Biscuit Girl Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 My family lives in Knoxville. My brother and nephew are adventurous eaters so I told them that they had to eat there. Lucky dogs....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Mom and Dad just finished lunch at Hong Kong House, and we can add them to the ranks of the converted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smitty Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 http://rowdyfood.typepad.com/rowdyblog/200...y-china-at.html pics and details about the restaurant are found here I have no affiliation with Chang or "Rowdy" just miss the the chang ATL days peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 He's still using the bamboo baskets. <sob> Crispy fish! Chang, we miss you. Those Knoxville rubes couldn't possibly appreciate you the way we in DC do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyjoan Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 The "Knoxville rubes" (and I won't take that personally, even though I lived there for three years--lol) might not appreciate Chang, but Atlanta food fanatics (like Rowdy) are all atwitter about driving the 3.5 hours north to re-experience the magic. I've never come across a chef with a more loyal and devoted following! If gas wasn't so $&%#@ expensive, I'd be taking a road trip this weekend. I never got to taste Chang's food (my time in DC and Atlanta didn't overlap much, if at all, with his), but based on everyone's reactions, I really need to. I can only hope that he stays put long enough for me to get to K-town for a football weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaronsinger Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 The "Knoxville rubes" (and I won't take that personally, even though I lived there for three years--lol) might not appreciate Chang, but Atlanta food fanatics (like Rowdy) are all atwitter about driving the 3.5 hours north to re-experience the magic. I've never come across a chef with a more loyal and devoted following!If gas wasn't so $&%#@ expensive, I'd be taking a road trip this weekend. I never got to taste Chang's food (my time in DC and Atlanta didn't overlap much, if at all, with his), but based on everyone's reactions, I really need to. I can only hope that he stays put long enough for me to get to K-town for a football weekend. Went to college in Atlanta and lived there for a year afterwords; I only got to Tasty China three times, once after Chang left (it still was pretty good, just not as spectacular as it was). I still dream of those puffy scallion pancakes and pork belly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sthitch Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 Have any of the Peter Chang acolytes tried New York’s Szechuan Gourmet? I would be interested to know how Cheng Zhong Huang’s cooking compares to Chang’s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyjoan Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 Going to Knoxville this weekend, and am looking forward to FINALLY tasting Chef Chang's magic. Is he still there (to the best of our knowledge, anyway)? Are there menu items not to miss, or should I just say "bring me your best" and enjoy? Squeals of excitement!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyjoan Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 The good news is, I did go to Knoxville last weekend. The bad news is, I didn't get to sit down and eat at Hong Kong House, but rather had to order take-out and drive it three-and-a-half hours back to Atlanta. The good news is, when reheated properly, the food starts out so awesome that the journey down I-75 doesn't kill it. I have NO idea if Chef Chang is still working at Hong Kong House (there are no indications to the contrary), or if he was in the kitchen when I ordered. However, this was the best Szechuan food I've had in a LONG time. I ordered exclusively from the "Chef's Specialties" or "Favorites" side of the menu (in other words, I avoided the Americanized items), and I was incredibly impressed. Fish and cilantro rolls, which I reheated in the oven, were intensely flavorful, crunchy, and not at all greasy. The order came with 6, and I ate 5 before my fiance even knew they were there. I could have eaten twice as many, they were that delicious. Crispy shrimp with scallions was incredibly spicy, but also tinged with a glorious sweetness. Fried, but not oily at all. Shredded pork with eggplant probably traveled the worst, turning into a bit of a mushy mess. Still very tasty, but definitely not as spicy or interesting as the other dishes. Too bad Hong Kong House is so far away...I would KILL for decent Szechuan food a little closer to home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtpleasanteater Posted September 26, 2008 Share Posted September 26, 2008 Have any of the Peter Chang acolytes tried New York’s Szechuan Gourmet? I would be interested to know how Cheng Zhong Huang’s cooking compares to Chang’s. I had Chang's food three times a few years ago & ate at Szechuan Gourmet last weekend with a large party that ordered quite a bit. I would give the nod to Chang's food. My meal at Szechuan Gourmet was well executed but the food is typical of the Szechuan fare you can get at any number of places in NYC, while the food I had from Chang struck we as much more interesting and better seasoned. I have