Peter Chang is a Chinese chef who has owned and operated pop up restaurants throughout the mid-Atlantic region over the years. He has established a cult following of fans who have traveled enormous distances to have his food. He recently opened up a place in Arlington, Virginia, and we paid a visit last week with some friends to see what all the fuss was about.
We started off with the following appetizers:
Scallion Bubble Pancakes
scallion bubble pancakes
Hot & Numbing Noodles (with bok choy and mushrooms)
spicy noodles
Grandma’s Noodles, served with chili powder, scallions, garlic, cilantro, soy sauce and finished with a splash of hot oil
grandma’s noodles
Pan fried Pork Dumplings
potstickers
Cold Mixed Beef Tendon (not my idea!)
beef tendon
Cold Mixed Wood-Ear Mushrooms with Thai Chili
wood ear with chili
Mapo Tofu
mapo tofu
Mushroom Hot Pot stir fried in special chili sauce with mixed mushrooms, diced garlic, red bell pepper, onion, and jalapeno
mushroom hot pot
Eggplant and basil in clay pot (stewed eggplant with basil in a light brown sauce)
eggplant with basil
Fish filets in chili sauce
fish filets in chili oil
Pan fried steamed pork belly (steamed pork belly marinated with bean paste, rice flour, and chili paste and then pan fried with Szechuan chili powder, scallions, and cilantro and served with snow peas and mushrooms)
spicy pork belly
Stir fried shredded duck, with Szechuan chili powder with Chinese celery
shredded duck
New Zealand lamb chops spiced with cumin
lamb chops with cumin
Stir fried beef in Szechuan sauce
stir fried beef
Sliced chicken with Szechuan chili
stir fried chicken with hot peppers
Overall, the food is excellent—spicy and flavorful. It is typical authentic Chinese food, however, so the dishes tend to be on the oily side, especially for American taste buds. We really enjoyed it and plan to be back for a return visit soon!
Peter Chang can be found at 2503-E North Harrison Street, Arlington, VA, 22207, (703) 538-6688 (www.peterchangarlington.com)