Mao Mao Chong has settled swiftly following its relocation from Wudaoying Hutong.

Jipangu’s joint owners, Michael and Hajime, have a simple motto: “Feel Nippon, Enjoy Sake.” Both are Japanese and self-proclaimed connoisseurs of their nation’s drinking culture, and they want to share their homeland’s hooch with you.

The personable folks down at De Casa are serious about their cocktails. Yeah, they deal in beer (Stella, RMB 30; Hoegaarden, RMB 40), have many whiskies and a wide selection of aperitifs, but cocktails are their business.

I opted for a Cuban triumvirate, and why not? The well-mixed Mojito was tangy, the Cuba Libre both crisp and tasty, and the Strawberry Daiquiri sweetly refreshing.

The newest place on the block seeks to gain its own identity with an opulent Sicilian renaissance theme. Resembling a cross between Doctor Parnassus’ Imaginarium and a Vatican library, even from the lobby, Latte looks like a lot of fun.

With whirring engine cogs, pressure gauges, scarlet leather sofas and decadent chandeliers, the interior is itself reason enough to venture past Mix and ride the glass elevator.

Shuangjing is slowly flourishing. Here resides The Brick, whose black mortar and bare-piped interior defy its devil-may-care philosophy. Ten-kuai bottles of Tsingtao, signature cocktails (RMB 30-50) and Skittle-infused vodka shots (RMB 20) signal fun and relaxation.

The Eternal
by Sonic Youth

It’s easy to criticize bands like Sonic Youth when they start doing things like teaming up with Starbucks and making radio-friendly music. But now, the coolest rock band since The Velvet Underground are back in the zone with this indie release off Matador Records.

Apart from a few lukewarm tracks like “Antenna” and “Walkin Blue,” that trademark guitar and tribal drumbeats will call back fans of Confusion Is Sex and Daydream Nation for a new revolution. The disaffected adolescent spirit nearly lost since Murray Street is once again reincarnated on The Eternal – otherwise, why else would Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon be howling “anti-war is anti-orgasm”? WG

Amidst the concrete and construction sites that continue to blemish our favorite drinking district, it was most pleasant to stumble (if a traipse through a lobby and up seven floors can be considered a “stumble”) onto an idyllic rooftop garden.

21st Century Breakdown
Green Day
Ever since Dookie, Green Day has garnished their three-chord punk records with the odd polka, raga, rockabilly, acoustic or vaudeville experiment. Each one was a good track, though jarring in the context of their albums. Now those genre-bending investigations finally pay off. 21st Century Breakdown is a flood of influences that swashes and purls through hoarse guitars, sweet ballads and hollered punk anthems. Whereas American Idiot gorged on indulgent ten-minute symphonies, 21st Century presents taut overtures fastened by lyrical and musical buckles. Take it as a treasure chest and not a scattering of doubloons – a triumphant addition to Green Day’s already sparkling catalogue. MJ

An uprooting of Oz proportions has set Cappuccino down at the opposite end of Bar Street. Upon seeing the extensive makeover, visitors may well testify that they aren’t in Cappuccino anymore. Manager Ryan says they want to “excite new customers,” which explains the newly installed svelte pole-dancing beauties.

Middle Cyclone by Neko Case

Neko Case has a voice made of dirt and wind. The earthy indie girl’s latest album of hard melodies laced with smooth country-girl vocals is yet another exhibition of her distinct bluegrass style. Teaming up with members of Los Lobos as well as several New Pornographers bandmates, Middle Cyclone is heavy on the love songs, as well as just plain heavy (“They’ve traded more for cigarettes than I’ve managed to express,” she croons on “Prison Girls”). Still, the album brims with an energy belonging only to a girl that is part sweetheart and part wild animal – a set of human tunes for howling at the moon. MD