BAROLO

The Ritz-Carlton Beijing

北京丽思卡尔顿酒店BAROLO餐厅

English Version: Randy Lee Svendsen  Chinese Version: Rita 

Photos: by The Ritz-Carlton Beijing

http://www.grandhotels.com.cn/eWebEditor_V280_Free_sp1/UploadFile/200878125148358.jpg 

Dear Cherry,

I was surprised at first when I heard that a second Ritz-Carlton had opened in Beijing. I was ever more surprised when I found out that an old friend of mine, Ronnie Rizzi, was the manager of their new restaurant BAROLO. I work in Beijing, but I still live in San Diego, California, USA, traveling back and forth on a regular basis. About 3 years ago Ronnie came to manage my favorite fine dining restaurant where I live in downtown San Diego. It was the elegant French restaurant Le Fountainebleau in the Westgate Hotel, a Leading Hotels of the World participating property. Ronnie, from a village in the North of Italy near Venice, always prided himself in personally making my martini, assisting me with my menu selections, and choosing all of my wines. This he did with the greatest skill, and he really spoiled me. I was sad to see him leave a couple of years later when he returned to Europe. No manager there since Ronnie has been able to fill his shoes. I continue to frequent Le Fountainebleau, however, whenever I am home in San Diego, and one of my other friends there told me that Ronnie was opening BAROLO at the new Ritz-Carlton in Beijing. Well, on my return to Beijing I called and left a reservation at BAROLO as Randy Lee. In China I always use my middle name Lee because it is much easier than trying to pronounce or spell Svendsen when making dinner reservations. I also knew that Ronnie would not recognize Randy Lee when he reviewed the dinner roster that evening because he knows me as Randy Svendsen and I wanted to surprise him; and this I did!  When I walked off the elevator on the second floor and approached the podium outside the entrance to BAROLO, Ronnie looked up and, shocked to see me, he gave me a big hug and said “What are you doing here?”  I told him I came to see him and try his restaurant. Needless to say, we had a lot of catching up to do. Ronnie was so excited to see an old friend that he immediately ran to the kitchen to make a perfect martini, exactly like he always has, and the best in Beijing for my style. We talked for a half an hour while I enjoyed my drink, and then he went to the kitchen to bring out the BAROLO Chef, Alessandro Montedoro to meet me. Obviously also from Italy, it was a pleasure to discuss the menu with him and get some recommendations. But let’s go back to the beginning when I first arrived at the hotel so I can give you my initial impressions.

Let’s face it. It is hard to beat the Ritz-Carlton for class: class just for the sake of class. Every customer is treated like a millionaire from the second you step out of the car until you leave. Not a stranger to Ritz-Carlton properties, it felt good to be greeted by the doorman with “welcome back sir” and a positive comment about my traditional Chinese shirt, a silk Tang Zhuang. I was greeted in the lobby by a very charming young lady, who ushered me immediately to the elevator and personally delivered me to BAROLO. Stepping through the gold elevator doors, I entered the hallway with floors of beige marble with brown accents and designs. Straight ahead is “The Ritz-Carlton Bar”. Looking inside, the environment reminded me of a private club in London, NY, or Chicago in the 1950’s. Lots of dark wood and leather!  To the left of the bar is the entrance to BAROLO. The podium outside is dark red wood with silver striped accents around the edges. Behind it is a black and white photograph of an old palace fountain. A big white vase and leafy plant adds accent in front of the dark wood, and the name BAROLO is mounted on the glass in a stripe across the wine cellar in big block aluminum letters with the last O being the BAROLO spiral logo. Big glass doors open to the restaurant with sand blasted designs of this logo and the name BAROLO raised on the surface. Entering the restaurant I transitioned from the beige marble outside to dark wood floors inside. On the left are 2 red leather benches on chrome frames against the wall, which is covered with curtains of gold “see through” chiffon. On the right, I passed a dark red wood pillar and then the clear glass wine cellar, which you can walk into and sit at a tall, long, thick glass table for 8. The 4 bar stools on each side of the narrow table have upholstered seats and backs covered in beige vinyl with a dark wood frame that matchs the legs. For a nice elegant touch, a rectangular piece of white and gray marble is inlayed in the back of each high top bar stool. The purpose of this table is temporary seating for a drink while waiting for a table, or to have an after dinner drink while gazing at the surrounding fine wines of Italy and France. I always feel more comfortable when in the company of a lot of Champagne. The wine cellar has a white and gray marble base, matching the inlay in the back of the chairs, and sturdy metal framing. This is a very strong looking setting. Suspended above the table is an old looking rustic red wood base with lights sitting on top that look like 6 inch thick candles of different heights, all lit from within. Finishing off the table are 5 wood candle bases with a fresh red rose on each end. Nice!

