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Peter Chang China Cafe, Szechuan Restaurant Chain Undergoing Expansion


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I heard this opened on Monday.  Does anyone have anything to report?

Nothing on Rockville, but a little secret about Arlington: Despite them saying they don't do the Scallion Pancake (the globular puff) to go, if you tell them, "I don't care if it's flat," they'll do it (mine wasn't even flat, but I wouldn't have cared if it had been - they should just go ahead and puncture it to avoid hassles in packaging).

I've recently had Scallion Pancakes from Peter Chang Cafe (Williamsburg and Arlington), Hong Kong Palace, and Mala Tang, and while Peter Chang's was the best (and this is, I believe, after he had gone to Rockville), both Hong Kong Palace's and Mala Tang's were very good and well-worth ordering.

And they hardly have any calories at all because they're so light and airy, right? Right?!

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I heard this opened on Monday.  Does anyone have anything to report?

We went last night.  As with our dinner in Arlington, half the dishes were pretty good and the other half were very good.  We tried to order differently from last time, and the notably great dishes IMO were the fried pork belly appetizer (same price as the eggplant!) and the tofu/fish ball in chicken broth.  Scallion pancake was top-notch as always.  Service was inconsistent, to put things kindly, and I give them a pass under the assumption/hope that things will improve with time.  It helped that at least some servers from Arlington were brought in to make the opening more smooth.

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We were there Monday night.  Surprisingly it wasn't very crowded- expecting that will change with time. We've been to the location in Charlottesville a number of times, so were trying to order different things - meaning no scallion pancake.

Grandma's Noodle with chili powder, scallion, garlic, and cilantro was excellent. This dish will go on my regular rotation- it's a perfect amount of spice and complexity. Stir fried shredded smoked duck was good- but not sure I would order it again. It doesn't compare to other dishes I've had including dry fried eggplant and hot and numbing flounder with tofu in clay pot.  My husband ordered boneless whole fish with pine nuts in a sweet red sauce.  This was good but would be better shared between more people- it's too sweet to eat for one or even two people.

I am delighted to have Chef Chang in Rockville and hope he'll stick around this location for awhile. Can't wait to return.

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The Rockville location was surprisingly busy for a weeknight.  We arrived at 6:45 and maybe a third of the tables were taken.  By 7:30, every table was taken. There was still a line when we left at 8. There was also a steady flow of carry out.

Dishes today:

crazy beef with ghost chili--very flavorful but not as hot as you might expect

bubble scallion pancake--they looked neat because they were all puffed up but were quite oily; traditional scallion pancakes

 are better

hot and numbing combination--great complex flavors with plenty of heat; huge portion--it's going to be SO's lunch tomorrow

shredded duck with scallion and onion on iron plate--nice char to the onions and scallions--it reminded me of beef chow fun.  The duck was good except the fat was not rendered and the skin was flabby.  I had to leave chunks of it behind.

It seems like the menu is larger than the Fredericksburg and Williamsburg locations. Got to meet the chef today. Good visit.

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I heard this opened on Monday. Does anyone have anything to report?

Thought Daniel posted on this. A group of us were the second or third table seated for the first meal served (Monday lunch). Largely agreed it was quite good for the first day with no disasters if not quite the same as PC's best. Forgetting some of the names but the numbing pork belly and meatless ma po tofu and dry eggplant...what was that..were all good/tasty with just a bit of variance around the table. Our scallion pancakes weren't greasy and were summarily devoured. Oh, and the fried fish swimming in chili peppers and oil was nice as well. Only one of the dishes had more serious heat and I can't recall which. Heat more understated on the other dishes.

Maybe PC moved on after that lunch to open up the next location and the sous in Rockville just ain't the same?

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Thought Daniel posted on this. A group of us were the second or third table seated for the first meal served (Monday lunch). Largely agreed it was quite good for the first day with no disasters if not quite the same as PC's best. Forgetting some of the names but the numbing pork belly and meatless ma po tofu and dry eggplant...what was that..were all good/tasty with just a bit of variance around the table. Our scallion pancakes weren't greasy and were summarily devoured. Oh, and the fried fish swimming in chili peppers and oil was nice as well. Only one of the dishes had more serious heat and I can't recall which. Heat more understated on the other dishes.

