Interesting perspectives.
Chang’s is a chain. In Madison, it is not cool to like chains. Okay, Whole Foods. You can admit to shopping at Whole Foods and people will forgive you. These days. And after shrugging apologetically, even serious types will tell you that they hang out at Borders.
But mention restaurant chains and the Inner Circle turns up the Inner Nose.
So why is it that yesterday, midweek, rainy and cold, Chang’s was packed, so packed in its huge space, that even those with reservations (us) had to wait? (Wee hoo, free apps as a result!)
Oh, I was initially put off by the huge stone horses at the entrance. Welcome, big crowds! You are now in Vegas! And my man Jason, who clips and colors with a mark of genius, just a parking lot away, shriveled his nose at the tofu when I asked for a lowdown . Too soggy, he tells me.
But others who have eaten at one of the many Chang’s outside the Midwest, brought in different reports and so three of us hiked west to give Chang’s a chance.
Oh there were imperfections: the wait, the forgetful waiter, the rain. Yes, the rain. I did not like being drenched on my way in or out. So there.
But the food was fine! Lettuce wraps, oolong marinated sea bass, black bean chicken. Main dishes hovering around twelve dollars.
Oh we are such great critics, you and I! We all love to knock down everything in sight: places, spaces, people’s cv’s, food. Too salty, too imperfect. It has been done better elsewhere on the planet.
Yes, of course. I agree. And somewhere on this planet there is real spring and flowers are blooming and people are looking out their office spaces and witnessing something far brighter than this:
today on Bascom Hill
I’ll pick small, earnest cooks and growers and producers over big guys most times. I’ll shove artisanal down your throat, I’ll preach the organic mantra. But I wont turn my back on a place that is packed with hungry people who, at the end of the evening, leave intending to come back. I’m one of them. Call me insane, but I am one who even loves a number of items on the Macaroni Grill menu (another maligned chain). I forgive the name there, just as I forgive the Vegas horses outside PF Chang’s. (I do not forgive the weather. Madison, get it together.)
Yeah, I've been to the PF Chang's in Palo Alto two or three times and enjoyed it very much. Once I went with a co-worker and we ordered two meat dishes and some rice and they brought us a complimentary plate of string beans to make sure we got our veggies. PF Chang's also has a great bar which is sooo important.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a big anti-chain thing going on, and I love Buca di Beppo, Waffle House, Fresh Choice (hate the name tho'), and the salad bar at a good Sizzler.
And of course In N' Out Burger.
On the other hand, I don't like any franchise/chain pizzarias or any of those hideous family restaurants like Outback Steak House or Chiles. Blech. PF Chang's is a little higher order than those tho'. What are some other chain restaurants like PF Changs?
PF Chang's is light on the salt compared to Pei Wei, which is (sadly) inedibly salty. I truly wish it weren't, because the food is freshly prepared and not expensive, but it is.
ReplyDeleteNext time at PF Chang's try the kung po shrimp. I often forget and order scallops instead, but they are really too delicate to stand up to the spiciness of the kung po. Also, here in the Greater Phoenix Metro area, PF Chang's is the only restaurant we have found so far that makes a decent crispy orange beef. It's actually crispy! Miraculous -- every where else, it's slimy and chewy. Ick.
I wish we had more not-chain restaurants to choose from around here, but as chains go, PF Chang's isn't bad at all. I would eat at more chains if they served food I liked in an atmosphere I did not find repellant. That said, the economics of restaurants is very difficult, and I well understand why so many restaurants are chains these days. It lessens the risk of failure considerably. For my situation, when dining with very young children, chain restaurants provide adequate nutrition for reasonable prices, and even better, stuff my kids will actually eat. I appreciate them for what they are!
me: Did you read the NYT piece on Trader Joe's? How a chain can take some foods, find good, reliable sources,take pride in keeping preservatives and additives out and fresh ingredients in and develop some reasonably priced dishes that are very satisfying? I think chains have the ability to fill in a number of gaps in this vast (cuinary waste-)land (in the way that Staarbucks first did) and I really am puzzled why some people just take a stand against them simply because they are... chains. It's not as if Chang's is pushing out an otherwise successful fantastic Asian restaurant. Is there one in Madison? As for M. Grill -- I like the texture of their shrimp. To me, most places serving shrimp dishes here in the Midwest will settle for rubber imitations. M.Grill found a good source and so it's a good bet that most of their dishes with shrimp, with some tomato combo stuff, will be good. Indeed, better than most shrimp dishes served elsewhere in town.
ReplyDeleteothers: all points well taken.
Last August, two CA friends were REALLY looking forward to PF Chang's opening here in Madison. Said, You know, it's a chain but GOOD. And now that YOU'VE gone, so will I!
ReplyDeleteNow their focus is on Trader Joe's on Monroe.
I read an article in the WSJ or something about how an Appleby's is all some towns have for a nice restaurant, and how people in these towns are so happy and proud of their Appleby's, and how people take their dates there and have special family get togethers there, etc., etc.
ReplyDeleteThe quick, silent terror that froze me inside when I read that article and the explicit, fully-formed thought that flashed through my mind, "Never leave California", served to enlighten me that I do indeed have membership in a snobby, coastal elite.
I always feel like it's kind of unfair to compare PF Chang's to Muramoto, anyway. For one thing, I spent approximately 70 bucks on a mean at Muramoto. For that chunk of change, I expect it to be exemplary.
ReplyDeleteooh, we tried to go to Pf's last night and the wait was about an hour! reservations, a must!
ReplyDeletethanks for the public service blogging, maybe next time we'll even wait :)