Perfection achieved

I don't have any memories of the "old" Kro's Nest, since I moved here after all the drama happened and steered clear since the reviews all sucked. That being said, the "new" Kro's Nest is awesome and I think it will quickly become one of my favorite places in Beijing.

Since moving here I've really been missing huge greasy American pizza with its decadently unpretentious thick doughy crust and gobs of unhealthy toppings, served wtih a side of deep fried oniony goodness. You know, the kind of dinner that you feel vaguely guilty about having until you wash it down with a few Rogue Dead Guy ales, at which point you don't care about anything anymore.

Well, I'm not missing it anymore. I went with a friend to the Kro's Nest last night, figured out how to open the intimidating and imposing metal door door (look to your right and press the button that says "go ahead, press it, don't be scared") and we were inside. They seated us all the way in the back where it was warm and there was plenty of room, rather than right next to the front door to get hit with arctic blasts every time the door opened. This was a really nice touch, and well appreciated (I hate it when restaurants try to look more busy than they are by putting everyone in the front where it's cold). The place is huge, and has a really nice atmosphere, big airy ceilings and a glassed-in pizza kitchen reminiscent of Din Tai Fung where you can see everything being made. Of course, the kitchen was spotless and Kro himself was there busily rolling out crust.

We ordered a giant heaping plate of hand-made onion rings. They came fast, thin hand-sliced sheer deep fried crunchy oniony perfection, served with a generous side of ketchup. Rogue Dead Guy Ale was on the menu, fresh from the Pacific Northwest--if I didn't know better, I might think I was at Pagliacci in Seattle. My friend and I were both pretty hungry, so we weren't sure whether we should order a medium or a large--but fuwuyuan assured us a medium was enough. OK, medium it is. Half Hawaiian, half pepperoni, all sheer decadence. Hand-tossed crust came out of the oven with an absolutely perfect amount of sauce, cheese and toppings piled high. No stinginess on anything here, it's the real deal, full American indulgence, served with a free side of pizza sauce for dipping the crusts.

We got the bill and it didn't seem right - and maybe it wasn't. They gave us a 25% discount just because. Happy New Year maybe? I don't know why or whether you might get it, but it was a pleasant surprise anyway.

I won't give up Mao Mao Chong's magnificient margharita pizzas, but Kro's Nest has earned a spot near the top of my list. I'm just going to have to eat more pizza.