Maybe PC moved on after that lunch to open up the next location and the sous in Rockville just ain't the same?

Nothing was seriously hot, but the pork belly was LOADED with Szechuan peppercorn

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Nothing was seriously hot, but the pork belly was LOADED with Szechuan peppercorn

This is a flaw I've found in some Szechuan dishes in the area: the dishes are mild, but they are positively littered with Szechuan peppercorns, and you have to end up eating around them or picking them out; otherwise, it's just too much of a gratuitous blast of heat without any point behind it. There's no integration of flavor, and eating the dish is like walking through a minefield.

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This is a flaw I've found in some Szechuan dishes in the area: the dishes are mild, but they are positively littered with Szechuan peppercorns, and you have to end up eating around them or picking them out; otherwise, it's just too much of a gratuitous blast of heat without any point behind it. There's no integration of flavor, and eating the dish is like walking through a minefield.

I actually go through and eat all of the peppercorns people leave behind. I ...may have a problem. But it's a delicious problem.

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A disappointing meal at Peter Chang in Rockville tonight, especially in comparison with the two undeniably great ones I had in his first week in Arlington.  In particular, something was going awry with the frying technique in the kitchen tonight.  The dry-fried eggplant was limp, soggy, greasy, and way over-seasoned -- a sad, pale comparison to the marvel of technical finesse I enjoyed in Arlington.  I complained and sent it back, and asked the waiter if PC was in the house tonight.  He was indeed.  They re-made it for me, and the second version, while less greasy, was also inedibly salty and still nothing like what I had before.  (They did take it off the bill for me.)  The cilantro flounder fish rolls, while better, were still greasier that what I had in Arlington, and also darker in color -- as if they had spent a little too long in the fryer, or the oil was too hot.  (The eggplant was also much, much darker than what I remembered - and what's pictured on the menu.)

The rest of the meal was mixed, with the tofu fish ball in chicken soup being the clear highlight.  It's the best non-spicy entree I've had at PC.

But the bottom line was, someone eating the food coming out of the kitchen tonight would not understand all the hype surrounding the chef.  I wouldn't have believed it myself, if not for the two miraculous meals I had in Arlington last month.  Has PC spread himself too thin and is short of the supporting talent needed to stand up yet another location?

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The dry-fried eggplant was limp, soggy, greasy, and way over-seasoned -- a sad, pale comparison to the marvel of technical finesse I enjoyed in Arlington.  I complained and sent it back, and asked the waiter if PC was in the house tonight.  He was indeed.  They re-made it for me, and the second version, while less greasy, was also inedibly salty and still nothing like what I had before.  (They did take it off the bill for me.) 

I had this dish in Arlington last week for the first time ever, and was blown away. I remember from the "Where Did I Dine?" thread, I thought it was fried yucca, and it's remarkable how much it looks like it. Simon, you sound like you've lived through both extremes, so your opinion about Rockville's is extremely credible.

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A disappointing meal at Peter Chang in Rockville tonight, especially in comparison with the two undeniably great ones I had in his first week in Arlington.  In particular, something was going awry with the frying technique in the kitchen tonight.  The dry-fried eggplant was limp, soggy, greasy, and way over-seasoned -- a sad, pale comparison to the marvel of technical finesse I enjoyed in Arlington.  I complained and sent it back, and asked the waiter if PC was in the house tonight.  He was indeed.  They re-made it for me, and the second version, while less greasy, was also inedibly salty and still nothing like what I had before.  (They did take it off the bill for me.)  The cilantro flounder fish rolls, while better, were still greasier that what I had in Arlington, and also darker in color -- as if they had spent a little too long in the fryer, or the oil was too hot.  (The eggplant was also much, much darker than what I remembered - and what's pictured on the menu.)

The rest of the meal was mixed, with the tofu fish ball in chicken soup being the clear highlight.  It's the best non-spicy entree I've had at PC.

But the bottom line was, someone eating the food coming out of the kitchen tonight would not understand all the hype surrounding the chef.  I wouldn't have believed it myself, if not for the two miraculous meals I had in Arlington last month.  Has PC spread himself too thin and is short of the supporting talent needed to stand up yet another location?

