Lighter fare includes seafood pasta and artful salads. (Mike Peters/China Daily)
A cocktail connoisseur, he's as focused on the bar as he is on the food menu - and occasionally they seem to meet, as in the pumpkin-pie cocktail (45 yuan). Perfect for those who are tempted to start a meal with dessert, it comes in a big martini glass and tastes like my momma's kitchen smells right before the Thanksgiving holiday. The signature beverage, however, may be the vanilla-bourbon iced tea, not as sweet as pie but equally smile-inducing. A splash of lime gives this drink an unexpected edge on the first sip, but the surprise is quickly addicting. So are the margaritas and the bellinis, the latter frozen and loaded with sangria as well as peachy goodness - perfect for a relaxing summer evening.
Can't find a good hot dog in China? Look no further: Merrett serves up the real thing in a fresh bun totted with plenty of cheese, onions and chunks of jalapeno.
Wild mushroom soup is a fancier treat, as is a pasta bowl studded with fat shrimps, mussels and a delicate cheese sauce. The chef's creativity flies more freely with the black miso cod, pan-seared with a citrus-sake glaze and mushroom risotto.
After downing our mess of ribs, with some nicely grilled vegetables on the side, we pass on dessert, settling back after dinner instead with the bellini sweetness that lingers in our glasses. On another visit, we saved room for a tasty apple crumble, another example of the way Merrett takes "diner food" to an exalted level.
Happily, prices are reasonable, thanks in part to a sister Chinese restaurant and resort hotel in the same complex, which the chef says gives him more volume-buying power.
Windy City's chow is served up in a laid-back dining room or on the expansive deck outside that stretches out over a small lake, now bursting with lotus blossoms. If mosquitoes love you, expect to be romanced at twilight if you didn't bring a bit of bug spray. If you forget, the problem may solve itself: An acrobatic group of small bats dances above the water at sunset - mysteriously, they prefer a meal of mosquitos to Merrett's ribs.
If you go
Windy City Ballroom
9 Yongtaizhuang North Road (north of the 5th Ring Road). 010-6299-3777.
