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Peter Chang Really HAS Been Found!


gnatharobed

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Very likely that was her. Your description is exactly on point.

I really miss her wontons. The word "wonton" means "eating clouds" and hers had such a gossamer texture, they really deserved the name.

I have yet to make the trek to Cville but the one thing I crave above all else is the dipping sauce for the steamed eggplant appetizer. Five spice powder, dark sesame sauce, toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, chicken broth, I don't know what else, I find it indescribably delicious. If that's Mrs. Chang rather than Mr. Chang, well, I admire her even more.

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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.

Not enthusiastic about the food? You need to read the paragraph on p.29 that begins, "There was equal concentration..."

As for the mystery of Chang's moving about, I will simply say that if there were a simple explanation, there wouldn't be any story. Trillin says the reasons Chang offers are as complex as his cooking.

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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.

I went to the local Borders today to no avail. Their truck deliveries were delayed by the snow fall. No matter. I gave myself a free, trial subscription to the New Yorker's digital edition. Done.

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Todd Kliman's crazy, delightful piece in the Oxford American is also about Peter Chang, but in no way travels the same territory that Calvin Trillin does. It's interesting that the OxAm was able to get a quote from the editor of The New Yorker on the coincidence of the two articles. God save us from the crowds that will inundate Charlottesville now. But I'm thinking the hordes may not drive Chang away -- only accelerate his move to franchising, which would, luckily for us, include Fairfax.

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Are you ready for a hearty laugh? This is from the mid-Atlantic Chowhound board:

Well, he WAS here. After that article, he might have already left or be leaving very soon. I'd eaten there twice before the New Yorker issue came out and was exceedingly pleased. We tried to go this past Sunday around 7pm and were turned away at the door. There was a line of people, some of whom had been waiting for an hour. A woman came out and said they were "out of food" and to try and come back tomorrow. Then she made a plea for us to continue to come even if he leaves, since he is training all her staff on his recipes.

mojoeater Mar 03, 2010 09:21AM

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I'd actually like to know if this is true, because I was considering making the pilgrimage myself at some point.

I doubt he's leaving there anytime soon, and I have a little bit more hard information than just a hunch that makes me confident in saying that. Let's just say I got some input within the last few days.

However, nothing is certain. The pictures and medals and certificates are on the wall to the right as you go in, down toward the far side of all the pix of the good dishes. If those are gone, then he is gone. So please, everyone who goes, take a look and report if they go missing. As long as they're there, should be no problem, unless you happen to hit his day off, which I don't know what is (should have asked but didn't).

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However, nothing is certain. The pictures and medals and certificates are on the wall to the right as you go in, down toward the far side of all the pix of the good dishes. If those are gone, then he is gone.

This is almost like some sort of Fellini film.

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I'd like to go but not anytime soon (unless the crowds die down quickly). I've only had Chang's food once. While I think it's good and his scallion pancake unique, based on my limited experience, I'm not so certain that he's head and shoulders above Hong Kong Palace. It could be because we ordered what we're comfortable with and not his most inventive/best dishes. Of course, looking at the fairly typical Sichuan menu, it's hard to know what's unique to him. If anyone knows of other dishes that separates Chang from other Sichuan chefs, please post up.

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I'd like to go but not anytime soon (unless the crowds die down quickly). I've only had Chang's food once. While I think it's good and his scallion pancake unique, based on my limited experience, I'm not so certain that he's head and shoulders above Hong Kong Palace. It could be because we ordered what we're comfortable with and not his most inventive/best dishes. Of course, looking at the fairly typical Sichuan menu, it's hard to know what's unique to him. If anyone knows of other dishes that separates Chang from other Sichuan chefs, please post up.