This is really a head-scratcher.  When we had lunch there Monday, the dry-fried eggplant was nothing like what you experienced. Did you actually see PC? I wonder if the staffer who said he was there was truthful?

And, just my view on the answer to your closing question but, yeah, definitely. We already knew the food quality could vary widely when he was or wasn't in the house.  If we now experience big variation like this when he is verifiably there, it's tougher to hypothesize what's going on.

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And, just my view on the answer to your closing question but, yeah, definitely. We already knew the food quality could vary widely when he was or wasn't in the house.  If we now experience big variation like this when he is verifiably there, it's tougher to hypothesize what's going on.

Fatigue?  Boredom?  A severe case of Dammitol?

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Did you actually see PC? I wonder if the staffer who said he was there was truthful?

No, I didn't see PC with my own eyes, and it wouldn't surprise me if it turned out he hadn't been in the kitchen.  Tasting the eggplant last night was like seeing shadowy flickers on the cave wall instead of perceiving the real Form.

And, just my view on the answer to your closing question but, yeah, definitely. We already knew the food quality could vary widely when he was or wasn't in the house.  If we now experience big variation like this when he is verifiably there, it's tougher to hypothesize what's going on.

But I'd also say, not just referring to my own experience, that it seems like the early reports from the Rockville location are much more mixed than the early days in Arlington, which was firing on all cylinders when I went there on days 6 and 7.  The Rockville kitchen seems like much more a work in progress.

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We got some good takeout on Friday night from the Arlington outpost. The best of the bunch was the Bamboo Flounder Fish, which to my palette, demonstrated the flavor nuances that have been mentioned above. These were good-sized nuggets of fish coated with what I'd describe as a dry curry rub. At first we were wary because there wasn't any sauce, but given the flavor of the fish and rub (which was more than just a dusting of curry powder), none was needed. Contrast that against the Bang Bang Shrimp, which is an ample portion of lightly fried shrimp in a tasty sweet sauce, and you get a good idea of what this restaurant can do. They can lure you in with subtle flavors, and knock you out with good old fashioned gloopy sticky sweetness. An order of fried pork dumplings was solid, and worth getting again. As Don noted above, they'll sell you the scallion pancake to go if you tell them you don't mind if it's flat, but I actually didn't care for it, which is strange because I'm a man who loves to dip things in sauces. And it was anything due to restaurant prep/cooking, I just didn't like it. The only main we got was the Golden Mountain Chicken, which were shredded and fried chicken bits in a sweet and sour sauce. A large portion that was solid, if not spectacular.

There unfortunate items: [1] Many things promoted on the board here aren't available for takeout (cheat codes as yet unavailable). I suppose they have their reasons, but it seams odd that, for example, a random (to me) noodle dish isn't take out worthy; [2] they were already out of Spring Rolls at 6:30 pm on a Friday night; and [3] they give an awfully small portion of (fried) rice with their main entrees (or, at least, the one we got).

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Were my first two visits to Peter Chang Arlington last month a fevered dream, a hallucination?  The glories of those meals had taken on almost mythic proportions in my imagination.  After my disappointment on Friday, I wondered whether those heights could ever be reached again "“ whether I had romanticized my first encounter with PC, or whether he really had now had spread himself too thin across his expanding empire.  I had to find out, and soon.

I also had to make sure the man himself would be in the kitchen.  On Sunday afternoon, I called Rockville and was told, yes, PC is in and would be all day.  Just to make sure, I phoned Arlington, as well.  No, he wasn't in Arlington.  It seems they are used to taking these kinds of call.  Once we had arrived for dinner in Rockville, we were reassured by the host that the chef was in and maybe he would come out to greet us if he had time.  I knew that was never going to happen.  I contented myself with a glimpse of what I think was the back of his head through the kitchen window.

The first test of the kitchen: the glorious Bamboo Fish that was my first taste of PC last month.  On second encounter, it was very good, but just very good.  The flavors were spot-on, and the heat subtly and expertly controlled, but the breading was thicker and heavier than I remembered.  It lacked that last degree of finesse "“ that almost impossible lightness and delicacy that elevated the dish to the realm of the ethereal.

