P.F. Changs!

[LowerGwyneddGirl]

A P.F. Changs just opened in Warrington. I am going to try it one of these days but was wondering what people think of it?

[Richard 16]

To say that this is a much discussed topic is an understatement. Here are some threads; I stopped at five:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/459043
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/136245
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/438868
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/377397
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/416969

Opinions are all over the place. Here's my take:

I've been to P.F. Chang's twice and liked it. Generally speaking I'm easy to please and difficult to impress, and while PFC definitely is the former it's still better than most places I've been to. There are a certainly places in the St. Louis area serving much better Chinese food, but they're far away from where I live or work. I've also been to "authentic" Chinese food restaurants that weren't nearly as as good as PFC.
I have no intrinsic problem with places that serve "Americanized" ethnic foods; to me the bottom line is "does it taste good?". I'll eat at Chili's or similar psuedo mexican places and do just fine.
To me -- a former chef -- while generally speaking a chef raised with a style of food has a starting leg up on other chefs making the same style their background does not, in and of itself, make them better chefs. Case in point: While most of my favorite sushi chefs are Japanese, one of the best here locally is Croatian. (He used to work on a fishing boat.) He is certainly better than some of the Japanese sushi chefs I've been to. Is he as up on the finer regional distinctions as my favorite Japanese chefs? No -- but his rice is nigh perfect and he knows fish.

[hhshames]

It's gross and greasy. There are so many non-chains that it seems silly to even try it.

[Ali]

Is it silly because it's a chain? Because I don't agree that PF is gross or greasy, even if it isn't exactly high cuisine.

In any case, I agree with one of the above comments that, if the past is any indication, the OP will probably not like PF Changs. However, I maintain that people who go to PFC aren't the same type who stay in Philly & eat at Olive Garden - the food at PFC are of a slightly better quality than that, albeit overly salty.

In any case, I recommend the OP try out PFC when the chance arises but would not make an excursion out of in.

[mitchh]

What's worse than mediocre Chinese food? Overpriced, mediocre Chinese food at a chain.

As HHshames posted, there are too many local Chinese places that are good to waste time and money at PF Changs IMO.

[keby]

Although it's a chain, it's one we go to occassionally. I love their hot & sour soup, lettuce wraps, etc. It's sort of americanized Chinese, like tex Mex instead of mexican

[hhshames]

Tex-Mex isn't actually Americanized Mexican. It started as part of the Indian culture, once conquered by the Spanish adopted the foods from there and then moved to the border. The history is more complex than my little blurb, but I wanted to at least make a point of saying that.

[FoolForFood]

Try Sangkee, in Chinatown or Wynnewood, instead.

[Buckethead]

If this thread:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/470609

is any indication of your expectations, you'll hate PF Chang's.

[kmcdonne]

Better than most chains but still a chain. Give it a try and see what you think.