I hate to keep trotting this old thread out, but I think it's an important document, because it predates all of the currently popular writings on Chang, and is a journal of my early exposure to him - completely at random, because the first time I went there, I didn't know anything at all about some "special chef" who was supposed to be working there; I was merely catching up with a beloved Chinese friend for lunch, who told me that China Star was developing a good reputation among the area Chinese community - Su-Fei, if you only knew that you may have played a small part of Chaos Theory in action. This post was written around the time he left. Eric, you know how much I love that Cumin Fish at Hong Kong Palace (and I reiterate to everyone who hasn't tried it: It's a great dish), but Chang's Roasted Fish (I think that's what it was called at China Star - it was the one with filets stacked up in sort of a tripod with green onion, which he also reproduced at China Gourmet), his Fish with Sour Mustard, and the genius of the Marinated Duck Feet (served cold in an apothecary jar with pickled vegetables, which completely balanced the ferocity of his cooking) were what first blew me away (along with that incredible scallion pancake which absolutely had to be eaten within minutes of serving (although in retrospect I enjoyed it as carryout also)). I've had his food in DC no less than ten times, at all of his restaurants, and to this day I believe that, at its peaks, it's some of the most skillful cooking I've ever experienced. I remember Robert Shoffner saying that Chinese is one of the world's great cuisines, and I spent a long time trying to figure out what on God's green earth he was talking about, because from my (localized) experience, Chinese food was nothing but a bunch of greasy glop; but Chang was the cook that made me realize that Shoffner was right - and Chang's was only one style of cooking out of this gigantic, ancient country with a multitude of regions and cultures - there could perhaps be a thousand Peter Changs in China. Nothing else I've ever tried compares to it, which probably says more about the dismal state of affairs here in DC (and my limited exposure to truly great Chinese cuisine) as it does about Chang himself. I'll also add that I've never seen Peter Chang, and that I've had some misses in some of his restaurants. Was he there during those times? I don't know. But what I do know is this: Each time I've had the gunk that's served at Great Wall on 14th Street, my memory of Chang grows dimmer, and I find the cumulative effect to be dejecting.

I also read, objectively, some of my early writings on Chang, and I wonder now if I'm not romanticizing him, just a little bit - as always, life is not so easily analyzed.

Cheers,

Rocks.

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I'm not so certain that he's head and shoulders above Hong Kong Palace.

I'm sure I've said this somewhere else, but what makes Chang's food pop for me compared to HKP is his use of bitterness to put his dishes into focus on the palate. That sounds wonky, but it came through dish after dish after dish.

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I doubt he's leaving there anytime soon, and I have a little bit more hard information than just a hunch that makes me confident in saying that. Let's just say I got some input within the last few days.

However, nothing is certain. The pictures and medals and certificates are on the wall to the right as you go in, down toward the far side of all the pix of the good dishes. If those are gone, then he is gone. So please, everyone who goes, take a look and report if they go missing. As long as they're there, should be no problem, unless you happen to hit his day off, which I don't know what is (should have asked but didn't).

as of yesterday, the pictures and medals were there, and the ma po bean curd was the best i've ever had.

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Its time to puncture the myth of Peter Chang and his so-called cooking. First of all, his real name is Barry Horowitz and hes writing a book to be called, How I Fooled the World into Thinking I was a Chinese Chef.* He pretends not to speak English because his Brooklyn accent would give him away. He moves around because his day job is as a hot dog vendor with a circus, and so he goes where the Big Top goes. His followers are various ringers parolees, Scientologists and desperate housewives. What he doesnt know about cooking would fill a book. Most of his concoctions come from Swansons, which he gets at A&P, leavened with generous amounts of Louisiana Hot Sauce and orange-flavored rice. By the time people catch onto his scam, hes already packing up.

*Look for it in October, Public Affairs Books, Foreword by C. Trillin, $22.95.

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It’s time to puncture the myth of Peter Chang and his so-called “cooking”. First of all, his real name is Barry Horowitz and he’s writing a book to be called, “How I Fooled the World into Thinking I was a Chinese Chef.*” He pretends not to speak English because his accent would give him away. He moves around because his day job is as a hot dog vendor with a circus, and so he goes where the Big Top goes. His “followers” are various ringers — parolees, Scientologists and desperate housewives. What he doesn’t know about cooking would fill a book. Most of his concoctions come from Swanson’s, which he gets at A&P, leavened with generous amounts of Louisiana Hot Sauce and orange-flavored rice. By the time people catch onto his scam, he’s already packing up.

*Look for it in October, Public Affairs Books, Foreword by C. Trillin, $22.95.

Great laugh...thanks!

(my E-meter says that a trip to C'ville is in my future....or was that my 8 Ball?)