no idea which is more authentic. The food I've had in Flushing (one meal at Spicy & Tasty in particular) has been better than any Chinese food I've had anywhere, and was also the most serious (in terms of complexity, attention to detail etc). Szechuan Gourmet is worth trying (I liked the preserved pork belly & the ma po tofu) especially if you don't have the time or patience to ride the train to Flushing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnb Posted September 28, 2008 Share Posted September 28, 2008 I have NO idea if Chef Chang is still working at Hong Kong House (there are no indications to the contrary), or if he was in the kitchen when I ordered. However, this was the best Szechuan food I've had in a LONG time. He told me face-to-face that he has a 5 year contract there with four years to go. So it sounds as if they have him tied down, and I imagine he will be there for a while. If it wasn't a Tuesday when you were there, likely it was his stuff. Too bad Hong Kong House is so far away...I would KILL for decent Szechuan food a little closer to home. According to the Atlanta folks, Tasty China (where he was previously) remains pretty good. Try it if you haven't yet. Also, I heard they were importing some new hot shot chef directly from China, so if that has happened it could be good news--but I don't know whether that actually happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 I was not able to convince the parents to go to Hong Kong House this week due to the recent epic health inspection fail. It appears they did improve to a passing grade of 81 on the reinspection, but since the restaurant inspection report is one of the most popular features of the Knoxville evening news, HKH's business isn't going to be very good for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnb Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 I was not able to convince the parents to go to Hong Kong House this week due to the recent epic health inspection fail. It appears they did improve to a passing grade of 81 on the reinspection, but since the restaurant inspection report is one of the most popular features of the Knoxville evening news, HKH's business isn't going to be very good for a while. This article may help turn the tide. It is from yesterday's Knoxville paper, thanks to someone who posted the link on Chowhound: http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/nov/30/h...-szechwan-food/ Most interesting part to me was that PC apparently has tried PF Changs and thought it was "good, in an American sort of way"....Hmmmm. The article also has a video clip, but it loads very slowly (on my computer anyway). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lydia R Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 The article also has a video clip, but it loads very slowly (on my computer anyway).This is one of the few outside videos that will load at work...He's still using the bamboo baskets. <sob> Crispy fish!The closing shot in the video is of the skilled hands topping the crispy, cumin-y fish with the bamboo tower/boat sail. <wistful sobbing> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyG Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 Happily, my in-laws were just passing through and didn't see the health inspection results. They enjoyed a very nice late lunch and were really wowed by the food. Rather than go with any of the suggestions from the reviews we'd armed them with, they got help from their waitress. That could have been a disaster, as they're in their 70's and don't look like the kind of people who enjoy food adventures. They managed to convey that they do enjoy spicy food. She steered them to Sizzling Rice with Seafood Soup, Chicken with Bell Peppers in Hot Pot, and Braised Beef with Tomato and Curry Sauce in Pot. They didn't have much to say about the soup other than to describe the ingredients. The chicken with bell peppers was also laced with sichuan peppercorns and appears to have been served on a platter rather than in a hot pot. The braised beef dish was more of a thick stew, and was more subtle than the chicken. They'll be going back again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ol_ironstomach Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Without further ado, the exterior: Spicy tongue and tripe cold app: Ma la fish: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Johnston Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Bastard! You went there and did not tell any of us....SHAME ON YOU No care package? You sir, are cut out of the will Without further ado, the exterior: Spicy tongue and tripe cold app: Ma la fish: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenB Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Dave, your photos are so good that I can smell them (except the exterior shot). Did you see the Maestro? Did he look happy? Or did he look like his feet are itching for another move? And was the place inundated with screaming, adoring customers, which is of course what he hates the most? