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Peter Chang Really HAS Been Found!


gnatharobed

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Apparently not, nor advertising in general I'm afraid. While there were a large number of people there whose entire intent seems to have been to eat free, there was some serious schmoozing going on (I have now added two more wine distributors to my list of contacts in the wine business). One day that information may become handy. As I said, the food was not as complex, and in some cases mediocre. I hope this was an aberration and not what is going to be the norm.

There's a weak piece on Richmond.com with no report on the food - just whining about driving out to the 'burbs. Instead of food or scene reporting there's a throwaway [unattributed} link to Kendra Bailey Morris' Fatback & Foie Gras blog initially linked by Zora above.

Seriously, 99% of the posts here at DR are better than that article.

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There's a weak piece on Richmond.com with no report on the food - just whining about driving out to the 'burbs. Instead of food or scene reporting there's a throwaway [unattributed} link to Kendra Bailey Morris' Fatback & Foie Gras blog initially linked by Zora above.

Seriously, 99% of the posts here at DR are better than that article.

Well, when one reads the piece she did say it was very much worth the trip.

And I will say that, having gotten caught in that traffic myself, driving from Richmond to Short Pump is a real PITA, at least in rush hour; I don't remember ever being in traffic that bad in the DC area; I mean, it was BAD. So if she thinks it's worthwhile to go she has to think it's pretty good food.

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As noted above, I was seated next to a certain lady who used to do restaurant reviews. Said lady was, of course, Phyllis Richman. I had never had the pleasure of meeting her, and sitting next to her for the dinner was a huge thrill, alone worth the journey (for me about 900 miles round trip). She and Carman came down together; I was a bit surprized that he didn't mention she was there in his article.

Carman did mention Ms Richman and their pre-dinner Charlottesville side-trip in today's WaPo All We Can Eat blog:

We were two of 80-some people invited to the opening-night dinner, the results of which we mixed. Even longtime Changians found themselves

disappointed with the meal, though I do sense some of their disappointment might be rooted in Chang’s ever-growing accessibility. (Personally, despite my inexperience in Chang’s cooking, I found most of the meal, with a few exceptions, hit the right notes.) Changians could be like those early punks who never wanted to see the Sex Pistols become just another symbol of some suburban kid’s middle-class angst.

Chang was way more accessible in the NoVA 'burbs than now...

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Husband and I met Number Two Son, who lives in Richmond, at Peter Chang's Saturday for an early dinner. We got there about 4:45, not all that crowded. Asked to seat at a large table as we expected to order many dishes.

Scallion bubble pancakes, this is a dish only Peter Chang (probably actually his wife) makes right, and it was exactly as they always make it. The beauty is the texture, light and airy, unlike ordinary scallion pancakes.

Baby wonton soup in hot chili oil, ethereal, as only they (again, probably Mrs. Chang) can make them. Gossamer.

Dry fried duck, sliced duck dry fried in chili and Szechuah pepper, dry on the surface, juice and fatty inside, chili coated duck bacon. Need I say more?

Shan City chicken, more slices of dried red pepper than chicken. An excellent rendition.

A proper Chinese meal balances yang and yin, which means a dish of green vegetables for the table, for us bok choy with mushrooms, mostly shiitake but some enoki, earthy but restrained.

Chinese people do not drink tea with their meals, they have a light soup. We had a tureen of light, clear pork rib and wild mushroom soup (king, shiitake, and enoki), This soup has a cleaning effect on the palate, clearing away the burning red peppers and leaving the tongue ready (and eager) to taste more.

Interestingly, a couple of the dishes we ordered never arrived, but were not on the check, either. I ordered crispy pork belly and (more important) bamboo fish, which is the actual name of the well beloved cumin fish, which is served in a woven basket reminiscent of a woven cane chair seat. After sating ourselves on the dishes which had already arrived, I was not inclined to remonstrate with the kitchen, but willing to leave well enough alone until our next, invitable trip to Richmond to feast at Peter Chang's.

I do recommend that this type of food is better enjoyed with a little yin with your yang, and a tureen of light broth to clean the palate.