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It’s time to puncture the myth of Peter Chang and his so-called “cooking”. First of all, his real name is Barry Horowitz and he’s writing a book to be called, “How I Fooled the World into Thinking I was a Chinese Chef.*” He pretends not to speak English because his Brooklyn accent would give him away. He moves around because his day job is as a hot dog vendor with a circus, and so he goes where the Big Top goes. His “followers” are various ringers — parolees, Scientologists and desperate housewives. What he doesn’t know about cooking would fill a book. Most of his concoctions come from Swanson’s, which he gets at A&P, leavened with generous amounts of Louisiana Hot Sauce and orange-flavored rice. By the time people catch onto his scam, he’s already packing up.

*Look for it in October, Public Affairs Books, Foreword by C. Trillin, $22.95.

My guess is he's in the Witness Protection Program. Wonder what the back story is.

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Like a lemming, I followed the press coverage to Charlottesville yesterday to see for myself what the “Great Peter Chang” has to offer. In fact, I believe that I was seated right next to Escoffier – unless there was another large table of VIPs with a habit of photographing their lunch. And I have to say that the “Chang Experience” was worth the drive, but almost surreal.

The drive to Charlottesville is beautiful, and one I know well, having spent three years in grad school at UVA and having returned countless times both for the University and for the sometimes great little wineries that dot the surrounding areas. Yesterday was a perfect day, and the snow covered mountains in the distance only added to the scene. My ambitious plan was to have lunch at Taste of China, to head to the campus (pretentiously called “the grounds” by the students), and, maybe, if I had time, to hit a winery or two before heading home. What I hadn’t planned on was the restaurant itself.

I knew, of course, from Calvin Trillin’s New Yorker article and from Todd Kliman’s Oxford American article, that Taste of China was a thoroughly average looking strip mall Chinese joint. But I was not prepared for how average it really is. The place is big and new and clean and bright and terribly busy – far more Marriott than Chinatown. It looks like a place that should have a large buffet of Americanized Chinese glop steaming away at one end. It doesn’t have table cloths or cloth napkins. And it has the cheapest disposable chopsticks I have ever encountered, which you must request from your server.

Taste of China is certainly not any place that you’d expect to find the exquisite, transporting, perhaps life-altering meal that I felt I had been all but promised by the fawning Chang has received over the years. Charlottesville may be the heart of Virginia’s wine country, but this is certainly not its French Laundry.

My first indication that there was something more to Taste of China was a line twenty people deep just inside the door. The second was a couple dozen nice photographs on the wall of Chang’s specialties, which certainly looked more appetizing and intricate that the mounded plates of stir fried brown that greet you at most Chinese restaurants. The last, of course, is Chang’s oft-discussed glory wall, which hangs to the left of the visual menu and which includes not only Chang’s awards and photographs with dignitaries, but also a few inartfully framed reviews from his tenure in Northern Virginia.

In an admittedly naïve attempt to miss the lunch crowd, we arrived at Taste of China at about 1:45. After a relatively short wait given the crowd, my party of two was seated at a four-top and our server immediately appeared to take our order. To buy some time we sent him for Tsingtao and tea, and considered our options. The menu has four basic sections: Appetizers, which are further divided into hot and cold options; Chef’s Specialties, which include the items pictured in the photographs at the restaurant entrance; regular Chinese dishes; and American Chinese dishes. We quickly decided on three appetizers: Fish Rolls with Cilantro and Scallion Bubble Pancakes from the hot appetizers and Hot and Spicy Corned Beef with Cilantro from the cold appetizers, and three entrees: Roast Fish with Green Onion and Scallion and Chili Hot Pot with Chicken from the Chef’s Specialties and Mapo Bean Curd from the regular Chinese menu. The restaurant was out of the fish rolls, and supposedly out of Hot and Spicy Beef Rolls when we asked for those instead (though the aforementioned VIPs were served an order about half an hour later ;)), so we ended up with five dishes.

Each dish was served as it was ready, and the Scallion Bubble Pancakes came first. These are basically fried dough that puffs up when cooked and they reminded me of a lighter version of Navajo Fry Bread. Next was the Roast Fish with Green Onion, that many have noted are really battered and expertly fried pieces of a white fish with a great salt, chili, and cumin flavor that again seemed more southwest, or maybe Cajun (dare I say Popeye’s), than Chinese. The Mapo Bean Curd came third and was an incredibly spicy and head-numbing bowl of bright red, gelatinized tofu that was so much better than I describe it. It was almost like some culinary cousin of napalm except that it had an inexplicable balance and depth of flavor. Our cold “appetizer” came fourth – Hot and Spicy Corned Beef with Cilantro, which were little slices of lightly cured beef with plenty of soft connective tissue, cilantro, chilies, Sichuan peppercorns and more cumin. These were great on their own, but made amazing little sandwiches when paired with pieces of the now cold pancakes. Finally, we received the Scallion and Chili Hot Pot with Chicken, which was basically cumin and chili-spiked chicken, onions, green peppers, cilantro, and jalepenos that were served in a flaming, sizzling contraption that sounded and tasted like a refined version of fajitas.

