Review: PF Chang’s China Bistro
Tuesday night was, like most nights, filled with epic sessions of coding and otherwise total pwnage. When I finally picked my head up, I found my family in the throes of a great debate over what was to be consumed for dinner. After a brief discussion, our family headed to the dynastically-inclined PF Chang’s China Bistro in the Town Center. Of course, we were like every other family in Baton Rouge on Tuesday night, and so during our atrocious wait time, I tweeted about our trek to the far east (it’s actually west, but who’s counting) of Baton Rouge to eat at PF Chang’s. Instantly I got a few replies from followers expressing approval in our choice and even proffering a few entrée suggestions. When we finally reached the Cantonese doors, I was convinced that there might be something to the enthusiasm on Twitter, and after one night, I can only express my feelings in one word: 精彩.
Menu and Food
The menu can, at first, be quite overwhelming. Aside from their exclusive dishes, you’ll find classics such as Spring Rolls, General Tsao Chicken, fried rice and others. Their selection is impressively broad in terms of the traditional Chinese dishes, but also very mature and features several exclusive dishes. I was hit with a dilemma when trying to order, and only after an arduous elimination process did I finally settle on the kung pao chicken. One important thing to note here is that spicy in Chinese (火) in no way compares to Cajun spicy. I recommend asking for extra- or super-spicy for you Cajun folk. Otherwise the chicken was delicious. So were the dumplings, spring rolls, fried rice, sesame chicken and hot fish—all dishes we ordered. Of course, delicious really doesn’t do the food justice. It was absolutely scrumptious and the aroma that permeates the restaurant is so appetizing that it was almost cruel to my starving stomach. Coming from someone who has been to China and tasted authentic Chinese food, believe me when I say to you that this is as close as I’ve gotten in the US—it was just that good.
You might be wondering how after such a wonderful review PF Chang’s marks low in the menu selection rating. There’s really only one caveat that prohibits me from awarding them this distinction: price.
Menu Selection Rating—
Quality of Food Rating—
Atmosphere
PF Chang’s is marketed as a high-end restaurant, and as such the interior décor is very fancy. It’s decorated in a very balanced mix of ancient, dynasty-era Chinese and modern Westernized style. It makes for a comfortable atmosphere to enjoy a flavorful meal. Moreover, the waiters were all very accommodating. They were extremely polite and very helpful when wading through the huge menu. They were also very helpful when delivering a baby. (This almost happened. A women started having contractions behind us. I almost thought the poor kid would have to apply for dual-citizenship.)
I’d say that the only thing that marks against PF Chang’s was their wait time. On a busy weekend, a half-hour wait time would be understandable; on a Tuesday night, this is unforgivable. With this kind of crowd, you’d expect the exact type of service and quality of food you get—which slightly mitigates the negative impact.
Atmosphere Rating—
Overall Review
Overall, I was extremely satisfied with my experience. After one visit, I know that I’ll be a returning patron. I think it’d be a great place for a date, although a tad expensive for a normal college student. I highly recommend stopping by PF Chang’s if you haven’t already. I also recommend lifting a pair of their chopsticks. They just look so fancy. (Disclaimer: I am in no way advocating petty theft.)
It’s worth mentioning here the recommendations I got via Twitter:
- @ngscheurich recommends the oolong blend hot tea.
- @deegeebee recommends the lettuce wrap.
- @jbeswick recommends getting Northern Style Spare Ribs as an appetizer.
