December, 2008

Rating: 10 out of 10

Tariff : Dinner for 2

• 1 appetizer
• 1 glass wine, 1 beer
• 2 entrees
• tip
• $43

Atmosphere

P.F. Chang's in Sacramento is located in an historic downtown building that once housed a  Chevy dealership.  The restaurant is in the giant showroom at the back of which are giant archways, a grand staircase, and narrow balconies above that reminded me of an old time theater. The restaurant chain says they are unique in that they combine classic Chinese design with modern bistro styling. There are touches of Chinese decor, but they are very understated---some black and red, Chinese coin motif, large lantern-like ceiling lights, and recessed displays of Chinese artifacts in a hallway. It is a loud, bustling place with about 2/3s devoted to dining room tables and 1/3 to bar area. We had a long wait even at 6:30 so we ate in the bar at a small, high table for two.

Service

Our server, an attractive young man named Tyler, was very personable, efficient, and professional.  The place settings were simple:  modern plates and bowls that added to the nice presentation.

Food

According to the chain, the food is of the freshest available and the highest quality, prepared to order. We found this to be so. They serve a number of vegetarian dishes as well as some that are gluten free.

For drinks we had the Folie Menage a Trios red wine ($7)--a fabulous  (and reasonable) blend of three varietals from Napa and the Fat Tire ale ($4.50)--there were about 6 beers on draft. Our appetizer choice was the chicken lettuce wrap appetizer ($8). I understand the restaurant is known for this dish and I can see why. Chicken, peanuts, crispy rice noodles, and crunchy water chestnuts compose the pile of filling. These are wrapped in fresh lettuce leaves and topped with a  sauce, custom mixed at the table to diners' specifications. I could have eaten this all night! There are so many delicious sounding entrees, and I have heard such rave reviews of the menu from friends that I'm sure the restaurant will continue to be a hit. That night we tried the Garlic Noodles ($6.50)--almost too simple, yet still quite nice, these slightly sweet noodles were artfully topped with cilantro and julienned strips of cucumber. Next, we tried the Ma Po Tofu ($8), browned but still soft tofu in a mildly spicy sauce with scallions and pepper flakes encircled by crisp steamed broccoli and served with a small bowl of steamed rice. Both entrees were very good.

There was a beautiful dessert tray with fancy layered parfaits in tall square glasses and decadent looking cakes. We were eating lightly that evening, but seeing as Sacramento is the home of Governor Arnold Schartzenegger, we'll paraphrase his famous line from The Terminator and just say, "We'll be back!"

On another occasion we tried the vegetarian version of the lettuce wrap ($7.95) and were pleasantly surprised to find that it was also very tasty. The tiny cubes of (baked?) tofu added texture. The crispy green beans ($5.95) we'd been hearing about were lightly battered and deep fired--not exactly what I'd call health food, but perhaps if compared to a French fry....

Vegetarian Lettuce Wrap Appetizer	Crispy Green Beans

The coconut curry vegetable dish had a lovely light coconut/peanut sauce, perfect for those who find a Thai satay sauce too strong. Vegetable chow fun was fresh and simple, but didn't have much flavor or character. The entrees were accompanied with a small bowls of both brown and white rice (upon request). Mini dessert S'mores was a rich mini parfait served in a squarish glass--too sweet for my taste but just right for my teenage daughter!

S'mores Parfait	Vegetable Chow Fun

Unfortunately, on a different occasion (5/10) at the Emeryville, CA, location I was much less impressed by the dishes our large party tried.  None were bad, they were just lack luster.  First, the garlic noodles I had formerly been crazy about were slightly sweet spaghetti and instead of being surrounded by crisp steamed broccoli they were accompanied by julienned cucumber.  The dish didn’t seem like much of a meal. The vegetarian fried rice was bland without much interest. Lemon pepper shrimp was not what I expected at all. It was fried shrimp coated in a thick sweet red sauce, which I have to say seemed more like a sweet and sour dish. The vegetable chow fun was more noodles than anything else and a bit over cooked at that. An exception were the lettuce wrap appetizers—both vegetarian and chicken were very tasty.  Although the service was slow, our waitress and the manager were very nice and they even comped us a dessert to share because it was a birthday luncheon.  Because I’ve liked P.F. Chang’s so much in the past, I’m hoping the kitchen was just having an ‘off’ day

Note: P.F. Chang's is now serving "Chang's for Two," a four course dinner for two for $39.95 that would be worth trying.

P.F. Chang's China Bistro
1530 J Street #100
Sacramento, CA  95814
916-288-0970