Beijing Boyce

Open less than six months, Tim’s Texas BBQ (formerly John Bull Pub) is already looking to rustle up more business. Another branch of the restaurant, which has a loyal following among smoked-meat lovers, will open on Super Bar Street. I emailed Tim, who said he hopes to have the new spot ready by late May / early June. No doubt, there’ll be some more BBQ lovers in the area when the new U.S. Embassy opens nearby. (Thanks to DM for the tip.)

When I’m good, I’m very good, but when I’m bad, I’m better. - Mae West

One of the creative forces behind danwei.org spoke at The Bookworm last year about blogging. Among his key messages: sex sells. I think he must be setting sales records.

Today, for example, four of the first seven posts on danwei.org concern, you got it, sex! Topics include pole dancing, Anna May Wong (”the sexiest Chinese American woman ever to grace the silver screen”), Chinabounder (a foreign man who blogs about scoring with Shanghai women) and a Sohu sex survey. The last is notable,  given 12 of the post’s 280 words have “sex,” including an incredible five of the first 16.

In fact, danwei.org has so much sex that when I tried to use the find function to count it all, my keyboard immediately started smoking and I had to give up. I didn’t dare check the site’s Sexy Beijing TV series

Unfortunately, it’s hard for me to use the “sex sells” strategy on my blog. If I were into clubbing or hanging out at Bar Blu, Vics or Maggies, I could pepper things up, but I tend toward sitting on a bar stool, drinking Bourbon and chatting with friends.

My best bet is to slip in the odd typo. Like referring to Tim’s Texas BBQ as Tim’s Sexas BBQ or, even better, Tim’s Sex-Ass BBQ, and using phrases such as smoked meat, in the saddle, and hot and spicy jalapeno potato salad (the last one won’t draw much site traffic, but I feel compelled to recommend it as a side order for your ribs). Even so, most opportunities are limited to changing an “m” to an “s” — Peter’s Tex Sex, Sexican Wave, Sexican Kitchen…

By the way, it’s not all sex, sex and sex over at dansexwei.orgsex. The site has also has some interesting stuff on China’s drinking scene, including these two related pieces:

Is there a drinking age in China?

Underage Super Girls hawking baijiu

And a trilogy from 2003:

Sanlitun Diaries1

Sanlitun Diaries 2 

Sanlitun Diaries 3 

Some of the guys at danwei.org are also behind those sexy - no, supersexy - Centro bar ads. Now those sell.

(Note: In a week, I’ll check my site’s traffic and discover whether the “sex sells” strategy has worked.)

The Bourbon, Rye and Whisky League, also known as BRAWL, gathered on January 20 at Tim’s Texas BBQ in central Beijing for an evening of hearty food and fine spirits. After sampling leftover Bourbon from the inaugural meeting in September and feasting on ribs and potato salad, the BRAWLers got down to a blind tasting of 8-year-old Wild Turkey Kentucky Bourbon, 10-year-old Bushmills Irish Whiskey, 12-year-old Famous Grouse Scotch and 25-year-old Alberta Springs Canadian Rye.

Ed Ohlin provided a primer on the spirits (noting, for example, that Scotch often has hints of peat - compressed weeds and grass) and answered questions (for example, “Why would the human palate desire a burnt-wood flavor?” to which Ed explained that charred barrels are used because distillers want the complexity and color that the carmalized sugars in oak bring out during the aging process).

The tasting aimed to show the differences between these spirits and the BRAWLers spent some quality time pondering which of the four shot glasses facing each of them held the Bourbon, Rye, Scotch and Irish Whisky respectively. After much sniffing and sipping, three people - Sarah E., Brad S. and Alan S. - correctly guessed all four spirits. In terms of favorites, a rough poll saw Alberta Springs come out on top (5.5 votes), followed by Bushmills (4.5), Famous Grouse (3) and Wild Turkey (1: that would be Ed).

Here are some brief tasting notes:

Bushmills: A sweet and slightly syrupy nose, it was light and smooth going down, and had a very palatable aftertaste. As Ed noted, with its three ingredients - barley, yeast and water - this spirit is simplicity defined.

Wild Turkey: This was slightly less sweet, with more honey than syrup aromas, and had a long and burning aftertaste, evidence of its strong proof. Alan S said, “It seems distantly North American.”

Famous Grouse: To me, this was mildest of the first three, with a slight earthy aroma and taste.

Alberta Springs: It had almost no aroma and a light aftertaste, and was very smooth. “The mouth feel is satiny,” said Ed. “This is distinct because it isn’t sharp but it has a deep color.” Someone else felt differently: “I think number four would solve a lot of ailments.” (Note: My research shows that Alberta Springs is the only 100 percent Rye distilled in Canada.)