When describing Chang’s food, it has become rather trite to say that – with the exception of the Mapo Bean Curd (mapo doufu), which is one of my favorite Sichuan dishes – this was not Chinese food as I have ever experienced it. I have no idea whether it is “authentic” Sichuan cuisine or whether his is some kind of fusion cuisine that borrows flavors that are more typically associated with the American southwest. But it was damned good, and almost addictive – meaning that I couldn’t stop eating it. It was not only tasty, but the more I sampled it, the more flavors I discovered. Even the Mapo Bean Curd had more layers of seasoning and spice than I have encountered in the best versions that I’ve tasted.

We ended up staying an hour and a half and eating so much that we required a long stroll around the grounds before we could even contemplate wine. By the time we were done, we had just enough time to make it to the Kluge winery before they closed at 5:00. At that point, they were done giving tastings, but gave us enough free samples to convince us to bring a couple bottles of sparkling wine home. Sparkling wine that, by the way, was delicious with leftover Sichuan food.

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If you plan on going to Taste of China, I'd suggest you get there before they open for lunch at 11:00 or arrange to be there around 4:30 to get ahead of the line for dinner. The restaurant is so slammed that they have started to close after lunch and reopen at 5:00pm for dinner and there have been a couple of days where they've actually run out of food. We were lucky to get in and glad we did.

So were we. We had called to ask if they would be open at 2:30 (when we would be passing through Charlottesville), and were told "yes, yes, we're open 'til 10:00". And then we got there and found the door locked. But they did let us in. And they were out of the eggplant.

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Six for lunch at Taste of China in Charlottesville. Nice trip, pleasant conversation, driver boredom. Arrive in Charlottesville, drive around UVa to appropriate ooohs and ahhhs. Head for Albemarle Square and Taste of China. Park in large, albeit somewhat full parkng lot and go to door of restaurant. So far so good. No large crowds, no people standing around outside trying to get in. Open the door...different story. A line that goes from the door to the counter, past the Chang medals, past the reviews, past the pictures of the goodies. Fortunately they know we're coming. I go to the counter and, without looking up, the owners wife asks "You got a number?". The restaurant is so busy they're passing out numbers for tables. I remind her of our previous conversation and then she looks up. Big warm smile, "How nice to see you again. We're getting a table ready for you." We bypass the 20 or 25 people who are waiting and are shown a table in the corner. We have a suggested menu (thank you Stephen and someone from Chowhound) that Grover has translated into Chinese. We give it to the manager and plead for Ma La. He asks if we want it spicy and I repeat, "Ma La". He goes off with the menu. In 2 minutes out comes Chef Chang. Big smile, warm (but somewhat soft) handshake. We again repeat "Ma La" and he smiles and goes away. Then the food (the wonderful, tasty, numbing, body-warming, soul stirring food) starts.

First we had: 4 plates of cold cuts (a Chinese Charcuterie if there is such a thing). (from the top left clockwise): Marinated Tofu, Chicken cut into bite size slices, thinly sliced ham. and thinly sliced Chinese sausage.

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Next came the Scallion Bubble Pancakes. Large, golden brown puff balls, larger than softballs that were filled only with air. Surprisingly good, for what is mostly form with not much substance.

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This was followed almost immediately by the Hot and Spicy Beef Rolls. This Chinese version of Burritos is one of the best things I've ever eaten. Beefy, spicy, oniony, and just plain good. They lasted one go around on the lazy susan.

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Next was the Dried Fried Eggplant Szechuan style (Fried Eggplant sauteed with green onion and chili powder). I don't like eggplant. I can't stop eating this. Crispy on the outside, almost custardy on the inside. If all eggplant tasted this good, there would be a world-wide eggplant shortage.

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Following the eggplant came Roast Fish with Green Onion. This is the "I can't believe I'm still eating this even though I'm about to explode" dish. After all of the dishes had come out and everyone was protesting to being overly full, this dish continued to be eaten.

