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
Hot & Numbing Noodles (with bok choy and mushrooms)
Grandma’s Noodles, served with chili powder, scallions, garlic, cilantro, soy sauce and finished with a splash of hot oil
Pan fried Pork Dumplings
Cold Mixed Beef Tendon (not my idea!)
Cold Mixed Wood-Ear Mushrooms with Thai Chili
Mapo Tofu
Mushroom Hot Pot stir fried in special chili sauce with mixed mushrooms, diced garlic, red bell pepper, onion, and jalapeno
Eggplant and basil in clay pot (stewed eggplant with basil in a light brown sauce)
Fish filets in chili sauce
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)
Stir fried shredded duck, with Szechuan chili powder with Chinese celery
New Zealand lamb chops spiced with cumin
Stir fried beef in Szechuan sauce
Sliced chicken with Szechuan chili
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)