An hour later we were ready to leave, and the line of eager diners hoping for a table was out the door.

I would very much like to taste again one of Mrs. Chang's specialties, a cold steamed eggplant dish with a dipping sauce of sesame, star anise, and magic.

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That review brought back happy memories!

But you don't really need Tsing Tao if you order a large tureen of one of the light soups. A spoonful of soup makes the burning go away better than beer does, just as a mango lassie will, or a dough (yogurt drink), but less filling, and besides you can't get a mango lassie or a dough at a Chinese restaurant. I think it's the fat in the soup or the milk drink that dissolves the pepper oil. Beer won't do that, although it does taste very refreshing when you are eating hot food, whether peppery hot or heat hot. But Peter Chang did not have his ABC license yet when we were there Saturday, and anyway you need to be sober to drive I-95 all the way home.

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I think it's the fat in the soup or the milk drink that dissolves the pepper oil.

Not quite. It's a protein in milk, casein, that has a detergent effect on capsaicin, neutralizing it somewhat. A 10% sugar water solution is also said to work fairly well. Beer and water, for all their admirable qualities, don't help much if at all in this instance. I suspect the same is true of soup, but since you mentioned it I'll give it a shot.

There was recently a chowhound thread on the subject, in which there was much speculation as to whether one could get milk at most Chinese restaurants. My idea, which I haven't tried yet, is to instead order a dish of ice cream (pistachio?) along with the spicy dish. Maybe sounds crazy, but seems to me it would make an interesting contrast in its own right, over and above helping with the burn.

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There was recently a chowhound thread on the subject, in which there was much speculation as to whether one could get milk at most Chinese restaurants.

When you consider that most Asians (outside of the American born) are lactose intolerant, you probably won't find much milk at Chinese restaurants. :)

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When you consider that most Asians (outside of the American born) are lactose intolerant, you probably won't find much milk at Chinese restaurants. :)

Does this apply to the 1.6 billion residents of the Indian subcontinent as well? Saudis, Israelis, Cypriots? The good people of Novosibersk and Irkutsk? Does it matter on which side of the Bosphorus Bridge someone from Istanbul lives?

Is there a way to tell when serving creamed spinach and mashed potatoes will be offensive and/or dangerous?

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Is there a way to tell when serving creamed spinach and mashed potatoes will be offensive and/or dangerous?

It's really quite simple to tell what's offensive and/or dangerous. There are a number of clues the observant restauranteur can use to determine offensiveness and/or danger. The first and most obvious will be the "jet blast" which may emanate from a number of orifices. On a number of occasions, you can determine lactose intolerance by the number of patrons holding their noses and departing the immediate area. Do not use open flames in those areas due to the explosion hazard.

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When you consider that most Asians (outside of the American born) are lactose intolerant, you probably won't find much milk at Chinese restaurants. :)

I'm not sure how that translates to Chinese restaurants in the US, where most patrons are "American born." And you'll certainly find lots of ice cream!

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Is there a way to tell when serving creamed spinach and mashed potatoes will be offensive and/or dangerous?

This is probably OT -- I am lactose intolerant but willing to suffer much for Michael Landrum's creamed spinach, mashed potatoes, and crab bisque. Sometimes you have to be willing to hoist the Jolly Roger, say "what the hell", and accept the consequences. Not on a daily basis, if that needs saying.
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Breaking Rumor: A friend dined at Peter Chang in Richmond tonight, and the server said he was opening a branch in Arlington or Tysons.

Sure hope it's not Tyson's. That seems to be the elephant graveyard of good restaurants (unless you happen to be a chain).

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Breaking Rumor: A friend dined at Peter Chang in Richmond tonight, and the server said he was opening a branch in Arlington or Tysons.

Old rumor, or maybe further confirmation?

The latest info I have is similar to what I posted above in December. He is expected to open a place in Richmond within a few weeks. He is also looking at the possibility of a place in Washington sometime this year.

