Chef Peter Chang

There was a very interesting article in the March 1 edition of the New Yorker under the title of "Where is Chang?.
It tells about the marvelous cuisine of a Chinese chef named Peter Chang who over the last 6 years did not stop moving from one restaurant to another in different cities in the Southeast of the U.S., from Fairfax, Virginia in 2005 to Charlottesville Virginia in 2009.
It would be interesting to find out if any LTH contributor ever had a chance to taste his dishes over the last year and could report on what he or she ate.

He sounds like the Asian Eric Aubriot.

Last May we drove to Charleston and decided to overnight in Knoxville. With the help of Chowhound, we decided to try Chang's Hong Kong House. I remember having to talk my husband into the fish cilantro rolls and the dried fried eggplant - but both were excellent. We also had a Chicken with Honey and Cucumber dish - very good, in a similar style as Lao Sze Chuan's Shrimp with Mayo. Overall, one of our best Chinese meals ever.

We are heading that way again in a few weeks, but I haven't heard anything good about the Hong Kong House after Chang's departure. Bummer.

We will be there on a college road-trip, with the very picky grandmother, who is a renown Sichuan chef in her own right. I'll let you know what we find out.

stacy lunardini wrote:Last May we drove to Charleston and decided to overnight in Knoxville. With the help of Chowhound, we decided to try Chang's Hong Kong House. I remember having to talk my husband into the fish cilantro rolls and the dried fried eggplant - but both were excellent. We also had a Chicken with Honey and Cucumber dish - very good, in a similar style as Lao Sze Chuan's Shrimp with Mayo. Overall, one of our best Chinese meals ever.

We are heading that way again in a few weeks, but I haven't heard anything good about the Hong Kong House after Chang's departure. Bummer.

He left Knoxville? Where is he now?

When I lived in Atlanta I went to his Tasty China restaurant in Marietta. One of the best chinese meals I've ever had.

alain40 wrote:There was a very interesting article in the March 1 edition of the New Yorker under the title of "Where is Chang?.
It tells about the marvelous cuisine of a Chinese chef named Peter Chang who over the last 6 years did not stop moving from one restaurant to another in different cities in the Southeast of the U.S., from Fairfax, Virginia in 2005 to Charlottesville Virginia in 2009.
It would be interesting to find out if any LTH contributor ever had a chance to taste his dishes over the last year and could report on what he or she ate.

Not just an article, an article by Calvin Trillin, my favorite food writer. He writes from a non-professional but passionate eater perspective, one I can relate to. Chang sounds like a chinese Geno Bahena in some ways.

Well, well, well. We got here today and found that Mr Chang had quit last Monday. One week too late! However, the very picky grandmother went under-cover, found out lots of details that would make a great story. I have to figure out what would be acceptable to post in a public forum.

The name of the restaurant in Chinese is in Sichuan dialect as "Person from Sichuan." Nothing about China or Taste.

One dish was too salty, one too spicy (!) and one too bland. We overheard a fellow patron say "next time, get me a chef who watched him better." And -- you have to ask for chopsticks, ask for tea, ask for soyu, ask for rice.

Oh, we also read the story in The Reader about Asian carp. The very picky grandmother knows how to cook this fish, and make it delicious (she says.)

Hi,

My sympathies. I have also traveled to dine, then found the chef gone or the restaurant closed.

When Grandma cooks her Asian carp, please fill us in on the details.

Regards,

Okay -- after thinking this through, this is what I can share:

He is starting a new restaurant, but not in the city that the "regular" press thinks.

He has a different new investor than the regular press thinks.

He was serving ~700 meals a night rather than his preferred ~200.

His partners were seeing money rather than quality.

His main complaints would go against TOS, so I can't share those.

He is now seen as a major caterer in the area, as a senator (state?, US?, GA?, VA?) had him cater a private dinner the night we were there.

Chinois wrote:Okay -- after thinking this through, this is what I can share:

He is starting a new restaurant, but not in the city that the "regular" press thinks.

He has a different new investor than the regular press thinks.

He was serving ~700 meals a night rather than his preferred ~200.

His partners were seeing money rather than quality.

His main complaints would go against TOS, so I can't share those.

He is now seen as a major caterer in the area, as a senator (state?, US?, GA?, VA?) had him cater a private dinner the night we were there.

As someone who has watched Chang from afar and one day hopes to try his food, this was patently UNHELPFUL.

Perhaps try this article:

http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.p ... y-he-left/

My problem is that his friend was talking in Mandarin to someone he viewed as "in the family." Don't know about you, but if unclear business plans are discussed, it would be quite rude to announce them as it could stall the deal(s).

Best that I can say at this point is that what we were told did not match the initial reports that he was returning to Marietta; the Chinese city name given if literally translated refers to one city and if descriptively translated means a different one (both in Virginia.) It took a couple of days puzzling over the translation even to get to this point.

We were told he was doing a catered dinner in Georgia for unknown personage. But if you really want to meet him, he has lunch regularly at the deli next to Person from Sichuan, aka, Taste of China. And if you ask nicely, I bet the deli owner will show you his pictures of Trump, who used to employ him as a personal chef.

alain40 wrote:It would be interesting to find out if any LTH contributor ever had a chance to taste his dishes over the last year and could report on what he or she ate.

Kilroy was here.

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=10485

Steve Drucker wrote:

alain40 wrote:It would be interesting to find out if any LTH contributor ever had a chance to taste his dishes over the last year and could report on what he or she ate.

Kilroy was here.

viewtopic.php?t=10485

I was there just after it opened in Marietta, and two more times after that. Don't remember everything, but a pork belly dish; big, fluffy and hollow scallion pancakes; and hot and numbing beef [ma la, I think it was called?] stood out as the best. Absolutely fantastic meal.

Here are some of the pics I took during one lunch gathering at TemptAsian - five years and many Peter Chang moves ago. The thread on the DC board, donrockwell.com used for tracking the rumors and confirmations of his latest moves has stalled at the moment, but if there is news, it is very likely to show up there quickly. As the Trillin article revealed, he still has many rabid fans in the DC area and we remain hopeful that he will someday return.

Here is the new thread over there.

Since they have it, might as well say -- "Wealthy Mountain" and higher quality ingredients.

There is still something else, but it violates TOS here.

http://www.donrockwell.com/index.php?sh ... 13701&st=0