Fatburger has opened up a new front in Beijing's burger wars with their first Mainland China branch in The Grand Summit complex just north of the Kempinski Hotel. We dropped in for lunch today (hat tip to Beijing Boyce for his timely twitter post) and found the place hopping on this, its first official day of business after a slight delay due to some issues with sourcing their beef.  Business was so brisk, in fact, it was hard not to feel a bit sorry for the forlorn O'Brien's counter (owned by the same management) in the corner.

2009 was certainly one of the more interesting years in recent memory – the Swine Flu hit, the world economy collapsed (and then showed signs of life), Michael Jackson died and Obama sputtered through his first year of presidency. And over on this side the PRC celebrated its 60th anniversary, the web got a whole lot less accessible and real estate prices continued to skyrocket.

Things were subsequently pretty interesting on this blog as well. With the Olympics now a memory, Beijing continued surging forward with a host of new openings, construction, regulations, restrictions and subway lines, even as things closed down, fizzled out or burst into flames.

So as we move forward into a new year and new decade, we thought we’d jump in the list making fray with our own look back at the Top Ten posts of the year on this site, according to page views:

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:

New Year’s resolution for sports have always been associated with winning another champion or breaking the world record, but for China’s sportswear tycoon Li Ning, his resolution is open his first US store in Portland on January 4.

Richard Saint Cyr (better known in Beijing as Dr Richard) has gained a large following for his blog about medical and health issues in the capital – a subject of no small concern to locals and foreigners alike. We often refer to the good doctor's posts here on the Beijinger blog, so we though it was about time we sat down and talked with Dr Richard about about his background, life in Beijing and dealing with air pollution and the H1N1 virus.

Under new management and newly re-opened after four months of renovations, this upscale European restaurant and lounge is located in the heart of the capital just east of the Forbidden City, one of the few venues of its kind in this area.

Raised in a military family that was constantly on the move, American Marc Curtis grew up appreciating travel and different cultures. A career in TV production furthered his passion for experiencing new places and after extensive travels around the world he arrived in China four years ago to set up a business in the domestic tourism industry. Today he operates China Wine Tours, a company that organizes wine tours in China. We spoke with him last month about his background, business and favorite Chinese wines.

In Beijing, celebrating Thanksgiving with a turkey feast has become a yearly tradition for expats and locals alike. Here’s our definitive (and alphabetically ordered) line-up of where to tuck in. Note - we’ve indicated which of these venues can prepare cooked turkeys and sides for you to take home to enjoy with friends and family.

Give yourself a mid-week treat and indulge yourself at these two wine and cheese events happening tonight:

Wine and Cheese Pairing at Scarlett
Order any bottle of wine and get a free 5-cheese platter that guests can choose for themselves at the cheese station.
Scarlett. Hotel G, 7A Gongti Xilu, Chaoyang District. (6552 2880) 朝阳区工体西路甲7号北京极栈内

The great grape is the theme of the latest issue of Agenda, as we feature an interview with The Hilton Beijing’s head sommelier Julia Zhu along with a full schedule for the Hilton Food & Wine Experience, happening Saturday, November 14 at The Hilton Beijing on the Third Ring.

Also in this issue are recommendations for great wine buys from Grapewallofchina.com blogger Jim Boyce as well as tips on ordering wine in Beijing restaurants by French wine expert Nicolas Carre. Edward Ragg and Fongyee Walker talk about the Chinese wine scene and Tomaz Hladnik talks about managing one of Beijing’s most popular wine bars, Enoteca.