This tasting cost 120 kuai per person, which covered the food and spirits, with the leftover Whisky going toward icebreaker drinks at the next event. As the room could only hold 16 people, I limited the mailing list mainly to those who expressed interest in BRAWL when I first proposed the idea a year ago. Given this, and that the theme of this event seems worth a repeat, I’ll organize another blind tasting of Bourbon, Canadian Rye, Scotch and Irish Whisky (those interested in getting on the mailing list for BRAWL or more biweekly newsletter, let me know at beijingboyce@yahoo.com).

Capone’s Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar held its soft opening last Friday. According to the invite, the place is “inspired by the Chicago lifestyle in the 1920s,” suggesting we might see unruly customers gunned down in plain sight while bobbed-haired flappers shimmy and tweed-jacketed gents get inebriated on bathtub gin (mixed with green tea for that Beijing touch). In addition to offering “signature dishes,” “a comfortable collection of wines” and “dreamy jazz,” Capone’s “aim’s [sic] to serve the customers with all the hearts.” I’m not sure if the place needs a coroner or a copywriter. Capone’s is in The Place, that fancy new shopping area just east of Ritan Park. / 5:19 Bar and Grill, which ranks among the brighter spots on the bleak “Super Bar Street,” marked its first anniversary. Owner Dave says he plans to air classic holiday movies starting at midnight on Christmas Eve. / Paul P informs that Mojito has re-opened. It looked like a goner when that “closed for renovations” sign lasted more than a month. / Q Bar is featuring “Santa’s Little Helper” during December. This hot drink (30 kuai) includes melted dark chocolate, a sprig of mint, and a choice of Kahlua, Amaretto or Grand Marnier (see Timeout for recipe). Don’t expect to sleep within three hours of drinking one. / Good reviews are flooding in for the food at Tim’s Texan BBQ (formerly John Bull Pub), which still features Mexican fare on Fridays, though during the winter the chefs will whip up those Taco El Pastors in the kitchen rather than out front.

TRIO has taken The Park Grill and The Cellar down a few notches and now offers a more affordable wine list (see Hanky Panky at Frankie’s below). / An investor in The Pavillion, which marks its one-year anniversary on November 16, says the group will open another venue in the Workers’ Stadium area in March. / Tim’s Texas BBQ (formerly John Bull Pub) will open in mid-November, says Frank Siegel, who is eager for the public to try his smoked meat. Frank says Tim’s will retain the popular trivia nights and look at incorporating the Friday and Saturday Mexican food cart. / Q Bar plans a December debut for its website, which will include a game where patrons drink cocktails made by George and Echo at faster-than-life speeds. Back in reality, a special East meets West drink - namely, a dragon fruit margarita - should soon roar into life at the Q (more on this next issue). / As part of the shift from blues spot to gallery and events venue, Icehouse has walled off its bar to create a narrow and intimate zone that could become a nice after-work getaway. The event experimentation continues as the venue hosts the high-energy Central Asian music of Panjir on Saturday night (50-kuai entry fee includes one Tsingdao). / Eddie O reports that Blue Fox, unable to replicate the success of its neighbor Centro, has howled its last. / Cafe Europa, a comfortable place to enjoy wine by the glass or bottle in the Soho district, will hold a tasting of four Cabernet Sauvignons (with tapas) next Thursday (150 kuai, email josefkiang@yahoo.com to RSVP). / Here’s a bar you don’t hear much about - Marine House. It’s on U.S. Embassy grounds, serves up the coldest beer in Beijing and is one place where you don’t want to anger the bouncers. / Tongli Studio’s Top Club is changing into Kokomo Bar and Restaurant. Yay! I mean, boo! I mean, hmmm… Meanwhile, Kebab Nation is now open on the studio’s ground floor. / The City Weekend website has an upgraded bars section that includes editors’ picks and a better directory (with handy phone numbers). As always, the forums on thatsbj.com are a good source of information on Beijing’s nightlife scene, including the recent Halloween bashes. / Add this to the list of drinkable Chinese wines: Grace Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2005.
(From Beijing Boyce XXIV, first emailed on September 21, 2006)

