Sanlitun stalwart Aperitivo has closed its doors to undergo what looks like a major renovation. Presumably the intention is to freshen things up and keep pace within Sanlitun's ever-competitive bar scene. Or maybe they've decided to rip out their popular patio on the basis that in a city where winter now lasts for six months and snow has fallen for the last three Sundays in February/March, having an outdoor terrace as your top attraction just doesn't make sense. Probably the former. Anyway, look out for more on Aperitivo's renovation - posters on the windows say the bar's new look will be unveiled by the end of March.

Just received received word from the people at Yugong Yishan that Pet Conspiracy's March 26 show at the venue has been canceled. At present, the YGYS gig was the band's only confirmed date this month, so it looks like fans may have to wait until April for their next chance to see Helen Feng and her gang in action.

Celebrity Chef Rey Lim has hung up his apron at Beijing's famous The CourtYard restaurant, leaving just after Chinese New Year to pursue other projects. And here's a tasty rumor - we've hard that maestro chef and Boston native Dan Segall might be getting involved at the near-legendary restaurant beside the Forbidden City.

As A.A. Milne said "You cannot tell a man by the lobster he eats, but you can tell something about him by the literature he reads, " so there you go. With that in mind we took a good snoop at some Beijinger's bookshelves and the results were, well, you can find out for yourself in the March issue of the Beijinger's Cover Feature. 

There's much more inside the magazine than that. For a start there's a cut-out-and-keep Guy Delisle comic (more accurately it's a cut-out-and-fold-into-a-mini-zine-and-keep comic). You don't see those everyday.

Beijing’s most famous culinary absentee, three Michelin starred chef Daniel Boulud, is gracing our humble town this Saturday to cook a decadent eight course feast. It’s a genuinely one-off opportunity to taste what arguably New York’s most famous chef has to offer, and a place can be yours for (you may want to steady yourself on a nearby piece of furniture)… RMB 2800.

After growing up in Jerusalem “where to call Jesus you dial local,” Adam D. Tihany has made his mark by masterminding chic interiors all over the world, from New York to Vegas to Dubai, and most style-capitals in-between.

Now one of the world’s pre-eminent hospitality designers, Mr. Tihany, will soon be marking the debut of his design concepts in Beijing. Tihany has designed the interiors for what will be the city’s highest dining and entertainment venues, located from levels 79 to 81 of the 330-meter tall China World Tower (Guomao 3) at the China World Trade Center complex.

Humankind’s perennial interest in end-of-year lists has bloomed tenfold this season as we set to bid farewell to the aughts. Lists, lists, lists – they’re everywhere, reflecting our collective impulse to mark the passage of time by compartmentalizing a year’s (or decade’s) happenings as a sorted inventory.

We live in a part of the world that’s predisposed to list-making – e.g., the Four Great Inventions, Four Great Beauties, Olympics dos-and-don’ts, basically every government circular – and in that spirit, China Daily has compiled not one, not two, but 21 (and counting?) top-10 lists, under the heading “The Top 10 Everything of 2009.”

Well, what’s good enough for China Daily is good enough for me, so I’ve made a top 10 of my own, The Top 10... wait, no… The 10 Superlative! Top-10 Lists in China Daily’s “The Top 10 Everything of 2009.”

Legation Quarter Ltd. and its controlling shareholder, HKC (Holdings) Ltd has adamantly denied claims made in Aqua's recent press release concerning the circumstances surrounding the impending closure of their restaurant at Ch'ien Men 23. The following is Legation Quarter Ltd.'s official press release:

We've been suspicious since somebody told us The Killers are coming. After all previous "unforeseen circumstances" and "commercial reasons", it seems the most reasonable reaction is getting ready for the disappointment. But this time it seems for sure - both Universal Music Group and Gehua Live Nation have confirmed that The Killers' concert at Workers' Gymnasium on Jan 26 has been approved by authorities. The show is also listed on The Killers' official website.

Agua, the award-winning Legation Quarter restaurant helmed by Spanish chef Jordi Valles, has been closed for business for several days over the past week. The restaurant told us they are having problems with the electrics and hope to be open again soon. However, an inside source claims that the management company in charge of the complex have cut the power due to months of unpaid rent.