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8058537397_584c328468_c.jpg

Turns out Chang was in Williamsburg where he is opening a new restaurant this week -- in addition to the Richmond (Glen Allen) location we visited. Protege Chef Wong was on hand and the dinner wowed.

We were advised by phone to arrive right at 5 pm to get a table. Traffic made that impossible. At about 7:15 we found the place in its strip mall home. People were waiting. A Russian hostess with bleached hair was giving out slips of hand-numbered paper and refusing to guess how long the wait might be. We pulled 26 and they were on table 15 at the time. Turnover looked steady, though, so we decided to wait and see. Good thing we did: several groups despaired and left, and our number got called within about 20 minutes.

DC got a glass of decent Oregon pinot gris. I bent to tradition and ordered Tsing Tao. Our punky/groovy waitress (white) asked us if we like spicy food. Yes. So she told us not to be afraid of the chili peppers on the menu, which run up to 3 chilis. Good advice. We had one two-chili dish and several onesies and none were unreasonably scorching, given that I did not actually ingest the loose peppers.

As usual we chose the all-appetizer journey, including one from the "Autumn Special" menu.

SCALLION BUBBLE PANCAKE: The Globular Puff! Warm and light and bready with an extremely subtle whiff of scallion. Could have maybe used some actual chunks of veggie. The soft, thin pancake tore into handy foldable chunks for dipping. Delicious sauce reminded me of Indian food: buttery and yellow with spices-- turmeric?

HOT AND NUMBING DRY BEEF: The beef itself is jerky-like flakes, coated with a thin sweet glaze and tossed with sesame seeds. Flavor starts salty and sweet and finishes with a long mild burn. The "ma-la" numbing spice effect did not come through much. Tasty though.

SZECHUAN DAN DAN NOODLE WITH PORK: DC's favorite. Bears almost no relation to the dan dan I'm used to from other places. Thin noodles in a delightfully greasy yet light sauce combining peppery spice with the smoky oil of the finely-ground pork. Plus peanuts.

CILANTRO FISH ROLL: The fish is combined with a light batter (egg? tofu?) into a log, then sliced on the bias and fried. Served with piles of chopped cilantro and at least three kinds of chopped peppers, from sweet red to mysterious little green clippings with serious heat. The fish roll had the strongest ma-la charge and really set the tongue tingling. This version was on the Autumn Special menu; something similar is listed among the regular menu's appetizers. Not sure what's different.

CRISPY PORK BELLY: My favorite, of course. Delicately batter-fried, meltingly soft meat spilling out of a cornucopia basket with scallions, cilantro, and more peppers. Slow ma-la afterburn.

Total for two people, at one drink each: $54 plus tip. More than worth both the price and the detour.

EDIT: Oops -- Should this be moved to a review thread?

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An excellent article in the July/August 2017 issue of Bethesda Magazine on Peter Chang, by David Hagedorn, focusing on the debut of Q but also with many details on his life starting in China to the present.  I've not seen some of these details in the many past articles written about him.  Don't see the article online yet so at this point you'll need to purchase the magazine.

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Since the promos for WETA’s new series Signature Dish began airing - I’d been anticipating the Peter Chang episode. It was broadcast tonight and begins just before the 18-minute mark. Overall, it was a great segment and humanized the Chef much more for me. However, animating posts from this thread without attribution (during the segment or in credits) to this site was surprising. 

Masters of Spice | WETA

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On 7/2/2017 at 9:04 PM, jrichstar said:

An excellent article in the July/August 2017 issue of Bethesda Magazine on Peter Chang, by David Hagedorn, focusing on the debut of Q but also with many details on his life starting in China to the present.  I've not seen some of these details in the many past articles written about him.  Don't see the article online yet so at this point you'll need to purchase the magazine.

This article is on-line now and worth the read:

Inside Peter Chang's New Flagship Restaurant (bethesdamagazine.com)

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Thanks Lydia for mentioning, he was on Signature Dish. We saw the first episode of the series already but skipped to the current to watch the Chang segment. I agree with your opinion that it humanized Chef Chang as well. 

We've eaten at his other restaurants and need to make it over to Q. 

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