John Bull Pub has officially closed and will reopen as Tim’s Texas BBQ in late October. Sequoia Cafe next door remains open. / The show is over for Icehouse’s live blues experiment. The Wangfujing bar brought in Chicago musicians but not enough Beijing patrons and will soon split duties as home to the Courtyard Gallery and host of Chopschticks comedy nights, Beijing Cheese Society gatherings, wine tastings and weekend bands. / Speaking of double duty, Phil of Phil’s Pub not only owns a Beijing bar, but also manages Q Bar in Qingdao’s Shangri-La Hotel. Pay him a visit if you travel to our beer-loving sister city to the south. / Last Saturday night, 1:30 AM, Rui Fu: empty. I don’t mean just a few patrons, I mean zero. Last Saturday night, 1:45 AM, Maggie’s: busy. What does it mean? / Pipes (plural), known as a retreat for women who love women, now goes by Pipe (singular). If the new sign is any indication, Coors (singular or plural?) is the sponsor. My only visit to Pipe(s) was with M-Dawg last year and lasted an awkward ten minutes. / I visited The Press Club in the St. Regis Hotel twice this past month and found the staff pleasant and the cocktails above average - they should be at 70 kuai per martini. / Smallville, Shunyi’s newest spot, will open on October 21 with free cinnamon rolls, a silent auction of comic book posters, and the Instant Noodles jazz band (8046-5448; beside Yard Restaurant). This spot also boasts butter tarts, my kryptonite of foods, that substance to which I have no resistance. Midnight drew major cocktail-loving crowds before the management and bartenders fell out earlier this year. The bar is virtually empty these days, but hope springs eternal and a “pure-hearted invitation” posted in the window seeks a foreigner with bar experience and contacts with local social groups. / Over the last few successive issues, I have written about how my all-time favorite Beijing bar First Cafe went from closing to being chai’d to being site of a garden. The latest: The garden is gone and replaced by a pile of dirt fronted by a three-meter high fence. Is nothing sacred?

Hear ye, hear ye, the inaugural assembling of the Bourbon, Rye and Whisk(e)y League, heretofore known as BRAWL, convened upon the eve of September 23 in the year of 2006 in an establishment familiarly known as the Pub of John Bull but in due consequence to be christened the Texas BBQ of Tim’s. In attendance were seven founding fathers and two founding mothers, who imbibed four Bourbons of Kentucky and two Whiskies of Tennessee, and established Procedures, Policies and Plans for further congregations at which the Art and Science of Tasting and Evaluating Spirits shall be recommenced and heartened to such an extent that the words “the fullest” would best describe it. Founder Ed pontificated upon the process of manufacture and distinguishing characteristics of the aforementioned Bourbons and Whiskies to which our humble palates saw exposure. He expounded on the nuances that source of water, type of grain, duration of aging and material of cask might impart upon the ultimate form of these fine and worthy spirits. This honorable fellow noted his patronage of one particular Bourbon, named for the Fowl That Doth Be Untamed in Spirit Yet Plump of Body and Desirous Upon Certain Christian Holidays (Editor: Wild Turkey), for a tenure on approach of three score years. Founders Frank and Jennifer delighted attendees by generously sharing victuals that included the Smoked Meats and Baked Beans soon to be procurable from their new establishment, the aforementioned Texas BBQ of Tim’s, and Fellow Founders Mike and Debbie shared their estimable thoughts as to the merits and demerits of each Whisky and Bourbon served. Founder Tom recommended tactics and strategies by which to ensure the vigorous progress of the League, and drew upon his experiences with our fair city’s Society of Cheese, of which his esteemed wife, popularly known as the Vixen of the Aforementioned Milk Byproduct, is a co-founder. Founder Lee noted that he ranked among the few Men and perhaps the only one in our presence of whom his ascendant bears the same moniker as that of a particular Whisky, to which the attendees raised a glass. Of relations to the topics of liquids, founder Alan regaled attendees with a breathtaking tale of successfully swimming betwixt Qingdao proper and its attendant island, and henceforth, a few years later, falling slightly short in a similarly spirited water-borne effort in the waters off the City of New York. Worldly duties necessitated that Founder-in-Absence Kristan be in far and distant places that perhaps may posses superior Bourbons and Whiskeys in quantity and quality, but are without doubt lacking in the Comradeship found in BRAWL, though we expressed hopes that some of those spirits might accompany him back to our fair city. These minutes submitted by B. Boyce.

Now that I’ve put most everyone to sleep - and no, I did not write that under the influence - let me briefly state that the Bourbon, Rye and Whiskey League (BRAWL) held its first meeting on September 23 at John Bull Pub. It was the pub’s last event as the upstairs was being gutted for Tim’s Texas BBQ even as downstairs ten of us sipped our way through four Kentucky Bourbons - Jim Beam, Knob Creek, Maker’s Mark and Wild Turkey - and two Tennessee Whiskeys - Jack Daniels and Jack Daniels Single Barrel. What a difference it makes to compare them side by side! Ed Ohlin led the meeting and explained how the Whisky- and Bourbon-making process.The group agreed to focus the first few future tastings on basic events, such as comparisons of Bourbon, Scotch Whiskey and Single Malt Whiskey, of 12-year-old Whiskies from Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Japan and the U.S., and of five or six products from a single distillery. Those on the BRAWL mailing list will get an event announcement in the next two weeks. Those who would like to join, please email me.

