P.F. Chang's has good food

A P.F. Chang's opened in our neighborhood today, and I did something I've never done before: I was one of the first people at a "buzzing" new restaurant. I was a little bit worried, actually, because I was worried that the kitchen would be rocky and uneven. I needn't have worried -- the food was delicious. We had a kid oriented menu that was nevertheless sophisticated in presentation and taste.

We started with pot stickers in a soy/rice wine vinegar sauce, and they were delicious. They were large, crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside and had a delicate, well-blended flavor.

From there we went to the kid-friendly entrées: chicken chow mien, cashew and almond chicken, and beef with broccoli. Each of the dishes had lots of fresh vegetables thrown in, which was a plus right from the get-go.

What was also nice was that each had a unique sauce. At a lot of Chinese restaurants I suspect that the kitchen, regardless of how it names a dish, uses the same generic sauce for all the food that comes out of the kitchen. Here, the broccoli beef was gingery, the chow mien had a lot of sesame (I think), and the cashew/almond chicken had a nice, but not overwhelming, garlic gloss.

I was especially impressed with the chow mien. I'm not someone who likes noodle dishes, and chow mien is usually the last thing I'll eat. These noodles, however, were delicious and the chicken was perfect -- tender little bites of nicely sautéed white meat.

The service was very attentive, although this was one area where one could see that the restaurant was on its first day. A waiter dropped a greasy fork on my daughter (although, fortunately, her jacket was dirty already, so a little bit dirt more made no difference); another waiter tried to serve us some one else's food; and the servers where a bit too enthusiastic about clearing away plates before we were done eating. Their attitude was friendly, though, and I excused the mistakes, knowing that they were nervous on their first day, and still learning how to work as a team.

So, if you're wondering, I'd give a thumbs up to P.F. Chang's.