The acid test of the kitchen would have been, of course, to re-order the Dry-Fried Eggplant.  We mentioned our issues with the dish on Friday to our server, and she told us that the kitchen had been receiving complaints about over-saltiness and that "they were working on it."  I decided to leave it for another time, knowing that disappointment was likely in store once again.

The rest of the dishes, all new to me, were all excellent: the Shrimp Dumplings (wonderfully finessed), Peter Chang's Seafood in Stone Pot (with a delicious curry sauce), the Lamb Chops with cumin (thin and disappointingly cooked medium-well, but still tender and complex in flavor), and the Cold Wood-Ear Mushrooms with Thai Chili (a fine, acid-driven accompaniment).  How would they have compared to the versions in Arlington, circa last month?  Ignorance, perhaps, is bliss.

The new Peter Chang in Rockville is a puzzlement.  So much of the food, like the shrimp dumplings, is "better than it has to be."  Much better.  But it doesn't reach for the same heights as Peter Chang at his best "“ at least, as I imagine his cooking in my mind's eye.

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My husband and I had dinner at the Rockville location yesterday and really enjoyed it.  The restaurant was filled with people but we didn't have to wait very long for a table.  We started with the pan-fried pork dumplings which came with two types of dipping sauce.  This was average and I would probably order something different next time.  I thought it was a little doughy and it could have used more seasoning.  Our main entrees were much better.  I had the seafood in a stone pot and would highly recommend this.  It had jumbo shrimp, scallops, fish, squid, shanghai bok choy, and mushrooms.  The fish was very fresh and plentiful and this dish tasted very complex.  I couldn't figure what the other seasonings were, but it had a lot of flavor to it.  Our server said that this is one of the signature dishes.  My husband had the Guangong Beef and very much enjoyed it.  The beef was very tender and it came with leek, celery, asparagus, and peppers.  Both dishes came with a choice of white rice, fried rice or brown rice.  We chose the white rice which could have been better prepared, it was a little sticky.

 

Our server was very nice but maybe a bit overwhelmed.  I asked if Peter Chang was back in the kitchen and he said that he was.  The server also mentioned that they would start offering specials in the future once they feel more comfortable with how things are currently running.  The value of the meal was excellent.  We spent $61 (including the tip) for two sweet teas, one appetizer, and two main entrees that provided enough left overs for another dinner.  I thought it was a great price for the quality of the food.  I just hope that the quality of the food continues to be consistent once Peter Chang leaves the kitchen.  Overall, we'll be back.
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.... lacked that last degree of finesse "“ that almost impossible lightness and delicacy that elevated the dish to the realm of the ethereal.

The new Peter Chang in Rockville is a puzzlement.  So much of the food, like the shrimp dumplings, is "better than it has to be."  Much better.  But it doesn't reach for the same heights as Peter Chang at his best "“ at least, as I imagine his cooking in my mind's eye.

Exactly my review after two visits. Very good dishes - I've not hit a dud - but also nothing that makes me go WOW.

Right now, a fine addition to the Rockville Chinese scene, but nothing to set it apart from the MANY other good choices within a half mile (roughly from north to south, Mandarin Express, Asia Taste, China Bistro, Taipei Cafe, Bob's Noodle, Bob's Shanghai, Sichuan Jin River, East Dumpling, Super Bowl Noodle, East Pearl, A&J)

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The Szechuan Double Cooked Pork Belly is the exact kind of dish I am always hoping to get when ordering from a white carton Chinese place.  Everything else we had last night was good to very good, but the pork belly was excellent.

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Has anyone been back to the Arlington location since the Rockville one opened?  I'm wondering if there's any point to going, since it sounds like the chef is in Rockville most of the time.  Wish he hadn't opened that one so soon after.

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Has anyone been back to the Arlington location since the Rockville one opened?  I'm wondering if there's any point to going, since it sounds like the chef is in Rockville most of the time.  Wish he hadn't opened that one so soon after.

