Posts Tagged Cuisine: Chinese

Peter Chang’s China Grill, a Vegan Review

Oct 12

Posted by Brian & Kelly in Vegetarian Fare | 1 Comment

Ever waited way too long to see the movie everyone is raving about, the one that critics cant stop touting, only to find yourself asking “What’s all the fuss about?” This is exactly how we felt finally eating at Peter Chang’s. Just don’t see what the hype is all about. We were underwhelmed.

What we did like: It is really easy (as with most ethnic food) to eat vegan. We got the Veggie Spring Rolls, Shredded Pumpkin with Chili Peppers, and Pan Noodles with mixed vegetables.

The spring rolls were pretty typical, nothing to… Read More

Tags: Cuisine: Chinese, Good for Vegetarians, Restaurant: Peter Chang's China Grill, Vegan

Peter Chang’s China Grill: Top Dishes

May 9

Posted by Erin in Food Finds | 9 Comments

While there were some definite kinks in the frenzied opening days of Peter Chang’s China Grill, upon return visits we’ve found that the restaurant is hitting its stride. And by return visits, I mean we’re addicted and may soon reach a point where we have honorary plaques on one of the tables for two. But we’ve also found that there are definite hits and misses off the menu. If you know what to order, you’ll have an incredible meal that will be some of the best Chinese food of your life. If you take a more haphazard approach to the menu, it can be a disappointing experience.

Things are made more challenging because the menu does not provide descriptions… Read More

Tags: Charlottesville, Cuisine: Chinese, Neighborhood: 29/Barracks Rd, Restaurant: Peter Chang's China Grill

Peter Chang’s China Grill for Lunch

Apr 3

Posted by Kaitlin in Reviews | 11 Comments

I, along with the rest of Charlottesville, have been waiting for months for Peter Chang to come to Charlottesville (again). On a whim, my boyfriend and I decided to go to Peter Chang’s China Grill for lunch one Saturday afternoon. I had heard that you needed a reservation, but we popped in to see if they had any openings. Luckily, they had just started to take walk-ins and the hostess seated us moments later. Given that one of my areas of specialty here at Mas to Millers is cheap eats, we had hoped to be able to order some of the very affordable lunch specials, but unfortunately they were not available on the weekends. What… Read More

Tags: Charlottesville, Cuisine: Chinese, Good for Vegetarians, Neighborhood: 29/Barracks Rd, Rating: 4 stars, Restaurant: Peter Chang's China Grill

Taste of China’s Crispy Shrimp with Scallion

May 23

Posted by Erin in Food Finds | 6 Comments

I’m still trying to catch my breath after Charlottesville’s Peter Chang roller coaster. He was here. It was awesome. Everyone went to eat there. Everyone wrote articles about him. “And poof. Just like that, he’s gone.”

We were curious if Taste of China would manage to hold onto the Peter Chang magic so he headed back there recently. As suspected, rather than three-hour waits for a table the restaurant was barely over a quarter full at 7 pm on a Thursday. The wait staff seemed relaxed and our order was taken right away. We waited apprehensively to see how the Chang-less Taste of China would fare. I’m delighted to report that all dishes… Read More

Tags: Charlottesville, Cuisine: Chinese, Neighborhood: 29/Albemarle Square, Restaurant: Taste of China

Food Find: Asia Specialty Late Night Food

Dec 11

Posted by Erin in Food Finds | 5 Comments

One of my longstanding weekend traditions after leaving a bar late in the evening is to spend the rest of the night bemoaning the lack of downtown late night food, in addition to general whining that my feet hurt and I’m cold. Good times for Jed. So I’m not sure who was more excited when we recently heard there was a restaurant a mere block away from the downtown mall serving food until 5:00 am.

Last weekend, we headed to Asia Speciality on Market Street (the old Bohéme spot) to confirm this rumor. And it’s true – there has been late night downtown food right under our noses this whole time!… Read More

Tags: Charlottesville, Cuisine: Chinese, Neighborhood: Downtown, Open Late, Restaurant: Asia Specialty

Taste of China

Dec 6

Posted by Erin in Reviews | 3 Comments

We started to get excited after reading various food blogs about a renowned yet mysterious Szechuan chef who had attracted a devoted cult of followers in DC before disappearing. After sightings in Atlanta and Knoxville, there was a rumor that THE Peter Chang was behind the new nondescript Taste of China restaurant in Albemarle Square. I tried to keep my expectations in check, but they shot up when we arrived to see the restaurant name in neon Chinese, as well as English, outside the strip mall exterior. And up even further when we walked in to an absolutely packed place featuring very little English, with a menu… Read More

Tags: Charlottesville, Cuisine: Chinese, Good for Vegetarians, Near Carmike Cinema, Neighborhood: 29/Albemarle Square, Parking, Rating: 4 stars, Restaurant: Taste of China

Food Find: Ni Hao’s Ma Po Tofu

Oct 9

Posted by Erin in Food Finds | No Comments

The sign of a truly authentic Chinese dish is when the tofu comes with meat sauce. We recently hit up Ni Hao on the corner (the new Chinese with some Thai restaurant in the old Ethopian Messob space) and asked the waitress about the Ma Po Tofu. “Very healthy choice,” she assured us. Which we felt good about. And then when it arrived in a thick gravy of meat bits drowning those healthy chunks of tofu, we felt even better about it. The tofu, pork, hot peppers, and scallions dish was beyond delicious. The tangy hot flavor was perfectly punctuated with szechuan pepper. If you haven’t had szechuan peppers before, they’re fascinating. They look like harmless peppercorns but actually… Read More