Ziegenhorn buy George Zhou’s share

• Bar closed (For one night) ((So far))

• Q Bar: Echo and George III