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ol_ironstomach Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Bastard!You went there and did not tell any of us....SHAME ON YOU No care package? You sir, are cut out of the will Au contraire, mon frère, may I direct your attention to the second sentence? The "care package" is sitting in my hotel room fridge right now, but I have little hope that it'll survive the roadtrip home. I failed to get a look at the maestro, as it was the middle of lunch service. It's a good-sized restaurant - bigger than Tasty China - and although it wasn't even half-full at the time, most of the patrons were speaking Mandarin and were clearly happy to have a real Chinese restaurant around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielK Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Au contraire, mon frère, may I direct your attention to the second sentence? The "care package" is sitting in my hotel room fridge right now, but I have little hope that it'll survive the roadtrip home. By survive, he meant that he was going to eat it himself before he got back... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimRice Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 Biscuit Girl had lunch there today with her brother and her nephew. She even was thoughtful enough to send me pictures. Ma la fish, dumplings, puffy scallion pancakes. I had lunch at East Street Cafe in Union Station. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnb Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 I received a phone call, and the specifics are a bit fuzzy, but apparently our man has flown once again and landed in Charlottesville, Va. The place is called Taste of China, or something close to that (Asia Inn Taste??). If I understood correctly the address is 612 Albemarle Sq., which is a shopping center right on Rt 29 on the northern end of town. Phone number is 434-975-6699. If somebody can check it out and confirm, that would be great. I fear it will be a while before I'm likely to get to Charlottesville, so this time I may miss him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Johnston Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 I received a phone call, and the specifics are a bit fuzzy, but apparently our man has flown once again and landed in Charlottesville, Va. The place is called Taste of China, or something close to that (Asia Inn Taste??). If I understood correctly the address is 612 Albemarle Sq., which is a shopping center right on Rt 29 on the northern end of town. Phone number is 434-975-6699. If somebody can check it out and confirm, that would be great. I fear it will be a while before I'm likely to get to Charlottesville, so this time I may miss him. ROAD TRIP!!! Whose in??? Looks like that location was a Japanese resturant that closed and now is becoming ASIA Inn - Jun Lin Rong & Da Li Rong trading as Asia Inn (Taste Of China), 610-612 Albemarle Square Court, Charlottesville (Albemarle) Virginia, 22901. Chowhound Review ... Taste of China 610 Albemarle Square Court Charlottesville, VA 22901 434-975-6688 Sun - Thurs 11 AM - 10 PM Fri and Sat 11 AM - 10:30 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escoffier Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Looks like that location was a Japanese resturant that closed and now is becoming ASIA Inn - Jun Lin Rong & Da Li Rong trading as Asia Inn (Taste Of China), 610-612 Albemarle Square Court, Charlottesville (Albemarle) Virginia, 22901. This is very easy to find. Straight down Rt 29 south to Charlottesville. The shopping center is on your left as you approach Rio Road (that's RY-o, not Ree-o). About 2 hours from Alexandria and a easy trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilaine Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Just checked my email, read the report, called Cville and alerted Number One Son, a 3rd year law student at UVA and one of Chef Peter Chang's biggest fans, to this news flash. Unfortunately, it's too late tonight for him to report back from an in person inspection, but he promises to personally inspect the premises and report back tomorrow. He says that if they have puffy scallion pancakes he will know it's true. The way we feel about Chef Peter Chang, we've contemplated road trips to Atlanta and Knoxville, only to accept defeat when the maestro moved on before we could do it. If true, I predict many Cville excursions in the near future. Stalking Chef Peter Chang is not for procrastinators. Fingers crossed. Please, please, please be true . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhone1998 Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Can someone post (or link to) the backstory here? Who is this guy? Where did he cook in the DC area? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnb Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 He says that if they have puffy scallion pancakes he will know it's true. Fingers crossed. Please, please, please be true . . . The scallion pancakes have already been reported on the Chowhound thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnb Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 (edited) Can someone post (or link to) the backstory here? Who is this guy? Where did he cook in the DC area? Start here --- ETA: No, start here, and then click on johnb's link. Edited October 22, 2009 by DonRocks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnb Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Start here --- ETA: No, start here, and then click on johnb's link. Thanks Don. I would also have linked to the Atlanta Cuisine board where there was an extensive thread on his time there, but they just changed software (sound familiar) and the old threads aren't available. Maybe in a week or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodeats Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 ROAD TRIP!!! Whose in??? I have always wanted to try his cooking (I keep missing his places), so I am in. Name the place and time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escoffier Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 It's a good thing that Peter Chang is a male...about 90% of the people here would be guilty of stalking. No wonder the guy keeps leaving and running off to some anonymous place ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMatt Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 I've always been interested in the myth of Peter Chang. I might either join a road trip or take one some Saturday afternoon... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanchai Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 I've always been interested in the myth of Peter Chang. I might either join a road trip or take one some Saturday afternoon... Um, I live like, two miles from this place. So, you think I should check it out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilaine Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 The scallion pancakes have already been reported on the Chowhound thread. Ah, but are they the REAL scallion pancakes? Vouched for by a devotee of the maestro himself? We have searched far and wide for these very scallion pancakes, and are pleased to report that Chef Peter Chang has apparently been found. Eyewitness report, they are, if not the real thing, mighty like the real thing. Thumbnails of menu attached, I don't actually know whether you can see them or not. Also eyewitness report that there is a review of China Boy hanging on the wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilaine Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Um, I live like, two miles from this place. So, you think I should check it out? Well, that depends. Do you like authentic Szechuan food? With lots of dried hot red peppers and tongue-numbing Szechuan peppers? That is both hot and tongue-numbing at the same time? That your waitperson may need to be arm twisted into bringing you? Can someone post (or link to) the backstory here? Who is this guy? Where did he cook in the DC area? The real backstory is a mystery. Nobody really knows why this guy keeps moving on. Is he on the lam from the Chinese mafia? Is he a secret agent? Is he a broken-hearted lover, unable to bear his sorrow in one place for very long? Is he a benevolent monk with a highly advanced ability to turn ordinary food into manna, karma-driven to share his talents with the less enlightened so that we, too, can achieve satori? Nobody knows. Chef Peter Chang keeps his mysteries to himself. And then, there is the problem of transmuting his mysterious powers through the medium of ordinary mortals -- you never really know in advance whether the person who is actually cooking your food has achieved enlightenment himself or is but a humble bumbling student. You must remain open to the moment. Things may not live up to your expectations, or, they may greatly exceed them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Reading The Fortune Cookie Chronicles made the journeyman chef storyline make a lot more sense to me. YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ol_ironstomach Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 And? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenB Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Has anyone been there recently? I wonder if Chef Chang has a regular day off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilaine Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Has anyone been there recently? I wonder if Chef Chang has a regular day off. Number One Son does not think it is as good as China Star in the Peter Chang days. He says maybe he is just getting the Americanized versions, still. He has tried to explain that he wants the Chinese versions. It's still better than any other Chinese restaurant in Charlottesville, he says. We haven't tried it ourselves, yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perrik Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 I spent yesterday in lovely Charlottesville, gazing longingly at the University of Virginia and having the nice folks at Crutchfield install a spiffy new car stereo in my latte-encrusted Subaru. Across the street from Crutchfield is Taste of China, so of course I had to have lunch while waiting. The dining room was half-full, and I was pleased to overhear the other diners ordering the non-Americanized options. No rabbit on the menu, and I don't recall any lamb. The Chung Qing chicken sounded like what was called Country Young Chicken at China Star, but I couldn't resist his classic Roast Fish with Green Onion. He is indeed still using the bamboo structures. Tuesdays might be his day off, but his crew appears to be properly trained. I'd love to explore the menu with a group, but it's not worth a 5 hour round-trip drive as a solo diner. Not unless I bring a cooler, anyway. That chicken dish was always better the next day... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenB Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 I would like to be in touch with people on this board who remember vividly and enthusiastically Peter Chang's glory days in Northern Virginia. I am not asking for specific recollections at this time, only to find out who was part of that wave of energy a few years ago. The probable upshot will be a discussion of the meals we had at his three local places. Fyi, pandahugga and johnb have already weighed in on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenB Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 In December, I asked if there were anyone here who had specific memories of the excitement generated by Chef Peter Chang when he cooked in three restaurants in Northern Virginia a few years ago. I received no useful response. (pandahugga and johnb were already in the loop.) Now I can reveal that an article by Calvin Trillin on the crowd that followed Chang around, and our use of the Internet to do so, will appear in The New Yorker in the March 1 issue. By coincidence, another piece about Chang, this written by a local author, will appear in another excellent magazine on the same day. But beyond that, as Don Rockwell would say, I must keep the lid on. Stay tuned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenB Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 The March 1 New Yorker is now available. It should be in stores today. Online, the Calvin Trillin story is restricted to subscribers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 The March 1 New Yorker is now available. It should be in stores today. Online, the Calvin Trillin story is restricted to subscribers. Well I guess we're mentioned in it because we just had a new registrant who said he heard about the website in New Yorker. Off to the bookstore I go... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdt Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 Well I guess we're mentioned in it because we just had a new registrant who said he heard about the website in New Yorker. Off to the bookstore I go... Abstract is here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 Well I guess we're mentioned in it because we just had a new registrant who said he heard about the website in New Yorker. Off to the bookstore I go... It's a four-page piece (with a full-color cartoon) that goes into a lot of detail. At least a half-dozen members here are mentioned in depth (I'm not allowed to reveal who they are, but I hope they step forward and take a bow). Very cool, gang. Congratulations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilaine Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 It's a four-page piece (with a full-color cartoon) that goes into a lot of detail. At least a half-dozen members here are mentioned in depth (I'm not allowed to reveal who they are, but I hope they step forward and take a bow). Very cool, gang. Congratulations! Entertaining article by the ever perspicacious Calvin Trillin -- if one has a subscription to the magazine, internet access is free -- I did not get the sense that he was all that enthusiastic about the food, but he captured the mysteries that surround Chef Chang, without actually resolving any of them. No, actually, he did hammer down the fact that Mrs. Chang makes the appetizers. I wonder if she is the beautiful, shy woman who used to peek out of the kitchen when my family ordered two appetizers and two entrees each for a table of four. I think she found us amusing. Radiant smile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnb Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 It's a four-page piece (with a full-color cartoon) that goes into a lot of detail. At least a half-dozen members here are mentioned in depth (I'm not allowed to reveal who they are, but I hope they step forward and take a bow). Very cool, gang. Congratulations! Speaking for just me, I'm still not sure whether to step forward or hide under a rock. Maybe once I can read it I'll know which. Down here in the mountains, the New Yorker hasn't yet penetrated--not available on any newsstand I've found, but there are lots of gun and tricked out truck magazines. Ah, life in red territory. The local library gets it but as of 2:30 today it still wasn't on the shelf. The NYer folks promised to send some copies and maybe even a pdf of the article, but nothing on that front yet either. Maybe tomorrow. No, actually, he did hammer down the fact that Mrs. Chang makes the appetizers. I wonder if she is the beautiful, shy woman who used to peek out of the kitchen when my family ordered two appetizers and two entrees each for a table of four. I think she found us amusing. Radiant smile. Very likely that was her. Your description is exactly on point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Now matter what, you're my hero for being in the New Yorker!!! In fact, you are so much more than that! Guess how many new memberships we've had today because of the article? Two. Guess how many new memberships we had because of my eighteen-month tenure as Washingtonian wine columnist? Zero. DIFFERENT. UNIVERSE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenB Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 Kudos to Tom Seider, a law student at UVa, who has made his own independent discovery: http://www.lawweekly.org/?module=displaystory&story_id=2788&edition_id=143&format=html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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