Vote for Beijing’s Top Tapas: Spanish Wine & Tapas Tour

Presented by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce & CityWeekend, a Spanish Tapas & Wine Tour will be taking place across nine different restaurants in Beijing from June 1st-15th.

This wine & tapas tour is a great way for you to sample fine Spanish wines in a variety of Beijing’s best tapas restaurants:

• 1949’s Taverna
• Carmen
• Niajo
• Saffron
• Provincia (Marriott Hotel)
• Cafe Europa
• Olas Tapas
• Palette Vino
• Mare

Each restaurant will offer a 2-for-1 Drink Happy Hour from 6-7PM.

For every glass of wine you order, you will receive one “Tapa of the Contest” for free (if you order a bottle of wine, then you will receive five complimentary tapas).  In addition to loading up on free tapas, for every wine glass or bottle ordered, you will also receive a voucher for a 10% discount in the next a la carte meal in all participating restaurants (excluding wines, spirits, and soft drinks). Discount is valid until June 15th.

After you’ve journeyed through your Wine & Tapas Tour, you can vote for your Top Tapas on CityWeekend’s site, here.

Award Ceremony for Beijing’s Top Tapas:

Spanish Tapas & Wine Tour will end up with an awards ceremony at The Emperor Hotel’s terrace.

During the awards party, four different Spanish wine distributors will also be serving eight glasses of Spanish wine and cava, all of them different brands and appellations of origin, altogether with a two-hour buffet.

Featuring a live Spanish guitar concert, this event will give you a real taste of Spain.

Additional information or questions: info@spanishchamber-ch.com

Location: The Emperor Hotel
Date: Thursday, 17th June 2010
Time: 19:30 – 22:30 h
Price: 150 RMB

Apologizes for the late notice, but better late than never right?

A Taste of Spain: Spring Wine Tasting

“A Spring Wine Journey to Spain to Enjoy its Different Colors, Aromas and Textures.”

Enjoy a special wine tasting this Thursday, June 3rd at 1949 THE HIDDEN CITY.

Hosted by MPC Wines from Spain and the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, come and learn about 4 different styles & wines from Spain inclusive of free flow Spanish Tapas matching the peculiarities of selected wines.

“We will be presenting the sensuality and sophistication of our cava, the sweet crispiness of Orvalaiz Rosado, the traditional garnacha coupage from Navarra and the exoticness of zalema, a white from Condado de Huelva.“

Event Details:

• Date: Thursday, June 3rd

• Time: 19:30-22:00
• Venue: 1949 The hidden city terrace
• Address: Courtyard 4, Gongti Beilu Sanlitun工体北路四号院(太平洋百货南门对面 (Tel: 133-1126-1949, 6501-1949)
• Wines: Cava 1+1=3 (Macabeo), Inurrieta Sur (Garnacha, tempranillo, mazuelo), Marqués de Villalúa (Zalema), Orvalaiz Rosado(Garnacha)
• Price: 100 RMB includes 4 pours of selected wines from Spain plus free flow Spanish tapas
  
• Music: Flamenco
• Reservations: contact v.muedra@mpc2008.com or call 6773-4688.

Palette Vino

Off the beaten track, Palette Vino is hidden down the alley of a narrow hutong street. Despite its inaccessible location, Palette Vino offers a notable and extensive wine list, weekly wine events and great set menus (RMB 145 for 3 courses or 165 for four courses), which are sure to impress wine lovers and foodies alike.

I would recommend visiting Palette Vino on a Friday night to enjoy a tasting of 5 different wines + tapas for only RMB 100 from 6-8PM, followed by a 3 course set menu (starter, pasta dish, & main).  A great find for a nice bottle of wine was the Rosso di Montalcino, Tuscany at only RMB 280. Desserts seem to be the only weakness of this hidden gem.

