Voting Hot as Final Four Comes to a Close Tonight
Voting is hot as we enter the last day of the Final Four balloting in the 2014 Pizza Cup ... tonight the polls close and tomorrow we reveal which two pies will vie for the finale.
It's been a long journey through the field of pizzas contesting for the title of Beijing's Best. We started with a comprehensive list of more than 150 Beijing restaurants and asked you, our readers, to seed them and sort them into four categories: Pizza Specialists, Bars/Cafés, Mid-Range Restaurants, and Upscale Restaurants.
For the past month you've been evaluating the 64 head to head, and in the last round we had you select the finalist in each of the four brackets, who now have until midnight to rally their fans to egg them on to the Penultimate Match.
Here's a quick preview of the two matches that close tonight:
Pizza Specialists vs Upscale Restaurants: Gung Ho! vs The Rug
Gung Ho!, the runner up of our 2011 match, is known for their gourmet style pizzas and prompt, peppy and oh-so-pink delivery boys. Founded by New Zealanders with deep roots in both Beijing and in the pizza biz, they are a force to be reckoned with.
The Rug is a surprise entrant into the Final Four, coming out of the unpredictable Upscale Restaurants bracket. Known mostly for their wide-ranging organic menu and super-popular brunches, The Rug's small selection of quality pizzas has punched their ticket to the top of the Upscale bracket.
Read more about these two contestants in our Pizza Cup coverage here:
- Behind the Scenes with Gung Ho!'s New Revamped Menu
- The Rug’s Guilt-Free Light Pizzas Power it Into the Pizza Cup Sweet 16
Bars/Cafés vs Mid-Range Restaurants: The Tree vs Eatalia
The Tree has the distinction of having served pizzas in Beijing for longer than all the remaining contestants combined. Though primarily known as a bar, it's been slinging wood-fired pies since 2001, and continues to do so to this day.
Eatalia is a relative newcomer to the pizza scene, but it's come a long way since its founding in post-Olympic Beijing. Driven by its Italian owner, it serves up a fine selection of pizzas and other Italian cuisine in its three locations around town.
Read more about these two contestants in our Pizza Cup coverage here:
- Wood-fired Pioneers The Tree Serve Up Smokey Slices
- Eatalia: Reaching for the Stars (of the Michelin Kind)
Images: The Beijinger