Leaving the wine cellar and proceeding into the restaurant, the open kitchen is on the left. Totally visible, there are 2 major sections behind a bright yellow, back lit marble base. Across from the kitchen is a small dining room with 4 tables for 4. This space is nestled behind 8 beautiful round columns of sparkling clear crystals, which extend from ceiling to floor and are lit with bright white light on top and bottom, inside the column. This gives a beautiful effect on the room and serves as a room separator. Between this small dining room and the main dining room, and directly across from the kitchen, is a lone table for 4 for those adventurous types who want to see exactly what is happening in the kitchen. Entrance to the main dining room is through an opening, delineated by another gold chiffon curtain hanging from ceiling to floor on the right side of the entrance way. Against the wall on the right is a bench seat that extends the length of the room. The seat is covered in dark, burgundy vinyl, and the back is upholstered in red cloth with squiggly gold embroidered accents. On the bench is an 8 inch stuffed roll to lean back against for lumbar support. Finished in raised velour stripes in 3 red and 3 gold repeating pattern lengthwise, this round “pillow” extends the entire length of the bench. Along this bench are 5 tables for 2 with chairs opposite the bench. All chairs in the restaurant are covered in beige colored vinyl and have dark wood legs with brass caps on the bottom. Out on the floor are 3 round tables for 4 and one rectangle table for 6. All tables are covered in soft white table linens, custom made in Beijing with imprints of the BAROLO spiral logo. White napkins are from the same supplier and have the same nice sheen and feel. This goes nicely with the white Chinaware by NIKKO of Japan. The tables are finished off with a red glass candle holder with clear glass vertical stripes, and a small clear glass vase cut on an angle with one red rose wrapped at the base in a strip of a leaf. A real touch of class emanates from the fabulous Chiarugi silver plated matching salt and pepper grinders from Italy. I found myself gazing at these pieces of art for quite some time. I kept picking them up and feeling their heavy weight and smooth silver finish. These high quality, masculine grinders look so good on the table, I have been actively searching to find a pair for my home, and while writing this article I closed the deal with Macinapepe Chiarugi in Italy by email. I can’t wait to return to San Diego to receive these beauties and put them on my table!  All glassware is by Spiegelau and flatware by MEPRA of Italy. Ronnie told me he likes the MEPRA because the cutting edge of the blades of the knives are perpendicular to the table surface and, therefore, stick straight up into the air. Because table linens are touched by human hands after cleaning, having the cutting edge of the knives not directly touching the linens creates a more sanitary environment. I have never heard of this, but it does make sense. I’m glad Ronnie is looking out for our health!  Meanwhile, the MEPRA flatware gives a different and creative look to the table.

One constant in this restaurant’s design is a beautiful beige marble floor molding that goes up the wall from the floor about 10 inches and is 1 inch thick. This molding goes around the entire restaurant and provides a visible connection between all the rooms. Above the long bench seat the wall is painted an ivory white color and a large 4 feet high and 10 feet wide, unframed red textured painting with no discernable pattern dominates that side of the room. Illuminated with soft white lighting, I found myself looking at this painting a lot during dinner, not because I liked it, but because I was trying to understand what the designer was doing with it. Although the colors work very well together on and along that wall, the painting itself says nothing to me. Maybe all that red is good luck in China. I don’t know; some modern art escapes me. The most remarkable decoration in the room, however, is the mirrored wall separating the kitchen from the main dining room. Entering this dining room and on the left side of the hall it extends into the room about 5 feet, and then, turning left, covers the wall for another 13 feet or so to the end where the doorway to the kitchen is located. This mirror extends up the wall from the top of the marble floor molding to the ceiling. Illuminated strongly from the base molding and more subtly from the ceiling, this mirrored background is decorated with a sand blasted pattern of leafy vines repeating again and again over the entire surface of the wall. I have never seen anything quite like this and I like it. Opposite this wall are two large windows to the outside world, covered with the same gold chiffon curtains seen elsewhere in the restaurant, but framed on the sides by opened gold satin curtains. The rest of this wall, and others around the room are dark red mahogany. All other lighting in the main dining room comes from the window bases, the wall with the painting, and candles on each table. Very romantic!  Opposite the wall with the bench seating and the red painting is a glass wall covered on the other side of the glass in red chiffon curtains with red vertical stripes. This separates the main dining room from the private dining room for 12. Entering this room through a sliding glass doorway on the left, on the short left wall there is a large black and white photograph of a palace in Rome in an ornate silver painted carved wood frame with thick white matting. Other than the glass, all other walls in this room are dark red mahogany and there is one more window to the outside on the short wall opposite the photograph. The substantial table is long and rectangular in shape. The top is made of 2 inch thick clear glass over 3 dark red vinyl covered bases. The long wall behind the table has 2 double glass door wine cellars on either end, separated by a built in serving counter with 3 unframed textured paintings 2 feet square in red, ivory, and mustard colors mounted above. There are two tall floor lamps on either end of the wall with cylindrical tops of opaque glass lit from within. On the ceiling are 2 chandeliers make from clear tubes of glass with a delicate drop of clear glass off each arm. They are similar in shape and size to an antique Venetian Glass chandelier of olden times, but smooth and modern.

Having been seated by the professional and lovely hostess named Helen Jin, and after my martini and initial discussions with my friend Ronnie, I was excited to review the wine list and menus. My waiter, Rick Qi, brought my sparkling water and my first glass of Champagne, a Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin “Yellow Label” non-vintage Brut, which I enjoyed while reviewing the wine and food offerings. The menus are bound in real brown leather, embossed with the BAROLO logo, and come complete with the leather smell that I love; a nice musky odor which accompanied well my glass of cold and yeasty Champagne. It reminded me of a leisurely drive through the sunny California countryside in my Jaguar Vanden Plas sedan, which waits for me in the garage under my apartment building in San Diego, aging like a fine wine.