627220 Fri Jun 12 04:35:21 -0700 2009 32 32 Chains 0 4765793 I am always prepared when I go to BOS with map, lunch or dinner destination, whatever. Yesterday we toured Northeastern as part of our Boston College Tour and then Emerson. We had 55 min. before our 1:30 tour at Emerson so we walked around aimlessly as I had no plan. We ended up at P.F Changs. I had never been and did not know what to expect. It was packed. There was a man with a suit, very friendly with an earpiece and mic. He looked very important. Tons of friendly waitstaff. We had 9.95 lunch bowls. NOT good..salty, blah ...we ate a lot as we were famished from our long day but wish I had a plan. I cannot recommend P.F Changs. Fri Jun 12 04:35:21 -0700 2009 27444 phelana 1 4765829 pf chang's is a chain and gets little love on this board. it's dumbed down asian food. sorry you wasted your dough. Fri Jun 12 04:59:49 -0700 2009 4765793 30273 hotoynoodle 2 4765892 I think P.F. Chang's is overpriced for what you get. I have never been to the one in Boston, only the new one in Peabody and you have mere inches of space between your table and others. Not an enjoyable experience at all. Fri Jun 12 05:41:39 -0700 2009 4765829 48388 marilu 3 4765902 occasionally i get a crab rangoon fix there, lol. wine list is decent too. Fri Jun 12 05:48:42 -0700 2009 4765892 30273 hotoynoodle 2 4766885 I had no idea it was a chain... Fri Jun 12 10:21:05 -0700 2009 4765829 27444 phelana 3 4767169 owned by the same company that owns fleming's steak houses. Fri Jun 12 11:38:20 -0700 2009 4766885 30273 hotoynoodle 3 4907847 Then why did you post in on the chains board? Anyway... I love real asian food, and live in a Korean/Chinese neighborhood, so good stuff is never far away. Yet, I have some strange fascination with and love for PFC. I don't go there expecting anything more than what it is... bad chain food. I don't ever choose to eat at a chain except when I'm near the one PFC anywhere near me. Fri Jul 31 17:55:39 -0700 2009 4766885 11778 irishnyc 2 4776944 If you want the super duper dumbed down version the same company now has Pei Wei. LOL Tue Jun 16 05:55:50 -0700 2009 4765829 253154 Fritter 3 4780914 How could it get dumber? "Chinese" food for the comatose? Wed Jun 17 08:04:07 -0700 2009 4776944 43893 C. Hamster 4 4780927 LOL Wed Jun 17 08:07:18 -0700 2009 4780914 253154 Fritter 1 4766095 But, but, but: they make the special sauce for you right at the table! God, I loathe this place. Yet I know a bunch of people who love it, who wouldn't dream of hitting the Theatre District without dining there. Oof. http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/ Fri Jun 12 06:55:13 -0700 2009 4765793 10143 MC Slim JB 2 4766185 Totally disagree, went there couple times in the Pru Center, and I enjoyed it very much. I got the Lo Mein there and it was absolutely the best I have ever had. I am surprised to hear it doesnt have a good reputation on here cause its a very solid place. I cant wait to try the new one Peabody soon. Fri Jun 12 07:18:18 -0700 2009 4766095 78009 suslak615 3 4766214 It is undeniably popular; I rarely walk by one that isn't humming. It's just not my kind of Asian food, especially with Chinatown a couple of blocks away. Glad you're enjoying it! http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/ Fri Jun 12 07:27:58 -0700 2009 4766185 10143 MC Slim JB 4 4766226 Perhaps I should venture down into chinatown some night and try some food down there. Fri Jun 12 07:29:43 -0700 2009 4766214 78009 suslak615 5 4766256 There are lots of handy recommendations on this board for Chinatown when you're ready to explore. It's not all challenging and mysterious; there are plenty of places with pretty accessible English-language menus. If nothing else, it will give you some perspective on the different styles, including the highly Westernized food that P.F. Chang's serves (and that most Americans prefer). There's nothing wrong with loving P.F. Chang's, but it's useful (and fun, in my book) to walk on the other side of the street once in a while, especially since most Chinatown restaurants are a great bargain by comparison. http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/ Fri Jun 12 07:36:49 -0700 2009 4766226 10143 MC Slim JB 5 4766287 Dear me, hit Best Little Restaurant in Chinatown and taste what some delicious, authentic, non-chain Chinese can taste like. Fri Jun 12 07:48:09 -0700 2009 4766226 10169 StriperGuy 4 4766720 That's exactly it's appeal though. For folks not comfortable with venturing into Chinatown, this is a very safe experience for them and they can walk away telling everyone they've had Chinese meal not from a greasy Chinese take-out joint. They are certainly are a step up from that. I remember heading to the one in the Transportation building when they first opened for an office lunch, and the whole team (except me) raved about the food. I didn't hate it, but it certainly wasn't good Chinese food IMO. I ordered a duck salad of some sort that was actually decent, though hardly anything to write home about. Fri Jun 12 09:41:37 -0700 2009 4766214 13028 kobuta 1 4766289 PF Changs if you are in Cedar Rapids, maybe ... But in Boston? WHY WHY WHY? Overpriced, mediocre, uninspired, bland or too salty and not even run by asians. It's a BAD