Capital Bites: Original Home Plate Reopens, Pyro Pizza Rebranded, Great Leap's New Pork Belly Sandwich and One-Kilo Pies from Two Guys

The city is waking from its winter slumber this last week of February. Places that were closed for renovations are reopening their doors with fresh looks, and kitchens are rolling out revamped menus for the coming of spring. I'll be bopping around the city this week to try a few of these new things, so keep your eyes here in the coming days. We'll have a couple first glances at new venues like bakery, Pantry's Best and new Indian joint, Moti Mahal.

In Wudaokou, Pyro Pizza has been closed for renovations since early January. They were being coy with promises of big things on the horizon and now seems the week that the team is ready to bring their plans public. They'll be doing a total redesign of the space and unveiling it with a new name (but same vibe and goods): Sugar Shack. The next big move brings the Beijing decade-old staple to new frontiers, that is, Hebei. The Wudaokou location is scheduled to reopen on March 7, with Hebei following two months later in May.

After a few months under the drill, the original Home Plate location near Xiaoyun Lu has finally opened again for business, and has gotten a fresh coat of paint to catch up with their new spot in Sanlitun's Courtyard 4. They've added a few new items to the menu such as smoked chicken, smoked sausage and a couple of new desserts.

This comes at a similar time to Great Leap's renovation of their original No. 6 location on Doujiao Hutong where I had the pleasure to drop by last week. Its sleek new look has the feel of the crazy-popular No. 12 Brewpub in Sanlitun, and Nightlife Editor Jessica Rapp will have the full scoop for you shortly. They continue to do minor tweaks to the menu at the flagship Brewpub, with the newest addition a gorgeous-looking thing of a pork belly sandwich. I've haven't gotten a bite of it yet, but that's top on this week's to-do list.

I'm under the firm belief that it's never too cold for ice cream. And if you're in a state-heated apartment, this is certainly true. Vai Milano's gelato is now available on Jinshisong's website, so if you are craving something cold without heading out into it yourself, consider this. They're offering 15 different flavors with 600g containers priced at RMB 148 and the option to mix-and-match flavors or create your own from two existing ones.

Sanlitun's Two Guys and a Pie are continuing delivery (email here to get on their list or order online), although they have parted from the dual service offered with Balmain Gourmet Sausages. Of greater note is the introduction of the family pie. These things come in three different flavors (Slow Lovin' Aussie, MC brah and The Biggs Apple), each scaled for four people and priced at RMB 120 for nearly a kilo's worth of pie. They're going with more of an English-style crust – that is, no puff pastry.

Expect new menus out all around town by the end of the week from everyone and their mother (Agua, Feast, and Frost – to name a few). And of course, new places continue sprouting up.

Photos: Cat Nelson, courtesy of Home Plate Bar-B-Que, Great Leap Brewing