P.F. Chang's Summer Seasonal Menu

 Grilled Prawns with Chilled Peanut Noodle Salad.

I recently had the opportunity to sample P.F. Chang's summer seasonal menu at the Phillips Place location in Charlotte. This location, along with several others, have been recently remodeled, with the new dining room now lighter and brighter, with a comfortable feel. The large horses inside are gone but there are still terracotta statues around the restaurant. We had a fabulous server for our meal - very upbeat, nice and attentive without being overbearing. The summer menu can be found here and includes several dishes in addition to what we tried such as Korean BBQ Chicken stir fry, Quinoa "fried rice", Smoked Duck spring rolls and sushi selections. 

We tried the heirloom tomato and basil salad to start, which was very tasty and fresh. That, along with the grilled prawns dish (above) were my favorites that we tried. The sauce on the swordfish was also very good - I think they could add a bit more of it to go over the rice. For dessert we tried the mandarin key lime sweet treat, a delicious after-dinner selection that is essentially key lime pie with a twist. I like that P.F. Chang's has these smaller desserts since you are often too full to enjoy anything too substantial after partaking in all of their other tasty dishes. 

Wine pairings and seasonal cocktails are available as well to complement the summer dishes offered. Come try the summer menu before it is too late!

Inside shot - love the remodel!

Heirloom tomato and Thai basil salad with avocado.

Grilled Pineapple-Citrus Swordfish with Summer Rice.

Mandarin Key Lime Sweet Treat.

 Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

Gu's Bistro Dim Sum - Unfortunately Disappointing

Smoked chili tofu - the first (and best) dish of the meal.



Sweet rice porridge with dried fruit.

As part of Calvin's birthday weekend I planned a special dim sum brunch at Gu's Bistro. We were served about 12-14 items for $15 each - definitely a good deal. Unfortunately the selection was not what I was hoping for and was rather disappointing compared with Gu's regular menu. The items were very starch/noodle heavy and while we enjoyed many of the items, it was too much of the same thing and included no seafood and very few vegetables. Several of the items were very interesting, however, including textures not commonly eaten in the US. It wouldalso be helpful to have a printed menu of the selections since the servers were not too good at explaining each dish. Next time we'll definitely go back to the regular menu, which is wonderful and unique for Atlanta.

Dumplings in broth. Tasty.



Very interesting cold noodle.



Beef noodles with greens.

Canton House

Salt & Pepper Squid.

When we found our usual dim sum place closed for renovations, we took out of town guests to Canton House instead and were delightfully surprised at the variety and quality of the weekend dim sum. We tasted lots of dumplings and buns as well as excellent duck (not pictured). The salt & pepper squid, my stepdaughter's absolute favorite, was a huge hit even with our niece who had never tried squid before. On another note, my local cousin told me she returned here for dinner and was not very impressed. She advises sticking to the dim sum, which we will most definitely continue to do.

Chinese broccoli and clams.



Various dim sum desserts - the egg custard tarts are always a favorite of mine but here they also have custard filled buns - a favorite with the kids!



Signage on Buford Highway.

P.F. Chang's Triple Happiness Happy Hour

Tuna Tataki Crisp - my favorite street fare offering.

P.F. Chang's China Bistro is offering a special Happy Hour they call Triple Happiness. The triple refers to "drinks, dim sum and street fare". I was invited to come sample several of the drinks and food selections just a few weeks ago. Beverage Director Mary Melton and Market Chef Nico Roldan were on hand to explain the food/drink pairings and answer questions.

I was impressed with the variety and quality of the drinks. Many of the ingredients are made in-house such as fresh squeezed juices and unique sphere-shaped ice cubes. The Coconut Lemon Sour really hit the spot for me. I also really enjoyed the tuna tataki crisp, the Shanghai street dumplings and the spicy wontons.

Although the fare is quite tame for the adventurous eater, the selections may cause the uninitiated to branch out from chain restaurants like P.F. Chang's to try smaller, off the beaten track Chinese restaurants that offer more unique and authentic dim sum: think Buford Highway. P.F. Chang's Triple Happiness is a fun idea and I hope the promotion continues. Being at P.F. Chang's also brought back fond memories of eating at the Charlotte outpost as a youngster - thanks P.F. Chang's!

Pork & Rice Siu Mai.



From left, clockwise: Dragon martini with Dragon fruit vodka, pomegranate juice and yuzu puree; Dark & Spicy with fresh juiced ginger and Cruzan rums; Blue Moon Belgian White beer; Coconut Lemon Sour (my fave) with coconut water, Pearl Coconut Vodka, fresh lemon and pure cane sugar; Yuzu Ginger Mojito with ginger, yuku and sake.