Recommendations from Palette Vino’s 4-course Set Menu:

Starter:

• Sauteed Prawns*
• Tuna Carpaccio*
  

  Swordfish Main Course

• Pan Seared Scallops

Freshly Made Pasta:

• Spinach Linguini
• Wild Mushroom Ravioli*

Main Course:

• Char-Grilled Beef Tenderloin*
• Pan-fried Salmon*
• Red Wine Braised Lamb Shank*
• Char-Grilled Lamb Chop (the meat is a bit fatty)
• Char-Grilled Tuna
• Char-Grilled Lamb Kebabs
  

  Char-Grilled Lamb Chop

• Swordfish

Dessert Selection:

• Vanilla Ice Cream
• Tiramisu
• Cheese Cake
• Baked Pear Dessert

A la Carte Steak Selection: from local beef tenderloin (RMB 120) to Japanese Teruka Beef Rib-Eye* (RMB 198) includes side dish (sauteed mushrooms, arugula salad, or grilled veggies) and sauce.

Review of Palette Vino: 5 Dongsi Shiyitiao (on the right side of the alley street), 东四十一条5号;  Tel: 6405-4855

Best Part:

• Cozy, intimate atmosphere within the Hutong courtyard space
• Fine Wines & Wine Events
• Quality set menu and variety of selection (RMB 145 for 3-course or RMB 165 for four course)
• Very friendly, knowledgable and accommodating staff & service

Comments:

• Dessert selection could be improved
• Location is not the easiest to find, so I recommend checking a map before heading there.
• If you come in a big group, Palette Vino can arrange for a special limited set menu (RMB 100 for a 3-course menu)

Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best)

• Food: 8
• Atmosphere: 9
• Service: 8
• Overall Experience: 8
  

SALT Turns Two

Tonight, SALT celebrated its Second Year Anniversary with champagne, fresh fruit daiquiris, food so good it was ambushed as soon as it stepped outside the kitchen, and a sophisticated crowd of foodies with an appreciation and loyalty to this contemporary and personable restaurant, a place that continuously receives recognition for its service, food quality, innovative young chef & Fashionista Ana Esteves, and good value.

Highlights of the evening: fresh strawberry daiquiris, tender lamb chops, mini cups of soup, smoked salmon ceviche, skewers of meat…along with pretty much every item that was all on point.

I highly recommend SALT’s winter lunch set menu with 2 courses at RMB 88 and 3 courses at RMB 98.

For the more adventurous foodies, try SALTASTATION, the popular degustation concept from SALT. A pairing menu with five innovative tasting courses paired carefully with personally selected new and old world wines. 488rmb all inclusive, 288rmb food only.

Congratulations to SALT on a very successful celebration and to many more anniversaries to come!

Enoteca: Your ‘Best Enemy’

Last night, while I dined at Enoteca for its killer Gourmet Month Special, I discovered why some call Enoteca their ‘Best Enemy’.

As luck would have it, we just happened to dine at Enoteca while they were hosting a wine tasting of beautiful red, white and rose Argentenian wines – Ampakama.

After sampling almost 10 different bottles of red and white wines, my taste buds confirm my appreciation for Syrah and Cabernet Franc. Very impressive.

Favorite Quote of the Night: “Enoteca’s wine deals are dangerous.  I come here after work for a glass of wine and figure that with two glasses, I might as well get a bottle. (bottles start at rmb99) I invite friends to share the bottle of wine, which quickly turns into 3 bottles. I love this place, but it really is my Best Enemy.”

Gourmet Month Menu Special: For only 99RMB, they offer 4 courses plus a generous glass of wine.

Gourmet Month menu highlights: Pumpkin Soup, Snow Crab Turnip Carpaccio, Poached Veal and all three desserts: Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Mousse, and Cinnamon Crème Brûlée

Enoteca Review: M102 Northern Tower, The Place, 9A Guanghua Lu, CBD/Guomao 光华路9A世贸天阶北街F1-M102 Tel: 6587-1578

Best Part:

• The food is up to par with their wine, which says a lot
• They have a great Sunday Brunch
• Their wine specials are dangerously tempting
• They are always hosting wine tastings and Manager Thomas is great with wine recommendations and suggestions
• Great desserts: love their cinnamon crème brûlée and chocolate mousse 
  