Two days ago. :)

The Bamboo Fish and Dried Eggplant were as good as they've ever been; the Scallion Pancake was overfried and extremely greasy (however, I explicitly told them to "pop it" so they wouldn't have to go to a lot of trouble packing it to go, so quite honestly, I'm grateful they offered it at all, and yes, I'll happily get it again), and the Hot and Numbing Pork (which I had the hostess select for me, as I didn't have a menu handy), is not something I'd order again despite it's huge size - the short-grained rice was undercooked to the point where it wasn't absorbent (yes, I admit, I dumped my Hot and Numbing Pork on top of it), and the dish came off as slapped together (the slices of pork hadn't been penetrated at all) when it needs to be something that's long-cooked (not that I seriously expect any long-cooked dishes in this area, but one can dream).

I should add that at 5:50 on a Sunday, there was a 15-minute wait for parties of two, and about 10 bags of food on the counter waiting for pickup - I've never seen anything like this in Arlington outside of the LIbery Tavern / Northside Social cluster(f**k) near Clarendon Metro. Actually, I take that back: Anyone foolish enough to try and *drive* to Wiseguy Pizza in Rosslyn during lunch today was tossed around like a cork in raging whitewater rapids, both when they were trying to park (illegally), and when they encountered a line of people stretching 10-out-the-door (who didn't seem particularly thrilled that someone walked straight over to the "Pick Up" counter, but my advice is strongly, *strongly* to call in your order here if you're getting an entire pizza to avoid the line of annoying 20-something invaders people if you're anywhere near prime weekday lunch rush). NB - it seems somewhat unjust to me that restaurants here are paying big rent, and the battalion of food trucks just drive up during lunch and park, selling their mediocre food for $10, and then go home during dinner when the area looks like a ghost town. I understand it gives the consumer more options, but it doesn't seem fair to the restaurants who are supporting this area by paying rent.

So yes, there's a point in going to Peter Chang Arlington, but rest assured you will not be alone.

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Went to the Rockville location on Saturday.  I tried to time it so we left while the rain was letting up.  I think we were about 5 minutes later than we should have been, and waited about 20 minutes for a table.  By the time we were seated, the line was out the door.  We all enjoyed the bubble scallion pancake (especially our 4 year old!).  We ordered Ma Po Tofu, and a seafood curry hotpot (wife doesn't eat meat, or spicy--what was thinking of taking her here.  I need to come back with someone who will eat spicy food!).  I really enjoyed the Ma Po, the seafood curry hot pot came out bubbling, and my wife was suspicious that it had chicken broth in it (it did), so she ordered the crispy flounder rolls which she loved (I did too).  I thought the flavor of the hotpot was very interesting, and it was loaded with mushrooms, shrimp, scallops, and probably flounder (white meat fish).  All in all, a good visit, but I really want to work my way through the menu more.

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I really enjoyed the Ma Po, the ceafood curry hot pot came out bubbling, and my wife was suspicious that it had chicken broth in it (it did), so she ordered the crispy flounder rolls which she loved (I did too).  I thought the flavor of the hotpot was very interesting, and it was loaded with mushrooms, shrimp, scallops, and probably flounder (white meat fish).  All in all, a good visit, but I really want to work my way through the menu more.

It's interesting that you say this - I swore on Sunday night that I could taste chicken broth in my Hot and Numbing Pork - it was just a faint undertone, but I thought it was there. Neither good, nor bad, just something I noticed which may not even be correct.

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It's interesting that you say this - I swore on Sunday night that I could taste chicken broth in my Hot and Numbing Pork - it was just a faint undertone, but I thought it was there. Neither good, nor bad, just something I noticed which may not even be correct.

Chinese cooking finds ways to hide chicken stock in lots of stuff.  This was more obvious because it was almost a soup.  Very few places even have a vegetable broth option (Joe's being the only one I know of).

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According to many Chinese cookbooks, the go-to superior broth in Chinese kitchens is a combo of chicken and pork, heavier on the chicken than the pork.  Typically the pork is pork ribs, or riblets.  Lots of chicken backs, maybe even feet.  Nothing wasted in a Chinese kitchen.

