Should Be #1 For Pizza!

With new spots sprouting up daily across Beijing for China's nouveau rich to dump cash on frilly fruit plates and passable world cuisine, the shamefully low-priced New York-Italian standards of The Park Restaurant may be the downfall of an otherwise great location (right next to Yugong Yishan/walking distance from Nanluoguxiang) with quality food and alluring atmosphere. For the expat crowd anyway, you'd think would be a hit. However, The Park seems ghostly empty, the Dongbei owner/bartender sullen and wistful.

The ambience here does a fine job of immediately cutting you off from the outside world, taking you back to a time when you knew the owner and chef of your favorite corner dive by first name.

The bottom floor is classy and compact, with just enough room for five or so tables. Up top, the array of seating makes it ideal for private parties or a spacious, romantic dinner for two on a slow night.

Our table was wedged up on a stage where a jazz trio might play, a red curtain snaking around the table's edge. Post-modern knick-knacks and artifacts pepper the room like a Parisian cafe or alleyway exhibit. South American trance music breezed from hidden speakers.

The offered fare is a minimalist's interpretation of all the Italian classics. The meal began with a roast chicken salad, with fresh, crisp arugula dressed with a bitingly tangy Balsamic.

The Park's speciality seems to be pizza, and I was delighted by the selection of available topping combinations, revealing the chef to be an inventive yet conservative connoisseur of the famous pie. I went with plain cheese to minimize the variables of my taste test.

Following that was a no-frills garlic and olive oil pasta, the shortlist of ingredients married in perfect harmony. Of the evening, this was actually one of the standout dishes. I ordered a glass of inexpensive Chilean wine and was impressed with its smoky flavor of cinnamon, subtle enough to not overpower the dinner. Normally, I don't like red wine, but this was a pleasure to drink.

The sea bass with grilled vegetables was nearly a letdown but its overcooked sponginess was parlayed by its crisp skin lightly fried in a dazzling butter sauce. A nice touch was the side offering of unskinned banana slices and juicy melon squares.

Finally, the star of the show arrived: an oven-baked, hearty pizza, served on a wooden slate, glowing with oily, roasted cheese.

A large part of the past several years I have been searching for the Best Pizza In Beijing and I think (for the price, at least) I have found a winner. The first bite flooded my brain with the satisfaction one feels after finally landing the killing shot after a long and exhausting hunt. The crust was thin but not unsubstantial, crunchy and full yet not filling and, the cheese, rich and gooey without being too heavy as to offset the tender balance.

A pleasant and stylish atmosphere, a quality and varied wine list and delicious, Western food like this should fetch a higher price, so the biggest delight of the evening was the check: under 200 RMB for dinner and wine for two.

During the affair, only two other diners stopped in. I recommend going as soon as possible, either before the prices are raised to where they deserve to be or before the whole place goes under. Tip to bar-crawlers: start the night here with their cheap and expansive list of delicious cocktails.