Pizza Cup Bracket C Taste-Off Preview: Classic vs. Modern

The Beijingers | Dec 1, 2021 5:24 pm | Add a comment | 189 reads

This weekend get ready for classic and modern takes on the humble pizza pie at the Pizza Cup Bracket C Taste-Off Final – pitting classic-inspired pies from La Pizza and Annie’s against more modern takes from Q MEX and The Local.

Scan the QR code below to book a seat:

If you want seats to this weekend's Taste-Off on Dec 4, you'd better act fast! At press time there are only three tables of four left!

In the meantime, here's the pizzas that'll be served at the event:

Italian food stalwarts Annie’s are keeping things classic with their pizza entry – the Four Cheese, with these cheeses in question being shredded mozzarella, fresh mozzarella (aka cut from a ball), blue cheese and smoked provolone, all on top of a dough base and red pizza sauce.

Pizza purists and skeptics might ask the question: can a Mexican restaurant serve great pizza?

Perennial Pizza Cup participants Q MEX have risen up in the rankings since their Cup debut in 2015, coming in second in the 2019 bout behind Saporita and third place in 2020, certainly can, considering they know their way around a great number of dishes besides tacos and burritos.

The pie they’ll serve at this weekend’s contest, the Mexican Supreme, comes topped with all the usual supreme pizza suspects – salami, peppers, sauce, and mozzarella – but with the added kick of the restaurant’s spicy beef chorizo, for a decidedly South of the Border twist.

Opened in 2009, La Pizza has earned top spots over the years in our Pizza Cup listings, taking the #11 spot in last year’s competition. For 2021 they’re bringing a classic with some history, which they’ve dubbed the Contadina.

This pie is topped with sausage and friarelli – the tips of broccoli rabe – and was common in Naples up until the 1800s, when tomato sauce on pizza made its debut. .

Last but not least – The Local. They’re giving their entry a decidedly Chinese twist that's specially made for the taste-off. The Yunnan Grilled Chicken & Morel Pizza, inspired by the local cuisine of their head chef and a few other staff who hail from the southwestern province, comes topped with grilled chicken, foraged morel mushrooms, scallions and sesame.

The best of these four will be decided this Saturday, which leaves only one more Bracket Taste-Off to go:

Bracket D Final Taste-Off – Saturday, Dec 11
Great Leap Brewing大跃啤酒
Jing-A Brewing Co.京A
Pizza Show披萨秀
Pyro Pizza火鬼餐吧

All of this will of course decide who moves on to the Pizza Cup Grand Final on Dec 18!

“But Editor, you rouge raconteur”, you might say, “Why should I go to these tedious Taste-Offs, when I could just skip them and go to the Grand Final?”

To that, dear reader, I say this – these Taste-Offs offer you the chance to eat MORE pizza than if you just went to the Final, and you get to vote for your favorite one to be in it to win it.

Plus, each taste-off is like a different pizza party every week leading up to Dec 18.

Four different pies and different Pizza Cup swag to take home every time – this week it’s a mug certifying you as an official Pizza Cup Tasting Committee member – a welcome beer from Brooklyn Brewery, and our Olympics-inspired Pizza Pentathlon!

Expect games like Tabletop Air Hockey, a whole new Pizza Trivia, Mini Curling and more, all with the chances for teams to win gold, silver, and bronze medals.

Individual seats and tables of two are not available, but tables of four and eight can be purchased for RMB 150 per person (or RMB 250 per person if you'd like to add the free-flow cocktails option: all-you-can-drink mojitos, Aperol spritzes, rose margaritas, Cuba Libres, and gin & tonics for the duration of the event).

Currently, we're not selling tickets to the Grand Final, however, tickets to the two remaining preliminary taste-offs can be booked right now – and purchasers of the preliminaries will get the first shot at tickets for the final.

What are you waiting for? Book your tickets today!