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Some background: Several years ago, a few friends and I went to Beijing and Shanghai. When we weren't having a particular specialty like XLB or duck, we ate a variation of the same thing: a spicy chicken and/or beef dish, sometimes kung pao; green beans; eggplant and rice noodles. I don't think this was necessarily on purpose, but just what appealed to us at the time. So now, we try to order similarly for comparison to what we in China. Also, I've never been to any other Peter Chang restaurant.

 

One of those friends (who had already been to Peter Chang once) and I went to the Arlington location last Saturday for a late-ish lunch. Enough people in the restaurant so it wasn't creepy, but definitely not crowded.

 

We ordered:

Sauteed Diced Chicken with Szechuan Chili Pepper (boneless)

You can only kind of see it in the picture on the menu, but this dish comes in a sort of wicker cornucopia. (So it actually looks more like the picture of the crispy pork belly. Which is something I want to try next time...) There is no description on the menu so I did not know this included Szchuan peppercorns, so that was a nice surprise.

 

Grandmas's Noodle

The menu tells me these are "topped with chili powder, scallion, garlic, cilantro, soy sauce and finished iwht a splash of hot oil." This is pretty accurate...the plain noodles are literally just topped with the items mentioned, so it's best to mix them in the serving bowl before putting them on your own plate. I didn't taste too much garlic, which didn't really matter. These noodles are incredible satisfying without being too heavy. I would love to see this dish wtih an option to add minced beef or pork.

 

Dry Fried Eggplant

I don't think I need to go on and on about this as it's the ubiquitous Peter Chang dish. But it's amazing. The outside was crisp and well seasoned with chili powder and the eggplant inside was soft and tender with no bitterness. For me, the cilantro added a freshness to a dish that could get heavy because of the fried-ness. (So not a word...)

 

Sliced Beef with Szechuan Chili

This was overkill; we could have done with with another small plate instead of an entree. It is described as "pan-friend with onions & Szechuan chili with broccoli on side." The three large florets of broccoli seemed more like an afterthough so I'm not sure why that was specifically mentioned. What is not mentioned is the cilantro cooked into the dish. Which I don't have a problem with, but my cilantro-averse friend did spend a fair amount of time picking it out of her food. I know this isn't really the kind of place to necessarily cater to the allergic and picky, but if something is cooked in the dish, it seems like it would be mentioned in the description. Especially since they took the time to mention broccoli that was essentially garnish. I suppose this is kind of the same as the stock issue described above.

 

I can't really comment on quality vis a vis Peter Chang in the kitchen versus not, but I thought the food, service and cost were excellent. Based on my experience, I'm hard pressed to imagine it would be worth it to trek from Arlington to Rockville just to know Chef Chang is personally in the kitchen.

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...

Dry Fried Eggplant
I don't think I need to go on and on about this as it's the ubiquitous Peter Chang dish. But it's amazing. The outside was crisp and well seasoned with chili powder and the eggplant inside was soft and tender with no bitterness. For me, the cilantro added a freshness to a dish that could get heavy because of the fried-ness. (So not a word...)
 
I can't really comment on quality vis a vis Peter Chang in the kitchen versus not, but I thought the food, service and cost were excellent. Based on my experience, I'm hard pressed to imagine it would be worth it to trek from Arlington to Rockville just to know Chef Chang is personally in the kitchen.

If you can be guaranteed that Chang himself is working the kitchen, it actually is worth the trip - the food without him is really good; the food with him is revelatory.

I'd never tried the Dry Fried Eggplant before Arlington opened, but I've now had it probably five times, and while there's been some slight variation, this is one dish that has been consistently great. Now that I'm thinking about it, it's kind of ... "excessive" how many times I've been here.

Fryitude, btw, not fried-ness.

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If you can be guaranteed that Chang himself is working the kitchen, it actually is worth the trip - the food without him is really good; the food with him is revelatory.

I have it on good authority that Chang has become a resident of Rockville, and as such the Rockville location is where he will be spending most of his time.

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I have it on good authority that Chang has become a resident of Rockville, and as such the Rockville location is where he will be spending most of his time. 

My first two thoughts:

1) Wow, what a fascinating circuit he has taken.

2) Chang is about the only chef opening in Rockville that could help Spice-Xing.

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I have it on good authority that Chang has become a resident of Rockville, and as such the Rockville location is where he will be spending most of his time. 

