PF Changs

[Hat Trick]

I worked there for about a year a while back. I agree to a certain extent on the food there. One thing about the place is that everything is prepared daily. The chicken is hand cut and breaded along with the beef being sliced in house. The dumplings are all hand made. That being said, I have had much better Asian food since. My advice to you is to move to Chapel Hill, and try Jujube if you want some slammin a$$ asian food.

 

PF Changs does have a few good dishes, but if you went twice and didn't like it both times, then I'm sure you won't like anything they have to offer. Unless you got the same thing both times.

 

 

cheers

 

 

Edit: I just thought about the lettuce wraps. Great if you have your special sauce made the right way.

 

So what are the "few good dishes"?

[Savage Beatings]

that place is too dark

 

[H8tank]

Don't eat there really, to busy of a place for me, but had thier pan seared dumplings at the bar, and they were pretty good.

[Controller]

:yogi: That place is so crowded, nobody goes there anymore. :/yogi:

[Bier Meister]

I don't think the food's crap, just the portion to pricing ratio is a little over the top

 

 

my sentiments. i think they are better than most chains, relatively. and i have no issue with the flavors i've been given. i am and advocate for the smaller mom-n-pop type, but you see a different quality in different areas... i am from SF and have been very spoiled with regard to food. here in denver (and mountains) the asian food is not nearly as consistantly good. we just went to a place sunday and we were very happy. reminded me of a lot of the restaurants from home: fantastic diversity on the menu, many seafood items, substantial portions. prices were slightly lower than PF changs. most other places are significantly lower than changs... so we deliberately decide whether it's worth a little time in the car to drive to changs (20 min away) and have higher quality...vs the 3 other places on 5 min waya and much cheaper, with lesser quality (and they also deliver)

 

 

so.... that new place is now our favorite (3-5 min beyond changs) and when the daughter is not too tired for the round trip, we'll likely go there...

[Ursa Majoris]

Always eat Chinese in buffets. Quantity has a quality all of it's own.

[montster]

when we lived in san diego, every weekend the pf chang's near the mall had more people waiting outside than were dining inside. i never understood it. we used to get takeout because i thought their mongolian beef was pretty good, but i found a copycat recipe online that tastes better, so i've been making that instead.

[Brentastic]

I have been a hugh fan of PF changs for years - but I have noticed in the last year the quality has diminished and is inconsistent. Not sure if this diminishing quality is just at my local but I have noticied it.

 

I only order two things - kung pao shrimp and veggie lettuce wraps. The Kung pao shrimp is amazing when done right and same with the lettuce wraps. Can't really say much about anything else though.

[The Irish Doggy]

I have been a hugh fan of PF changs for years - but I have noticed in the last year the quality has diminished and is inconsistent. Not sure if this diminishing quality is just at my local but I have noticied it.

 

 

I suspect restaurants nationwide are greatly reducing their quality to keep from raising prices too high too fast. The mrs. and I swear every one of our preferred chain restaurants has cut down on quality in the last year. Its caused us to not eat out as much, so maybe that's a good thing.

[twiley]

How dare you talk about Chipotle that way!

 

If you're comparing Chipotle as the pinnacle of mexican cuisine then you need to retract every post you made in this thread.

[untateve]

I generally avoid chain restaurants. I like finding individually owned restaurants that deliver on taste and price.

[alexgaddis]

 

If you're comparing Chipotle as the pinnacle of mexican cuisine then you need to retract every post you made in this thread.

No, not at all...but I loves me some Chipotle

[Dirty Sanchez]

the wait times around here are ridiculous and the service has been spotty.

I agree. But, do you guys have their sister restaurant, Pei Wei, around you. Much smaller and not nearly as crowded, but with most of the same menu.

[Jo]

Am I to understand that you guys feel Chipotle is "the best"? That's all he was saying it wasn't.

 

No, not at all. But for quick and dirty eating, that's at the top of my list. I don't know of much good Mexican food here in DC (though if anyone knows anywhere...).

 

As for PF Changs, I agree - average food that is overpriced.

[DemonKnight]

I agree. But, do you guys have their sister restaurant, Pei Wei, around you. Much smaller and not nearly as crowded, but with most of the same menu.

 

+1 and much cheaper. It's more fast foody (you stand and place your order) but its pretty much the same menu. I love me some dan dan noodles.

[twiley]

I agree. But, do you guys have their sister restaurant, Pei Wei, around you. Much smaller and not nearly as crowded, but with most of the same menu.

There's one about a 1/2 mile from my PF Changs. It's funny when people don't know that they're connected and start saying that the food is a rip off of one or the other.

[rajncajn]

Ate there Friday night and had a decent meal for a chain. Not sure what you were expecting but it is what it is. I consider it the "Outback" of chinese food. I don't go in expecting a knockout meal but it'll still be OK.

