Battles Get Saucy as Pizza Cup Marches On
First blood has been drawn in the battle to declare Beijing's best pizza as the first round of the 2014 Pizza Cup closed Wednesday night, victors mustering their forces and the defeated licking their wounds.
As expected, the pre-tournament rankings proved accurate, as most top seeds moved on to see another day. Most of the notable upsets came in the fickle Bars/Cafes round where Shuangjing's Bang Bang Pizza (ranked #13) toppled 798's Xian Bar (#4) and 1st Floor (#11) cooled off Frost (#6).
Also as testimony to the power of local contestants, most large chains were pushed aside in the first round, with Pizza Hut, Domino's and Papa John's all being shown the door.
Now the competition gets exponentially tougher to call. The second round features a few key battles: First-round victories and pre-seeding has resulted in former business partners Kro's Nest and Tube Station now battling it out to see who survives; meanwhile Stuff'd and Vineyard Cafe, managed by the same people, find themselves locked in an internecine battle to see who moves on.
Be sure to check for deals on trying the 32 remaining contestants in our events section and in this post here; in the mean time, here's the blow-by-blow detail of First Round Action:
Pizza Specialists
Pizza+ (#1) whaled on pig-ear pizza specialists WhaleWell Pizzeria (#16)
The Kro's Nest (#2) caused Flypizza & Hoodadak Chicken (#15) to crash land
La Pizza (#3) smacked down Pizza Hut (#14)
Hutong Pizza (#4) narrowly outdistanced deep-dish specialists Yummy Box (#13)
Gung Ho! Pizza (#5) knocked over Domino's (#12)
Pie Squared (#6) edged New York Pizza (#11)
Tube Station (#7) bounced Pizza Buona (#10)
Pizza Express (#8) showed Papa John's Pizza (#9) who's their daddy
Bars/Cafes
The Tree (#1) uprooted Laker's (#16)
Sugar Shack (#3) passed by Passby Bar (#14)
Mao Mao Chong (#2) inched past Nanjie (#15)
Luga's Little Italy (#5) pushed aside Ramo (#12)
The Irish Volunteer (#7) sent Twilight (#10) off into the sunset
The Local (#8) outsted The Den (#9)
1st Floor (#11) cooled off Frost (#6)
Bang Bang Pizza (#13) toppled Xian Bar (#4) in the major upset of the round
Mid-Range Restaurants
Annie's (#1) bitch-slapped Elisa's Italian Restaurant (#16)
Eatalia (#2) zoomed past Abella Italian Restaurant (#15)
Vineyard Café (#3) knocked the dentures out of Grandma's Kitchen (#14)
Alio Olio (#4) greased Peter's Tex-Mex (#13)
Lily's American Diner (#5) mulched The Veggie Table (#12)
Stuff'd (#6) put a hole through Mrs. Shanen's Bagels (#11)
Scott's Family Ristorante Italiano (#7) bounced Loft Eatalicious (#10)
Peter Pan (#9) flew by Charlie's Italian Café (#8)
Upscale Restaurants
Sureño, The Opposite House (#1) outclassed FA Cafe (#16)
LMPlus (#2) punched Time Cafe (#15)'s clock
Tavola (#3) cut down Bene, Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng Hotel (#14)
Mio, Four Seasons Hotel (#4) outsted Prego, Westin Financial Street (#13)
Isola (#5) beat Matta Italian Restaurant (#12)
La Dolce Vita (#6) lived it up against Fratelli Fresh, Renaissance Beijing Capital Hotel (#11)
Kitchen Igosso (#7) sent Agrilandia (#10) out to pasture
The Rug (#8) sent packing Via Roma, Kempinski Hotel (#9)
We also asked you to rank the contestants that didn't make it into the field of 64, and your overwhelming favorite was "none of the above." However, some of you expressed a passion for some of these bracket-busters:
65. Red House
66. Hercules
66. M+ Café
66. Nasca Cafe
67. Paddy O'Shea's
68. PBD Pizza Bar
69. Pizza Maru
70. Bella Vista
71. Alba
71. Parkside Bar & Grill
71. Windy City
71. The Yard
72. Amigo Pizza
73. Paro
74. Sarpino's Pizzaria
75. Fuel