He wasn't there (or in Arlington) last night.  Nor was he there the day I ate at the Rockville location last week, when the food was good, but not nearly as special as it was on my last two visits to Arlington, when the chef was in the kitchen.

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Had a nice meal on Monday evening. Arrived at the peak of the rainstorms so we were hanging out in the garage waiting for it to subside when a couple of the cooks hanging out in the loading dock area saw us and waved us in through the kitchen which was very nice.

Started with the fired pork belly which I love, as does our daughter who used to find the littlest amount of spice to be too spicy. Love watching the evolution of her palate. Nice large pieces of pork in this, larger than what we had in Williamsburg. Scallion bubble pancake was impressive to the kids but nothing spectacular for me. kind of like my memories of the greasy bread sticks that I used to get in Chicago chinatown, albeit a little lighter. Kids did really like this though, but who doesn't like bread?

Also got the dan dan noodles when we ordered our entrees and it was nice though the noodles were a little stuck together until enough of the oil spread through the dish with mixing which tells me it was sitting for a while after being prepared.

The eggplant and basil hotpot was really nicely flavored and was a huge serving. Seafood in stone pot was good with a lot of seafood, especially large fillets of fish and the curry was just right for our table with kids. Last dish was the wood ear mushrooms with snow peas which we got with beef. This was pretty standard beef with vegetable and brown sauce type of dish. It was good, but nothing really distinguishing other than the mushrooms.

Washed it all down with tea and a nice bottle of German riesling.

Overall a quality meal at a decent price for all the food we had and quantities. I do find that so many Chinese restaurants around here are geared to the diner who eats their own entree and doesn't share so portions tend to be smaller. Not so at Peter Chang's where they are clearly meant for the table to share.

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Anyone else been in the last several months?

We had dinner in Rockville on a Saturday night recently, were seated immediately as a party of five at 6 pm with no reservations.  Food remained strong overall, with the spicy fried pork belly still a great value (nearly entree-sized but at appetizer prices, and just the right balance of spicy/numbing) and the brisket hot pot as our new revelation.

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i've been to both the arlington and rockville locations in the past few months and while both were great, i was really surprised that the rockville location seemed notably better, so much so that i asked if chef chang was in the kitchen (he wasn't). we tried the vegetarian version of the hot and numbing flounder (they use tofu instead) and it is fantastic--a really flavorful dish with great broth. i still love the grandma noodles as well. 

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Went to the rockville location again last week and was happy to see they've now added specials in addition to the regular menu. we had many of our standard favorites--hot and numbing shredded tofu (they've increased the portion size, which is great, as before it was really too small), grandma noodles, cilantro fish rolls, fried pork belly and double cooked pork belly--and they were all great. from the specials we had the hot and spicy lotus root and the tea smoked duck. the lotus root was less exciting than it sounded-slices of lotus root with the same batter and very similar topping as the fried eggplant. good, but we like the eggplant better. i didn't have any of the duck but i think people liked it. 

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Tried an array of appetizers with my family.

Overhyped, overpriced, and seriously oversalted.

Could you be a bit more specific on what you ordered so we know what you considered were the 3 O's? (Guess too bad that it wasn't a good O?)

This would help members figure out which dishes to avoid if one of us decides to dine here. Thanks.

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I wasn't going to write anything about my experience at the Rockville location today, but it seems like maybe I wasn't the only one to notice they weren't firing on all (or even 1/3rd) cylinders.

I called in a few items for takeout (bamboo fish, grandma noodles, house special fish, and smoked tofu with celery). That list of dishes wasn't what I started out ordering, but as it turns out, the online menu bears only passing resemblance to their actual current offerings. I think most of the issue is that some dishes have slightly changed names, but the person I spoke with did not have a deep enough knowledge of the menu to know what I was asking for.

I showed up 20 minutes later to pick up my order only to be met with complete confusion. I was asked 4 separate times what my name was and what I ordered. I was met with incredulity when I explained for the 3rd time that I was not Sean and had not ordered Kung pao shrimp. After several minutes I was able to surmise through hearing bits and pieces of hushed conversation between staff, and one side of a phone conversation, that they had mistakenly given my to go order to "Sean" and had asked him to bring it back. To be totally clear, I asked twice for clarification on what was up (to give them a chance to be honest and up front with me), but both times I was told it was simply "still cooking."