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This was followed by two hotpots, the first one was fish with Chinese Greens:

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and the second hotpot was Scallion and Chili in hotpot with Shrimp. More numbing, but in a very nice way. Excellent small shrimp set off by cilantro and onions.

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Finally, the pork belly. Ma La pork belly with steam buns. The pork belly was nicely spiced and the steam buns helped to keep the fire to a reasonable level.

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For some reason, we all decided to skip dessert (even the fortune cookies were declined). If you plan on going to Taste of China, I'd suggest you get there before they open for lunch at 11:00 or arrange to be there around 4:30 to get ahead of the line for dinner. The restaurant is so slammed that they have started to close after lunch and reopen at 5:00pm for dinner and there have been a couple of days where they've actually run out of food. We were lucky to get in and glad we did. Let's hope that this success doesn't drive Peter Chang to leave another wildly successful venue for parts unknown.

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We were in Charlottesville this Saturday for VA Festival of the Book. (J did a 2 o'clock presentation at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, one of the Festival's venues.) He was finished signing books and packed up by 3:30, we had coffee with a friend who lives in Charlottesville, and per Escoffier's recommendation, were at Taste of China by 4:30. I was prepared to wait until 5, but the restaurant was open and serving, and there were a few empty tables. By 5:15, every table was full and there was a line stretching from the bar to the door.

Too bad there were only two of us. We ended up ordering way more than we could possibly finish, and had to do some creative food storage overnight in our hotel room, utilizing ice, wastebasket liners and plastic bags.

Ah, Peter Chang. I'd almost forgotten how good his food is. I attended a group lunch at China Star very soon after James Glucksman (Pandahugga) first saw and translated Chang's famous certificates, and ate there and at "Szechuan Boy" a few times before he left DC. I wasn't a complete Changophile, like John Binkley or Todd Kliman. But tasting his food again was a great pleasure.

We ordered spicy beef rolls, scallion bubble pancakes, fish with scallions in a bamboo basket, dried fried eggplant, ma po tofu, and crystal shrimp--a few old favorites and some new and exciting tastes. I'm sorry we didn't order a casserole or a hotpot. I think the scallion pancake would have been more enjoyable if we'd had another saucy or soupy dish to dip them in besides the ma po tofu. Crispy, creamy, crunchy, salty, spicy, savory, sweet and soothing: a balanced meal.

I felt sorry for the people at the next table over who asked the waiter about their choices: "Is it spicy?" And then had a dish of beef with broccoli set before them.

Message to anyone who is teetering on the edge of making the trip: go. It's a lovely drive down Rt. 29. Spring is a bit more advanced around Charlottesville. The food is amazing.

Never mind.

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We were in Charlottesville this Saturday for VA Festival of the Book. (J did a 2 o'clock presentation at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, one of the Festival's venues.) He was finished signing books and packed up by 3:30, we had coffee with a friend who lives in Charlottesville, and per Escoffier's recommendation, were at Taste of China by 4:30. I was prepared to wait until 5, but the restaurant was open and serving, and there were a few empty tables. By 5:15, every table was full and there was a line stretching from the bar to the door.

Too bad there were only two of us. We ended up ordering way more than we could possibly finish, and had to do some creative food storage overnight in our hotel room, utilizing ice, wastebasket liners and plastic bags.

Ah, Peter Chang. I'd almost forgotten how good his food is. I attended a group lunch at China Star very soon after James Glucksman (Pandahugga) first saw and translated Chang's famous certificates, and ate there and at "Szechuan Boy" a few times before he left DC. I wasn't a complete Changophile, like John Binkley or Todd Kliman. But tasting his food again was a great pleasure.

We ordered spicy beef rolls, scallion bubble pancakes, fish with scallions in a bamboo basket, dried fried eggplant, ma po tofu, and crystal shrimp--a few old favorites and some new and exciting tastes. I'm sorry we didn't order a casserole or a hotpot. I think the scallion pancake would have been more enjoyable if we'd had another saucy or soupy dish to dip them in besides the ma po tofu. Crispy, creamy, crunchy, salty, spicy, savory, sweet and soothing: a balanced meal.

I felt sorry for the people at the next table over who asked the waiter about their choices: "Is it spicy?" And then had a dish of beef with broccoli set before them.

