The Charlottesville 29

Where to eat in Charlottesville

Tag: Peter Chang’s

02/26/2015

The Little Food City That Could

Mt Rushmore dinner

Charlottesville residents have long known of the wonderful food we enjoy here. But, in recent years, the rest of the nation is increasingly taking notice of a city whose food quality outsizes its population.  The latest example is last week’s announcement of semi-finalists for the 2015 James Beard Awards, where Charlottesville cleaned house. In Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic, the twenty semifinalists include not one but two Charlottesville chefs.  Angelo Vangelopoulos (pictured), of The Ivy Inn, earned his second consecutive nod, while Peter Chang received his first.  The region spans Washington D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania,  New Jersey, Delaware, and Virginia.  Meanwhile, Diane Flynt, of Foggy Ridge Cider, is one of twenty semifinalists for the nation’s most Outstanding Wine, Beer, or Spirits Professional.

And, for the first time ever, a Charlottesville restaurant made the list of semifinalists for best new restaurant in the country.  The Alley Light joined a list studded with big city restaurants from big names like Jose Andres and Curtis Stone.  If you look at the approximate populations of the metropolitan areas of the best new restaurant semi-finalists, one stands out:

  • New York, NY:  19,950,000
  • Los Angeles, CA:  13,100,000
  • Chicago, IL:  9,500,000
  • Dallas, TX:  6,800,000
  • Washington, D.C:  5,950,000
  • Philadelphia, PA:  5,800,000
  • Atlanta, GA:  5,500,000
  • Boston, MA:  4,700,000
  • San Francisco, CA: 4,500,000
  • Minneapolis, MN:  3,500,000
  • Portland, OR:  2,100,000
  • Las Vegas, NV: 2,000,000
  • Austin, TX:  1,900,000
  • Little Rock, AK:  720,000
  • Charleston, SC:  712,000
  • Savannah, GA: 366,000
  • Portland, ME:  203,000
  • Charlottesville, VA: 118,000
01/30/2015

Five Finds on Friday: JJ Myers

JJ

On Fridays we feature five food finds from local chefs and personalities.  Today’s picks come from JJ Myers, the former sous chef of the C&O who has joined on with the food truck The Pie Guy to enhance the food and expand the catering services, adding appetizers, sides, and desserts.  The Pie Guy’s ingredients now have a heavy local focus, with grass-fed organic beef and free range organic chicken and eggs.  The truck parks on McCormick at the UVa amphitheater Monday – Friday from 10 to 3.  Myers’ picks:

1)  Porchetta Panuozzo at Lampo.  “Tangy broccoli rabe, garlic aioli, some nicely aged provolone and juicy porchetta, all on a fresh piece of wood fired bread. Best sandwich in town.”

2)  Huevos Bluemoonos at Blue Moon Diner.  “There’s always something creative on the menu and it’s a great environment. Nice and spicy bloody mary as well.”

3)  Crispy Pork Belly at Peter Chang’s.  “Thin slices of deep-fried pork belly, finished with cilantro and spices. Enough said!”

4)  Greyhound at the C&O.  “Plain and simple – fresh squeezed grapefruit juice and some good vodka. Coolest bar in town.”

5)  Chicken Wings from Wayside Takeout & Catering.  “There is something about southern comfort food that just makes everything better.”

01/06/2015

Peter Chang China Grill

P Chang2162 Barracks Road . Charlottesville, VA . (434) 244-9818
https://peterchangtogo.com/

Why Peter Chang?

Charlottesville is home to two restaurants whose kitchen staffs were trained by Peter Chang, the former Chinese Embassy chef who some have called the best Szechuan chef in America and who has won praise from the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Washingtonian, the Washington Post, and more. One is Taste of China, where the elusive Chang first appeared in 2009 only to leave a year later. The other is Peter Chang China Grill, opened in 2011, the flagship restaurant of what has become a series of restaurants around Virginia and beyond. And truth be told, either could warrant inclusion in The Charlottesville 29, particularly now that Chang’s attention is divided among the many locations of his namesake restaurants.

But, what ekes Peter Chang ahead is that Chang himself is sometimes there. While the cooking at Peter Chang is good any night of the week, it can be truly stunning when Chang is present, particularly at special events with multi-course feasts all prepared by Chang. We lack the experience at restaurants around the country to know whether Chang is truly the nation’s best Szechuan chef. But, having enjoyed his food many times, dating back to his days in Northern Virginia, we can say it would be no insult to Szechuan food in America to say that he is.

What to Order

The massive menu at Peter Chang can be daunting. While the standard Chinese-American options are fine, the good stuff awaits those who order adventurously, particularly from the specials menu. Alternatively, below are our suggestions, Chang’s own favorites, as well as appearances in Five Finds on Friday, where a local chef or personality has named a Peter Chang dish as one of the best in the area.

Our Picks

  • Dry Fried Eggplant
  • Scallion Bubble Pancake with Curry Sauce
  • Cilantro Fish Roll
  • Grandma’s Noodles
  • Hot and Numbing Shredded Tofu Skin
  • Bamboo Fish
  • Braised Fish in Sichuan Sauce
  • Hot and Numbing Combination in Hot Pot

Chef’s Picks

  • Dry Fried Eggplant
  • Chicken and Eggplant with Ginger and Onion Sauce in Clay Pot
  • Hot and Numbing Combination in Hot Pot

Five Finds on Friday Picks

changs