I was coming in here to throw Outback on the fire. I've never been to Outback when they didn't screw something up with my order or the food was junk. Last time I went I ordered a ribeye & they tried to pass off a sirloin to me. When I told the waitress she sat there & tried to convince me it was a ribeye. She even got another waiter over to tell me that it was in fact a ribeye. I finally got the manager to come over & the first thing he said was "yep, that's a sirloin."

Edited June 17, 2008 by rajncajn

[KSUChiefsTarheelFan]

i thought their mongolian beef was pretty good, but i found a copycat recipe online that tastes better, so i've been making that instead.

 

well, let us have it man!

 

So what are the "few good dishes"?

Chicken/Veg lettuce wraps

All fried dumplings

Hot and Sour...(lots of tofu)

Mongolian Beef

Shrimp/Chicken Kung Pao

Moo Shu

Ma Po Tofu

 

 

 

and of course

DAN DAN Noodles!

[Big Country]

I was coming in here to throw Outback on the fire. I've never been to Outback when they didn't screw something up with my order or the food was junk. Last time I went I ordered a ribeye & they tried to pass off a sirloin to me. When I told the waitress she sat there & tried to convince me it was a ribeye. She even got another waiter over to tell me that it was in fact a ribeye. I finally got the manager to come over & the first thing he said was "yep, that's a sirloin."

 

Never had a problem with Outback. I guess it helps that I usually only eat when one of my good friends, who is a regional training manger or something like that is working. I generally get good food. Then again, I also find myself eating with the proprietors of the establishment at times so that helps ensure that I get fairly good stuff.

 

But having them try to pass off the wrong steak would annoy me. Sirloin and ribeye are usually pretty easy to tell apart.

[KSUChiefsTarheelFan]

I had Outback cheese fries not too long ago...then I found out how bad they are for me...but they were so good.

 

Nutrition Facts

Calories 2900

 

Total Fat 182 g 280%

Sat. Fat - 0%

Cholesterol - 0%

Sodium - 0%

Total Carbs. 240 g 80%

Dietary Fiber - 0%

Sugars -

Protein 75 g

[untateve]

I don't think I'll ever eat at an Outback for the rest of my life. I've had too many negative flavor experiences there.

[westvirginia]

I don't think I'll ever eat at an Outback for the rest of my life. I've had too many negative flavor experiences there.

 

Don't they smoke their salmon with the egg?

[TDFFFreak]

As far as mid-range casual sitdown chains, PF Changs is one of the better restaurants of the bunch. Generally they cook a lot of dishes that I can't cook at home so it's a reason to go as opposed to the awful and boring Applebee's, which just about anyone could replicate their food.

 

The Chang's Spicy Chicken is very tasty. I will say that consistentcy is something that Chang's sometimes has a problem with, but more often than not the food is good.

Edited June 18, 2008 by TDFFFreak

[Skippy]

So what are the "few good dishes"?

I am never disapointed when we go to PF Changs. It is the one and only resturant that my entire family will get together and be happy about going to.

 

For starters:

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Crab Wontons

Shrimp Dumplings

 

Main:

Wok Charred Beef

Mongolian Beef

Changs Spicy Chicken

Sichuan From the Sea

Double Pan Fried Noodles

Dan Dan Noodles

 

I have had all these diises and depending on what you like, chicken, beef, seafood, spicy or tame, I think this is some of there best offerings. One thing that I have found is that I like to order extra sauce when I order many of their dishes. The extra sauce just really makes it for me.

[montster]

well, let us have it man!

 

i think the biggest thing is that if you make it at home, you can buy better quality flank steak than what they serve at pf chang's. makes a big difference.

 

http://www.recipezaar.com/66121

 

P. F. Chang's Mongolian Beef Recipe #66121

This copykat recipe is as good as the original!

by Tish

 

SERVES 2

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced

1 tablespoon garlic, chopped

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

vegetable oil, for frying (about 1 cup)

1 lb flank steaks

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 large green onions

 

1. Make the sauce by heating 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over med/low heat.

2. Don't get the oil too hot.

3. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches.

4. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

5. Remove it from the heat.

6. Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4" thick bite-size slices.

7. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty five degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts.

8. Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef.

9. Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.

10. As the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok (you may also use a skillet for this step as long as the beef will be mostly covered with oil).

11. Heat the oil over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking.

12. Add the beef to the oil and sauté for just two minutes, or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges.

13. You don't need a thorough cooking here since the beef is going to go back on the heat later.

14. Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly.

15. After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour the oil out of the wok or skillet.

16. Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and simmer for one minute.

17. Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring, then add all the green onions.

18. Cook for one more minute, then remove the beef and onions with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving plate.

19. Leave the excess sauce behind in the pan.