Message to anyone who is teetering on the edge of making the trip: go. It's a lovely drive down Rt. 29. Spring is a bit more advanced around Charlottesville. The food is amazing.

Zora

You were very lucky, as you will see when you read the post I'm about to put up as a new thread.

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As predicted by so many of you (I thought it wouldn't be quite so soon this time), our boy has flown the coop again. Apparently yesterday (Sunday) was his last at Taste of China. Sources indicate the next venue might be Richmond, but might be also back south. That's all I have right now. Stay tuned.

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As predicted by so many of you (I thought it wouldn't be quite so soon this time), our boy has flown the coop again. Apparently yesterday (Sunday) was his last at Taste of China. Sources indicate the next venue might be Richmond, but might be also back south. That's all I have right now. Stay tuned.

It's sad, very sad. The worst thing is that the jig is up wherever he goes now. The cat is definitively out of the bag. As one who is partly to blame, I hang my head.

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What exactly is this man's issue? I have read several threads about him but don't think I've ever heard the reason why he always runs away from restaurants.

That is because there has been no specific reason given.

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It's sad, very sad. The worst thing is that the jig is up wherever he goes now. The cat is definitively out of the bag. As one who is partly to blame, I hang my head.

Ahhh, but Stephen, it was so good while it lasted. Richmond would be great. It's only a reasonable drive from here (as was Charlottesville).

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In the interest of adding to and revising the record, here is part of my reply to Trillin after we went to Charlottesville and he asked what I thought were the chances of Chang's lasting tenure there:

I have been surprised every time he giddyapped away from a successful enterprise in the past... More reflectively... there does seem to be a solidity to his current situation. There are indications he’s comfortable now. The staff gathered around him, laughed and pulled at their aprons when he spoke...

.

Beyond that, my ears pricked up when Joe (one of the owners) mentioned plans to spread the franchise to Richmond and Fairfax. Fairfax is 20 minutes from Georgetown. It’s on our regular circuit. If there were a Peter Chang presence that close, and it offered the full ma la, I think we would flock there weekly, maybe more.

And so the cycle restarts?

So -- what i didn't take into consideration was the madness that broke out. Whatever motivated Chang's peripatetic behavior in the past, no one could have dealt with the new tsunami.

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We made it there for dinner last night - from Richmond - only to meet a handwritten piece of paper taped to the door stating that they were closed for the day. We're hoping to see him in Richmond. The two times we did visit while open were magical - even compared to what we were used to in the Bay Area, NYC and Toronto.

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In the interest of adding to and revising the record, here is part of my reply to Trillin after we went to Charlottesville and he asked what I thought were the chances of Chang's lasting tenure there:

So -- what i didn't take into consideration was the madness that broke out. Whatever motivated Chang's peripatetic behavior in the past, no one could have dealt with the new tsunami.

I'm not sure that's it, although the stress surely played a role. A perhaps more likely hypothesis is that, being as good as he is at what he does, he feels he should have more control over the terms of his employment, and that puts him at odds with management. This is essentially what happened at TemptAsian according to Todd Kliman's piece in Washingtonian, and there is some evidence of the same in other instances. It would also be consistent with his cagey answers when Trillin interviewed him.

Basically, one might conclude the man needs to own his own place outright.

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Given his work history, no bank in their right mind would loan him a dime.

That's probably true, but my hunch is that it is rare, very very rare, the Chinese restaurant that has been financed by a bank, at least of the kind that you or I would recognize.

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Given his work history, no bank in their right mind would loan him a dime.

Interesting thought, Daniel. Of course given the guaranteed success from the day the door opens, an appropriate interest rate and assurances from him that now that he is THE owner he will stay, I would believe he might be able to find the money from somewhere or someone. OR to have a series of restaurants in a number of cities and bring him in as a consultant to set the menu and train the staff, staying for a month or so in each to insure that it's off the ground. With a percentage of ownership and the ability (albeit the NEED) to move this could be ideal for him. Of course, knowing that he must move in a month this could also be the first time he decides to stay!!!

We were suppose to go to Charlottesville today (Today!) He left the Chantilly restaurant a week before I went there not knowing that he was gone. He really does seem to be a kind of Sichuan Gypsy.

John, a question: does he drive a motor home? If he has any furniture at all these moves must be killing him financially-impulsiveness can be expensive. It's also interesting that each move now is to an entirely new area hundreds of miles away. At some point it almost seems that his next move might not be to a new state but to a new country.

