After going around town watching the Winter Olympics, we're feeling the need to get into some full-on competition of the bar room variety. In Western culture, the bar sits next to the rink, the court, and the pitch as the premiere sporting venue of our time. Nine-ball, billiards and foosball, along with the occasional bar room brawl, have become some of the great sports of the modern era. Of all bar room competitions, however, one stands out above all for its combination of skill, grace, and death-defying daring-do: darts. "Darts? The greatest of all bar games?" you balk. Yessir, darts trumps them all. Sharp pointy projectiles whizzing through the air, Zen-like focus, precision hand-eye coordination, it's all there. After the requisite number of pints, common men wielding well balanced shafts of composite metals become modern day Robin Hoods in nightly quests for glory and honor. Try doing that playing foosball.

Roundabout conferred with Kostas I., one of Beijing's own darting sportsmen, to come up with a list of the city's top darting venues.

1. Goose and Duck. Kostas says: Boards upstairs, boards downstairs and lots of space. The best. We say: Size does matter. The biggest venue in town is the the place to be for those aiming for the bull's eye.
   
2. Joe's Bar and Grill. Kostas says: Good American food, good service, and good decorations.
   We say: This Hong Kong-based chain does a solid imitation of the American sports bar. Go for the darts, stay for the burger.
   
3. 5:19 Bar & Grill. Kostas says: Good food, good service, and a great second floor space for darts.
   We say: When the roof opens, can we play darts outside?
   
4. Black Sun Bar: Kostas says: The darts board is between the bar and the pool table, not convenient.

We say: The quintessential dive bar. Even if the cramped set-up isn't that great, the drink prices make things comfortable. Go but wear eye-protection. | TBM