Beijing Boyce

Saturday started with a wine lunch near the Summer Palace that lasted so long it matured into a wine dinner in Wudaokou. Even better, the random bottles brought covered six continents – South American (Chile), North American (United States), Asia (China), Africa (South Africa), Europe (France), and Australia. Plus, I had my first Lebanese wine. Good times! And more than enough reason to head out to celebrate. A brief wrap-up on the night that followed:

Room 101: Despite the rain, the closing party drew a sizable crowd, at least that’s the scene I found at 11 PM. The DJ dropped some funky tunes, the owners hustled behind the bar, and everyone raised a few final glasses. It is slated to be back in November with a new name, a restaurant upstairs, and a bar / café downstairs.

Maggie’s: Someone at Room 101 asked if this Ritan Park hot spot had reopened, so we scrounged up a copy of the Russian-language Yabao Ru magazine, found the Maggie’s listing, called the number, heard the guy who answered say “open”, and headed off. Alack and alas, we found the door shut tighter than a clam.

Swing: This is the only spot I visit on the Sanlitun North strip and things are touch and go at that. Even forgetting the incredibly annoying “lady bar” tout outside, the 40-kuai Gin Tonics lack punch and there is a lone toilet, a squatter, which means a constant lineup. Also, on this night I ended up losing an argument with the bartender about whether I had been shortchanged, though we later received free tequila shooters. Fair enough.

This place draws a big crowd, and numerous regulars, and a big reason is the house band in residence for more than a year. The two singers and guitarist do use preprogrammed music, notably drums, but also display personality and humor as they play sing-along standards – think John Cougar – that keep the vast majority of patrons happy. They did an interesting a capella version of Kylie Minogue’s Can’t Get You Out of My Mind and covered a Korean and a Chinese song. (I learned that fellow beverage research scholar Ping Pong not only can sing, but also is willing to brave the limelight at Swing and jump on to the stage. Who knew!?)

The Rickshaw: We found ourselves on the street, in the chill and rain, seeking comfort food. Hello medium wings! The first to smart my tongue in months, they hit the spot before we hit the road.

The entrance at Maggies has been moved so you now enter on the far side of the lengthy bar. But that is a minor change compared to what appears to be coming. Much of the front deck is blocked off for construction - steel beams rise three meters and suggest a major addition is in the works. No worries for the hungry, though, as the hot dog cart has simply been moved to the side.

Speaking of which, on Sanlitun’s main north strip, Swing, which I understand is linked in some way or another to Maggies, has added a hotdog cart – it’s 25 kuai per cartlidge.

After the wine tasting at Sequoia, I met Eddie O to discuss the nuances of that esteemed organization known as BRAWL – The Bourbon, Rye and Whiskey League. We decided to hold our confab at Cheers, which continues to offer an interesting combination of live Xinjiang music, cheap booze, a pool table, and about a dozen oil paintings of nudes (the owner went to art school).
 

This gave me a chance to check out China Doll, a new three-floor club with an entrance abutting Cheers. Former Moet man Joop Shen, now working at the club, gave us a tour and my initial impression was good. China Doll has skipped the large open spaces, excessive neon and annoying light displays of other places and gone for intimacy – cozy seating, subtle lighting and clever use of mirrors and space (though the bathroom has some problems). I’ve been back twice and my next newsletter will have a full report on the drinks, service and ambience (to join the mailing list, email beijingboyce@yahoo.com with “Eat, Drink and Be Merry” in the subject line).
 

We returned to Cheers and after a long and confusing discussion with Eddie O about Jagermeister – does the mascot we see around town look more like a reindeer or a moose? – headed for Browns to see if the owner, Philip, received the bottle of Bourbon that Eddie O left him as a wedding present.
 

On the way, we popped into Swing, a bar I have passed a hundred times, but never entered, given my aversion to establishments on the main Sanlitun North strip. I had heard that this place has a great band from the Philippines and they were indeed fun if eclectic, with the last four songs covering Suzanne Vega, Nirvana, what sounded like Joan Jett, and Pink Floyd (the guitarist really got into the last one, though the bassist looked in pain and possibly in need of prunes). After the set, the band members circulated and talked to the patrons, while the DJ played his own eclectic set, ranging from Queen to The Proclaimers.
 

Swing is small and packed tight with seats, but the layout works, and the atmosphere is cozy, the crowd diverse and the place a cut above the average bar on this strip (the band helps). Eddie O thought the beer was too pricey (Heineken: 35 kuai) and the bathroom facilities too limited (one person at a time). “They want you to buy the beer here and process it somewhere else,” he said. But if I were to regularly stop on this strip, and that’s purely hypothetical, Swing would likely be my place.
 

We headed for Browns. About a dozen people there looked like bit players from The Dukes of Hazzard or Talladega Nights. What a joy to have someone wearing a tank top, in January, brush by after working up a massive sweat dancing on the bar top. That fashion statement is hard to top unless that same person is WEARING A BACKWARDS BASEBALL CAP! Okay, Ill stop making fun now and just say that Eddie O, Philip and I enjoyed a few drops of Bourbon, watched the crowd, thanked to the Prime Mover that we had decided against wearing tank tops and shortly thereafter called it a night.