Capital Bites: What We Ate in 2012

Marilyn Mai | Dec 28, 2012 6:00 pm | Add a comment | 1555 reads

I like to think of this year as a little bit Jekyll, a little bit Hyde. When it comes to dining out, Beijing’s becoming more two-faced than ever. How so? On the one hand, the city continues to chase the dream of becoming a global food destination – which means more five-star hotels with kitchens manned by Michelin chefs. On the other hand, we’ve got a love affair going with community hole-in-the-wall spots that offer good food at good value, and it’s only getting hotter. Let’s take a look back.

Beijing's had another landmark year in 2012, with properties like EAST Beijing, The Four Seasons and Parkview Green all finally opening their doors after much hullabaloo.

EAST offers some great dining options in that part of town (with Feast and Hagaki) but The Four Seasons is really pushing to bring Beijing to a whole other level with Mio, their Italian restaurant. In fact, we tried their new menu yesterday and the food was so amazing we had to try not to smile like idiots the whole way through. Their chef, Marco Calenzo, is young but extremely talented and has knocked about in Michelin kitchens for years. You can tell he’s hungry to make a name for himself.

There are also rumors that Umberto Bombana, the Michelin chef who’s stirred things up in Hong Kong and Shanghai with his 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana restaurants, is looking to open up a spot at Parkview Green in Beijing, called AZ790. It’s still early in the process, but we were told some of Bombana’s people dined at Mio just a couple nights ago. Doing their homework, looks like. So the big question is: How much longer can Michelin ignore China’s capital?

After Alice Waters’ visit last November, Beijing got two Californian shots in the arm, in the form of Jeff Powell’s Back Alley Bistro and Frank Sun’s F by Tribute. Tribute’s a little more ambitious and upscale, but both are bringing those fresh, simple sensibilities we love from Left Coast cuisine.

Of course, 2012 was also a big year for the little guys. Home Plate Bar-B-Que beat out heavyweights Maison Boulud and Hatsune for Restaurant of the Year, also taking home Best New Restaurant and Best American in the Beijinger’s 2012 Reader Restaurant Awards.

To top it all off, they just finished out the year by winning our Burger Cup, up against the other Cinderella story of the competition, Brussels (seeded at a lowly #21). Both are small neighborhoods joints owned by members of the community, serving great food at really fair prices. Similar spots: Mercante, The Big Smoke, Uncle Otis. There are also the scrappy upstarts who started off in their own kitchens but started serving out of real shops this year:

  • Two Guys and a Pie
  • Jamaica Me Crazy
  • Tavalin Bagels (they’ve got a storefront now, so we’ll count 'em for 2012)

This was also the year of better Mexican food, both high and low. Q Mex took things up a notch with a legit chef straight from Mexico City and delish tequila cocktails. Lucky Lopez brought more options on the fast-casual end. I’m still holding out for a late night tacos al pastor truck like we get on the streets of LA … A girl can dream, right?

And of course, 2012 was a good year for the craft brew. Slow Boat Brewery and Jing A came alongside Great Leap Brewing to form a great foundation for Beijing’s brewing scene going forward.

Other notables:

  • Bar Veloce raised the bar (har har) for wine bars in Beijing. A cleverly curated selection of wines meets delicious paninis and salads in a setting that’s just shy of being too hip for its own good.
  • Wagas, which was packed as soon as it opened. (Though I’m sure it wasn’t hurt by Element Fresh’s period of renovations.)
  • Morton's. Steak, old school cocktails and an excellent happy hour deal.

What was your food highlight of 2012? Tell us in a comment below.

Photos: Marilyn Mai