Lo and behold, Sean returned about 15 minutes later. The bag with my food was quickly swept away to the back after the manager said something to a waitress in Chinese. Less than 2 minutes later, my order came out in another bag, but without a receipt for me to double check its contents. So at this point, perhaps irrationally (though I don't think so), I asked if they had simply repackaged the food Sean just returned. (Sean joked that I wasn't supposed to see him bring the food back, and though we laughed, I think he was right.) They said no, that my food was freshly cooked, and it was just a coincidence that it came out shortly after the other order was returned. I remain skeptical, but at that point I wanted to get out and on my way home, paid my check, and headed out.

The bamboo fish had great flavor, but any crispness was a casualty of the trip home. The noodles were a gluey mess, and lacked much of any flavor. We've had these and loved them in the past. This version was virtually unrecognizable. The fish was much milder and less complex than the last time I had it. Not bad, but certainly not something I would order again or recommend in its current version. The smoked tofu dish was a bummer as well. The only flavor was from the seasoning on the tofu, which was quite one note. A much better version of this can be had at Panda Gourmet in NE DC.

Looks like for now I'll be switching back to my old haunt Sichuan Jin River for Szechuan in Rockville. (My experience at PC in Arlington was fantastic about 1.5 months ago.)

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I showed up 20 minutes later to pick up my order only to be met with complete confusion. I was asked 4 separate times what my name was and what I ordered. I was met with incredulity when I explained for the 3rd time that I was not Sean and had not ordered Kung pao shrimp. After several minutes I was able to surmise through hearing bits and pieces of hushed conversation between staff, and one side of a phone conversation, that they had mistakenly given my to go order to "Sean" and had asked him to bring it back. To be totally clear, I asked twice for clarification on what was up (to give them a chance to be honest and up front with me), but both times I was told it was simply "still cooking."

Lo and behold, Sean returned about 15 minutes later. The bag with my food was quickly swept away to the back after the manager said something to a waitress in Chinese. Less than 2 minutes later, my order came out in another bag, but without a receipt for me to double check its contents. So at this point, perhaps irrationally (though I don't think so), I asked if they had simply repackaged the food Sean just returned. (Sean joked that I wasn't supposed to see him bring the food back, and though we laughed, I think he was right.) They said no, that my food was freshly cooked, and it was just a coincidence that it came out shortly after the other order was returned. I remain skeptical, but at that point I wanted to get out and on my way home, paid my check, and headed out.

You got shafted, my friend.

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We also had a ok experience, although we did a family dinner on a busy Valentines Day in Rockville. Server was very upbeat and friendly. However, we over ordered, and literally had no space on the table for all the family style dishes. So, the MaPo Tofu and the twice cooked pork belly were immediately boxed up. The fried tilapia with pine nuts was a nice presentation, but served with about 20 ounces of a gloppy orange sauce. The scallion pancakes are fun and instagrammable, but fairly greasy. I really enjoyed the stewed eggplant. The stir fry snow peas were a major disappointment, especially since we had ordered so much fried food. I think the garlic had been burnt or something, because I distinctly got that bong water finish (did I steal that from the Per Se review?) that did not leave me for the rest of the dinner. This was our second visit, I had really enjoyed the tea duck last time. But for this visit, I felt that Peter was deserved some of the scorn that Jose and Mike and Michel get for over-expansion. A heavy meal with some real misfires.

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Second hand, but a good friend of mine (whose opinion I trust) dined there tonight and reported a fabulous meal.

I believe it. I've had amazing meals there.  But I have to say, the inconsistency of his restaurants (amply documented on this thread) is pretty crazy.

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Second hand, but a good friend of mine (whose opinion I trust) dined there tonight and reported a fabulous meal.

I believe it. I've had amazing meals there.  But I have to say, the inconsistency of his restaurants (amply documented on this thread) is pretty crazy.

It has become very clear to me that this chain has a few good cooks; a few less-than-good cooks, and their task is to make sure there's at least one of the "good ones" on duty at all times (if possible).

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