thing when you walk into a "Chinese" restaurant and there's nary an asian face in the room. No patrons no staff. I have been know to drag myself there for lunch during the summer because many of the visiting baseball teams stay at the Four Seasons and baseball players are regular PF Changs patrons. Problem is that I have to eat the food to keep my table. And plese for the love of God STOP trying to "make" my my sauce!!!! Fri Jun 12 07:48:11 -0700 2009 4765793 43893 C. Hamster 2 4766324 i only ever get rangoons at the bar. what sauce do they "make" tableside? Fri Jun 12 08:00:10 -0700 2009 4766289 30273 hotoynoodle 3 4766377 It's one of those rote shtick things that I detest. They make a big dramatic deal out of throwing together some ingredients in front of you for dipping your dumplings. I think it's soy sauce, Chinese mustard, chili paste, vinegar and chili oil. "Whoa, fancy!" http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/ Fri Jun 12 08:13:29 -0700 2009 4766324 10143 MC Slim JB 4 4766391 and yet, nobody does a caesar salad tableside anymore, lol! Fri Jun 12 08:16:31 -0700 2009 4766377 30273 hotoynoodle 5 4766425 The lawyers have scared every chain restaurateur out of serving raw eggs or cooking burgers below medium. (Why isn't that food-borne illness disclaimer on the menu enough?) Mercifully, I can still drink raw eggs at several fine establishments around town. http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/ Fri Jun 12 08:25:49 -0700 2009 4766391 10143 MC Slim JB 4 4766581 And they get very put off if you say you'll make your own, with the proportion of ingredients that suits you. It's laughable. Fri Jun 12 09:05:36 -0700 2009 4766377 43893 C. Hamster 5 4803702 Yes. Whenever I get forced to go there, I say no thank you to the mustard sauce and the server always acts annoyed that I'd dare to reject the wonderful sauce. Am I the only one who thinks that PF Chang's noodles have a strange texture? Wed Jun 24 19:11:52 -0700 2009 4766581 107671 queencru 6 4804961 The last time we had them (about 3 years ago in a VERY bad lo mein) I swore they were Prince spaghetti noodles Thu Jun 25 07:58:06 -0700 2009 4803702 43893 C. Hamster 1 4766498 I have been dragged to various locations around the country for busainess meetings, etc. I found all the entrees I've tried too salty and/or too sweet. But I do like the lettuce wraps and the hot and sour soup, so I make sure the table orders plenty of those, which I mostly eat, and only sample the other crap to be polite to those business partners who think it is god's gift. Fri Jun 12 08:42:03 -0700 2009 4765793 12014 LStaff 2 4766615 We went a few times to PFC six and seven years ago to the location in Downers Grove, IL near Oak Brook. It was pure marketing genius, beautifully set up. The food, however, was decidedly inauthentic and uninspiring. Clearly it's set up to appeal to a particular set of people. But, if Asian food, especially Chinese food, is your forte, I would recommend you stay away. PFC is no Hong Kong. Fri Jun 12 09:13:34 -0700 2009 4766498 250072 Afar 3 4766888 the sauce was yuck..if the kids weren' so tired I would have gone to East Ocean City or somewhere else in C/ Town. Fri Jun 12 10:22:08 -0700 2009 4766615 27444 phelana 1 4767568 The sauce they made at my table was better than the sauce that came on my "spicy" chicken. I asked for medium heat. I asked what she mixed. It was potsticker sauce, hot chile sauce ?, and spicy mustard. I was nonplussed until I dipped a spring roll into it. Wow..very tasty. Good sweet heat. When I got my "spicy" chicken the sauce was blandly sweet and not spicy..not spicy at all and no depth of flavor. But the chicken was chunks of lightly fried ? sauteed white meat . I ended up dumping the "table made" sauce on it and suddenly it became a very tasty dish. I told the waitress to suggest making that sauce the base for the recipe for much better flavor. (than whatever their stock sauce is.) She had no idea what I was talking about. Ohh well, it made me feel better. Fri Jun 12 13:26:46 -0700 2009 4765793 80323 rochfood 1 4780971 We hit PF last night. At our location in Eugene from 3-6pm all their apps are 1/2 price in the bar, a great deal. Had the ribs, pork filled steamed stickers, and some egg rolls. Three apps, a soda and a glass of zin $18 Wed Jun 17 08:21:30 -0700 2009 4765793 148886 duck833 1 4796920 I had the hot & sour soup and a steak- both INSANELY salty. I was perturbed because otherwise the flavors were actually really good- but it was so salty I couldn't eat it. I will never go back. Mon Jun 22 22:16:30 -0700 2009 4765793 16149 NicoleFriedman 2 4875237 Not surprising. I was gonna try the place a while back when they opened in my area, but one look at their nutrition facts nixed that. The egg drop soup, for example, has over 6000mg sodium in one bowl. Yeesh. Mon Jul 20 15:13:55 -0700 2009 4796920 175458 ratbuddy 1 4892471 I've been to the PF Changs in Boston a few times, and it was okay. The food wasn't horrible, but considering how crowded and loud it always is, and the price, i'ts just not worth it, especially considering that you don't have to travel too far to get to Chinatown and spend much less for better, more authentic Asian food. Sun Jul 26 17:53:39 -0700 2009 4765793 1045597 bluearth