These are the nights to enjoy a drink on a rooftop, deck or patio, and my favorite spots remain Pavillion and Stone Boat Cafe, with other good options being Drum and Bell, Frank’s Place and Q Bar. Remember, our lungs filter pollution from this city’s air and a strong collective outside drinking effort might allow us to spot a star or two some evening. (Note: Pavillion offers the added flashback value of hearing Wham!, Huey Lewis, The Vapors and Jackson Browne within an hour.) / John Bull Pub, run by legendary bar proprietor Frank Siegel, is saying toodleloo London and hello Houston as it transforms into a Texas BBQ joint (see “We Got Email” / Zing by Doodoo, an esteemed member of the Bad Bar Name Hall of Fame, is also changing identities and will reemerge as Thai restaurant Serve the People, which is hardly a better name given that it evokes cannibalism. / 49 kuai for a pint of Carlsberg at Face. Ouch! / The Bookworm celebrated its one-year anniversary yesterday. With tasty food, interesting lectures, live music, plenty of books for sale or loan, and an extensive beverage menu, this place has been a runaway success. Not surprisingly, its incredible popularity can make it tough for wireless seekers to get a seat, and that can mean occasional forays to Le Petit Gourmand or SPR Coffee. / Browns now serves “jungle juice” during Wednesday ladies’ nights, which means people may soon be swinging from the rafters as well as dancing on the bar. Speaking of Browns, the foam party two weekends ago saw bubbles upon bubbles for most of the night, but they had burst by Sunday brunch. The place was virtually empty, yet it took over 20 minutes to get a simple breakfast and the COFFEE MACHINE WAS BROKEN! “If this had been my first visit to Browns, I would never go back,” said a downright bitter and caffeine-withdrawn M-Dawg. / Nearby, The Loft has renamed itself Hot Loft. I have no punch line to do justice to this marketing brilliance. / Reader K.S. aka Killer Schoolmarm has spoken to the owner of recently chai’d The Big Easy and says the Louisiana-style hotspot will again grace our city, retaining the spirit of its original interior, but with a new outside look (more to come on this). / M-Dawg and I visited Q Bar two Saturdays ago and waited not only 15 minutes to order, but also 30 minutes in vain for our drinks. With parched throats, we went to Phil’s Pub and soon had Gin Tonics at one-third the cost. It seems to me that Q Bar is best when providing quality cocktails in a tranquil environment, which suggests a need to focus on speeding up drink delivery rather than on, say, hiring a DJ to play house music. Translation: I want my dry martini and John Lee Hooker! Fortunately, the drinks were coming fast and slightly furious during a visit earlier this week. / Speaking of which, Trevor and Kenn from Alternate Paradigm will slip into aprons and host an end-of-summer BBQ on Q Bar’s rooftop (September 23, 2 PM-late). Twenty-five kuai gets you a cheeseburger, two hot dogs, grilled veggies or six wings, all of which come with a baked potato. / Skipping back to Phil’s, I visited several times recently and rediscovered the joys of cheap but decent cocktails, 30-kuai Erdinger, and a friendly neighborhood pub atmosphere. Moreover, after a long stint in Qingdao , owner Phil is back and teamed up with Sally. My only recommendation for this place: vaporize the PlayStation console, or at least anyone using it. / The new branch of Raj held a party last Saturday night with the expected buffet of Indian food and traditional dancing. The rooftop is ideal for enjoying a few brew (from 15 kuai for Qingdao to 25 kuai for Kingfisher) or some wine (though those puny glasses have to go), before heading to nearby Bed or Drum and Bell. / The Stone Boat has upgraded its wine and cocktail menu over the past year and credit goes to Amy and Jonathan. The Martini and Mojito are better, though the latter is still light on alcohol, and it is nice to enjoy wine in a proper glass in such a relaxing spot.

(From Beijing Boyce XXIV, first emailed on September 21, 2006)

Email: “Your beer gut must be even bigger than mine the amount of guzzling you must do in the interests of research. You should know that a hoary old favourite, John Bull Pub, will soon change its name and its style to Tim’s Texas Barbecue. [Owner] Frank [Siegel] is going to concentrate on his two (maybe more soon) Sequoia coffee houses. Sad, but inevitable.” - M.T.