Flaming Red Wontons. These were also very tasty.



Asian street tacos - beef, pork and shrimp.



Edamame.



Special gin & tonic with Fever Tree tonic water and ice sphere.



Shanghai street dumplings filled with chicken, ginger, green onion and soy. I really liked this sauce.

Gu's Bistro

Tea smoked duck with scallions and ginger.

While my dad was visiting we took a group out to Gu's Bistro, a fairly new Szechuan Chinese spot just OTP in a strip mall on Buford Highway. This is now one of my new favorites, mostly because of the unique, delicious dishes served and the huge menu. Gu's also offers dim sum set lunch meals available by reservation on some weekends. Once a large enough group makes a reservation, other smaller parties can too and the dim sum is served course by course individually, instead of on carts. I really want to do this soon! The smoked duck and cumin lamb were outstanding as was the eggplant, which had just the right level of spice without the grease that sometimes accompanies this dish. I will definitely be back. This is definitely a fun new destination in the Atlanta area.

Menu - they have a traditional Szechuan menu as well as the American favorites for your non-adventurous friends.



Eggplant with garlic sauce.



Cumin lamb - very spicy and delicious - not for those who can't handle a little heat!



Salt and pepper jumbo shrimp - just wondering, why no squid?!



Chengdu dumplings - Zhong style - delicious and flavorful.

Family Visit: Bo Bo Garden and Super Brunch

Wonderful tofu with minced pork in spicy sauce and crispy garlic chicken.

Another trip down Buford Highway with out of town relatives brought us to Bo Bo Garden, a Cantonese restaurant I'd tried once before with my Dad after it first opened. This time the experience was much improved and we enjoyed our meal at a large, round table - bring friends so you can try more! Standouts include the 3 kinds of dumplings, the crispy garlic chicken and the fried tofu with minced pork in spicy sauce. Although lobster sounded like a good idea, it is always so difficult to eat when cut into tiny pieces. The duck was a bit greasy for my taste, but the salt & pepper squid was satisfying as usual. This is definitely a great place to check out if you have not yet been. They have awesome lunch specials, which include authentic Chinese dishes. So often restaurants that have good authentic menus do not offer those selections at lunch. Bravo to Bo Bo Garden for including these on the lunch menu.

Coming in the next few weeks: a review of Gu's Bistro, which I think is one of the best Chinese restaurants around.

Lobster with ginger and scallions.



Superb dumplings.



Duck with sauteed vegetables.



Family favorite: Salt & Pepper Squid.

On Sunday morning our cousin Craig prepared a bountiful and beautiful brunch. His pancakes are AMAZING! They involved whole grain mix from Whole Foods (aka Whole Paycheck), mashed bananas and nuts. Sausages, eggs with feta cheese and chives and fruit salad rounded out the meal.

Fruit salad.



Pancakes and sausages.



Eggs with feta.

Steamed Red Snapper at Little Szechuan

Steamed Red Snapper with Ginger Sauce.

I have written about Little Szechuan on Buford Highway before, but found this dish I'd never had before noteworthy after dinner here with the extended family. As usual the other dishes were excellent, too, although they did not provide the customary "free dish" as usual.

I was reminded again that the pickled cabbage, carrots and jalepeno peppers as well as the spicy bean sprout goodies they bring you upon arrival here contain some of my favorite flavors. Does anyone know other Chinese restaurants that provide these gratis snacks (or have them on the menu for purchase)?

Canada O' Canada - May Toronto Trip

Pure bliss - a Toronto Hot Dog from the cart - with fries.

Back in May Calvin and I traveled to Toronto for a wonderful extended weekend for a family wedding. We stayed at the awesome Fairmont Royal York Hotel, which reminded me of what I think it would have been like to stay on The Titanic. The wedding was held at the hotel and was gorgeous. See below for a photo-log.

Shabbat Dinner at our cousin's house.



St. Lawrence Market goodness: St. Urbain Bagel. These bagels are nothing like what we get in the south: warm, chewy, with a very unique taste - there's really nothing like it!

Indian Buffet in India town.





Delicious Naan.

Greek dips at the night-before-the-wedding dinner.





Greek Salad.



Chicken kabob.

Restaurant atop the famous CN Tower.

Frittata.



Quiche with salad and sweet potato fries.



Fish from the lake!



Salmon - not from the lake!



Chocolate mousse.



The family at brunch, high up in the sky.

Fabulous dessert at the wedding dinner.



Famous ice cream shop.



We tried roasted marshmallow, sweet cream, cardamom and lemon merigue.

BEFORE



AFTER

Salt and Pepper Calamari.

Crepe and croissant-wich at a cute place near our hotel - can't remember the name!

Omelet and toast with fruit.