Last, we're romanticizing his free spirit and the adventure of following him. What is he leaving in his wake? How do these restaurants do once he has gone?

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Interesting thought, Daniel. Of course given the guaranteed success from the day the door opens, an appropriate interest rate and assurances from him that now that he is THE owner he will stay, I would believe he might be able to find the money from somewhere or someone. OR to have a series of restaurants in a number of cities and bring him in as a consultant to set the menu and train the staff, staying for a month or so in each to insure that it's off the ground. With a percentage of ownership and the ability (albeit the NEED) to move this could be ideal for him. Of course, knowing that he must move in a month this could also be the first time he decides to stay!!!

We were suppose to go to Charlottesville today (Today!) He left the Chantilly restaurant a week before I went there not knowing that he was gone. He really does seem to be a kind of Sichuan Gypsy.

John, a question: does he drive a motor home? If he has any furniture at all these moves must be killing him financially-impulsiveness can be expensive. It's also interesting that each move now is to an entirely new area hundreds of miles away. At some point it almost seems that his next move might not be to a new state but to a new country.

Last, we're romanticizing his free spirit and the adventure of following him. What is he leaving in his wake? How do these restaurants do once he has gone?

Interestingly Kliman in his chat today proposed some big investor ought to build him a place in DC (then leave him alone--fat chance) where he could have a reservation-only place with two seatings per day, sort of like Minibar, and could properly showcase his talents. Nice idea but not too likely.

The restaurants he leaves in his wake appear to do OK. I know Atlanta is still highly thought of (the owners there supposedly brought in new chefs from China). I have read that TemptAsian and China Star are both still good, but I have no personal experience with either.

I too have wondered about the constant moves. I don't think he has a motor home. But since he and Hong-ying pretty much live in the restaurants, they probably live fairly lightly.

He'll still be in the US for a while, but I'm sure he'll go back home someday. He once said to me that one of his ideas was to, get this, open an "American buffet" in China--to this day I'm not sure whether he was kidding or not.

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Here’s the solution: Steve Wynn opens Chang Dragon at the Bellagio. In the land of celebrity chefs, our guy would thrive. No more strip malls. It’s amazing what big bucks can do. A multi-million dollar investment gets you a large room, modern equipment, imported spices, a well-trained multilingual staff, and a procedure for taking reservations. The place is an international draw which is what Las Vegas loves. Everyone’s surprised at how many people book a table from China. Reservations are available six months in advance and traded on the market. You can cash in a today reservation for $600 in play money. Hours of service are limited. The restaurant is closed on Mondays. Chang has a fulltime interpreter just like Ichiro Suzuki. Recipes are shared with sous chefs and other staff members who are sworn to secrecy. Chang himself is legally bound by an airtight contract. The Suzie Wong dress shop in the lobby goes nuts.

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Here’s the solution: Steve Wynn opens Chang Dragon at the Bellagio. In the land of celebrity chefs, our guy would thrive. No more strip malls. It’s amazing what big bucks can do. A multi-million dollar investment gets you a large room, modern equipment, imported spices, a well-trained multilingual staff, and a procedure for taking reservations. The place is an international draw which is what Las Vegas loves. Everyone’s surprised at how many people book a table from China. Reservations are available six months in advance and traded on the market. You can cash in a today reservation for $600 in play money. Hours of service are limited. The restaurant is closed on Mondays. Chang has a fulltime interpreter just like Ichiro Suzuki. Recipes are shared with sous chefs and other staff members who are sworn to secrecy. Chang himself is legally bound by an airtight contract. The Suzie Wong dress shop in the lobby goes nuts.

I write this as someone who has not eaten Peter Chang's cooking-yet. And, perhaps yourself or John B. can answer: I believe that Lotus of Siam (in a nondescript, seedy out of the way Vegas strip center) is the best Asian I have found in America. At least three or four dishes were, just, extraordinary. I also believe that for me it may taste even better because it is such an achingly plain, actually tired room.

How would Peter Chang compare to Saipin Chutima, Lotus of Siam's chef who is currently nominated for a James Beard award as best chef in the Southwest? Would Peter Chang's cuisine be the same in a truly upscale setting?

And, last, if Lotus of Siam's chef moved every three months would we be following him around the U. S. too?

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