[sphere777]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have been thinking about a road trip to visit Peter Chang's new joint Taste of China in Charlottesville. If I understand correctly, this is as close as he has been to the area in a long time so it is best to carpe diem while we have the chance.

I would suggest next Sunday, November 22, as a potential date. After that I would suggest early December.

Rob

[StephenB]

Rob, I'm interested, especially if I can get a ride. Nov 22 is OK for me.

[sphere777]

Sure, I'll drive. I can carry 4 people total (including me).

[Koolpaw]

I was there a week ago Sunday on the way back from a week at the Great Smokies. He really is there. The restaurant is large, well-appointed, and very clean. The food is terrific, although the two of us really couldn't order everything we wanted to.

I would be interested in going if enough people go, although it's quite a schlepp down Rte 29 to the north side of Charlottesville. You really have to love his food.

[Escoffier]

Koolpaw, on 16 November 2009 - 11:43 AM, said:

it's quite a schlepp down Rte 29 to the north side of Charlottesville. You really have to love his food.

Two freaking hours is quite a schlepp? Guess that means you aren't going to dinner tonight with me here in Amsterdam?

[JimRice]

What happened to Knoxville?

[sphere777]

Evidently, this trip will be futile unless we have a go-between who speaks Mandarin. This person would need to arrange a reservation and inform Chef Chang that we want food with the full "ma la" treatment. Otherwise we will get the boring Americanized dishes.

If anyone can speak Mandarin and help out, that would be great; however, if no one volunteers by Friday, sadly I'm going to call off the trip.

I don't see any other way to go....

Rob

[DonRocks]

sphere777, on 16 November 2009 - 10:23 PM, said:

Evidently, this trip will be futile unless we have a go-between who speaks Mandarin. This person would need to arrange a reservation and inform Chef Chang that we want food with the full "ma la" treatment. Otherwise we will get the boring Americanized dishes.

If anyone can speak Mandarin and help out, that would be great; however, if no one volunteers by Friday, sadly I'm going to call off the trip.

I don't see any other way to go....

Rob

I think someone would be happy to call in advance for you.

(If you call a day or two ahead, there may even be things that can be special-ordered).

[Ilaine]

sphere777, on 15 November 2009 - 06:06 PM, said:

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have been thinking about a road trip to visit Peter Chang's new joint Taste of China in Charlottesville. If I understand correctly, this is as close as he has been to the area in a long time so it is best to carpe diem while we have the chance.

I would suggest next Sunday, November 22, as a potential date. After that I would suggest early December.

Rob

I would love to do so. We are big fans of Peter Chang, and have very fond memories of a Don Rocks dinner at China Boy back in the day, curated by Panda Hugger. If this happens, DH and #1 Son are sure to go.

#1 Son resides in Cville, has visited Taste of China several times, thinks it is the best Chinese restaurant in Cville but has yet to be blown away, perhaps because of inability to communicate that he is up for anything the kitchen will do. I doubt very many in Cville are.

What we have here may be a failure to communicate.

[sphere777]

Right now, I am looking for someone who speaks Mandarin. Hopefully I will within the next day or so. I would like to set the final date to December 3rd, if that works for everybody. The 4th would be fine as well.

CORRECTION: Make that December the 5th. I wish to schedule it on a Saturday so everybody can come.

This post has been edited by sphere777: 20 November 2009 - 11:58 AM

[sphere777]

Goodeats has volunteered to help us out with arranging the outing so I say we are go for launch on December the 3rd if that is satisfactory to all. Please PM me or post here if you want in. IMHO, we need at least four people to go.

Rob

[TheMatt]

December 3 is a Thursday, right? Nuts. Still, I hope you guys have fun!

[sphere777]

Thanks TheMatt. I wanted to schedule this on a weekend so everybody can come. The final final date is December 5th. Mea culpa.

[Koolpaw]

Sorry, I am not available Dec 5. Holiday Parties.

[TheMatt]

Ooh, 5th. I might be able to make that. Time for some schedule shiftin'...

[ema]

Somebody please take some pictures and help out those who can't go.

[johnb]

Just one comment. I haven't seen the printed menu for this restaurant, but in previous Peter Chang restaurants, including the most recent two (Atlanta and Knoxville) the menu made it pretty obvious which were the good dishes, and it wasn't particularly difficult to find and order them. I don't recall exactly, but they were in sections with names like "Chef's Specials" or "Sichuan Dishes." I would be surprised if it turns out to be difficult to home in on the good stuff at this place. Also, in Knoxville at least there were pictures at the entrance that turned out to be the good Chang preparations that are well-known to us all, and I think I may have read somewhere that there is a similar "montage" in C'ville. If so, that would be another possible avenue.

I'm looking forward to reading about this expedition. Wish I could be there with you, but from where I am these days the distance and travel time is just a bit beyond what is feasible for me.

[DonRocks]

I would make sure this isn't his day off.

[Escoffier]

DonRocks, on 21 November 2009 - 09:25 AM, said:

I would make sure this isn't his day off.

and I have the feeling that if he finds out about this "expedition", it's going to become his day (or week) off. Like a bunch of lovestruck trannies...(I think I prefer my original, Don... and now to revert to the original, as typed by me...) a bunch of lovestruck teenies...(..btw, is that a 6 speed or a 5 speed or an automatic trannie? a little car humor there, perhaps?)

[sphere777]

Is it really offensive to make an advance reservation in order to drive down to a restaurant and eat food prepared specifically for the occasion? If the chef is easily offended, perhaps so.

I would think that Chef Chang would be happy to share true "ma la" cusine with us or at least refuse to do so before we arrive.

On that premise, I am still soliciting participants. Please let me know by Wednesday, December 2nd. I will remind everybody before that time.

[sphere777]

I am told that we need at least six people to sign on in order to be worth it. I have two definites and one possible. If anyone else is interested, please let me know by tomorrow at midnight (PM or post). If I don't have six by then, I will call it off.

[pcollins]

sphere777, on 02 December 2009 - 03:20 PM, said:

I am told that we need at least six people to sign on in order to be worth it. I have two definites and one possible. If anyone else is interested, please let me know by tomorrow at midnight (PM or post). If I don't have six by then, I will call it off.

http://www.deprogram...asteofchina.pdf -- This is the takeout menu at Taste of China which I hastily scanned. Depending on what time you make it over there, I can probably attend this as the restaurant is located less than a mile from where I live here in Charlottesville. Also if anyone has any questions about how to get there or any other logistics about Charlottesville, feel free to PM or post.

[StephenB]

Thanks for posting the carryout menu. It would be interesting to know how it compares to the sitdown menu.

[pcollins]

I stopped by for a really late lunch so I didn't get to pick out the sitdown menu. There was the wall with pictures of dishes as you entered the restaurant however.

I also didn't scan the American menu or the lunch special

[sphere777]

Since I did not get enough signups, I am cancelling the outing. Thanks to everybody who signed on.

Rob

[Seanchai]

StephenB, on 04 December 2009 - 03:51 PM, said:

Thanks for posting the carryout menu. It would be interesting to know how it compares to the sitdown menu.

Just came back from dinner tonight. The sit-down menu we were given was a bit longer and actually had an Americanized Chinese section labeled as such. My Chinese food experience is seriously in remediation as I've been in Charlottesville for 14 years now. Nonetheless, we really enjoyed the cilantro rolls, scallion bubble pancakes, Singapore noodles and crispy chicken with carrots, scallions and chef's special sauce.