• They feature live music (Blues band on Wednesdays, Jazz band on Thursdays)

Comments:

• I wish their food menu was more extensive
• Gourmet Month Menu is a great value – 4 courses PLUS a glass of wine for only RMB 99 (but note that the four courses are more like tapas than course meals)

Black Sesame Kitchen: The Not-So-Secret Hidden Gem

A lot of people have heard of Black Sesame Kitchen’s fun and interactive cooking classes or wine ‘n dine dinner parties, but not so many people know that once a month, Black Sesame Kitchen will host a special 10-course traditional Chinese meal + all-you-can-drink quality wine for RMB 150 per person. Doesn’t get much better than that.

Black Sesame Kitchen may not be listed among CityWeekend’s Gourmet Month Restaurants, but it may as well be, considering how incredibly awesome this steal of a bargain is!

Hosted by my very favorite event manager, Candice Lee aka C-dice, she really does wonders for this little hutong kitchen. Considering she knows EVERYONE in Beijing, there is always a fully-booked table with all the cool kids in town (foodies who know where it’s at).

This special deal only occurs once a month (typically the first Wednesday of every month), but the cooking classes are a ton of fun and Black Sesame Kitchen is the perfect destination to impress out-of-towners and host private dinner parties whether its a birthday, corporate event or wine tasting.

Black Sesame Kitchen Review: Off of Nanluoguxiang (turn when you see Log-in Bar), 黑芝麻胡同3号  Tel: 136-9147-4408

Best Part:

• You can indulge in an amazing 10-course meal PLUS all-you-can-drink QUALITY wine for only RMB 150 (special price available once a month)
• Best dessert EVER: Candied Apples Chilled in Vanilla Ice Cream
• Everything is cooked right in front of you, making for a really interactive dining experience – Chairman Wang is a culinary genius
• The wine selection is always superb in taste and quality
• The service is the best (C-dice is the perfect host, always on top of her game)
• A great option to host private dinner parties for a group of friends and the cooking classes are really great (*think birthday present for someone who loves cooking and good food).
• It’s a great place to bring friends or to meet new friends (always a great dining crowd of foodies who share the love for good food and wine)

Comments:

• Incredibly tricky to find if it’s your first time (but I promise you it’s worth the extra effort – just carefully follow the directions they send to you)
• You need to learn to pace yourself and prepare for heaps of food that seems to never stop coming (my first time, I made the terrible mistake of overloading on the first dishes and was stuffed by the 5th course – reminder: there are 10! And trust me, you’ll want to save room for their dessert)

Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best)

• Food: 9
• Atmosphere: 8
• Service: 9
• Overall Experience: 9
  

Wine Bar Enoteca Serves Up a Sweet Weekend Brunch

Turns Out – Enoteca (Located in The Place Shopping Mall), known for their fine wine selection, just served up another reason to extend your weekend stay – they just started a sweet weekend brunch! Shanghai’s ever-popular wine bar is now also a great Sunday Brunch destination. Who knew?

*Enoteca just launched a new menu 2 days ago and I’m a big fan of their brunch:

I highly recommend:

Enoteca’s Brunch (available Sat-Sun until 4pm) RMB 120, includes:

• Salmon Tartar
• Quiche (today it was mushroom)
• Chicken Caesar Salad
• Brie + Emmental Cheese paired with Parma Ham + Cooked Ham
• Egg ‘a la coque’ with caviar
• Bread
• Butter Croissant
• Jam
• Fresh Yogurt
• Fresh OJ/Grape Juice

Enoteca's Brunch

For those who prefer a more typical American brunch, try their American Plate for RMB 98

• Eggs Benedict (choose from ham or salmon)
• Pesto Sauteed Mushrooms
• Pork Sausages
• Grilled Bacon
• Hash Brown
• Baked Tomato
• House Salad
• Fresh OJ/Grape Juice

For those who prefer a lighter brunch option, I recommend their

3 Tomatoes Salad for RMB 45 (all salads are RMB 45):

• Sundried, Roasted + Fresh Tomatoes, Feta Cheese and Olives