On a Sunday night there’s not a spare seat in the house. Peter Chang, the legendary Chinese-born chef who over the decades cooked his way throughout the region, continues to charm eaters with bamboo fish (the reason cumin was invented), silky tofu noodles (slick and fiery) and bubble pancakes (a crowd-pleaser as two giant balloons flutter across the room to be pulled and torn to shreds as fast as possible). Though the core menu is always pleasing (see previous sentence), new items drop in, like a full spread of Peking duck with pancakes, scallions, cucumbers and sauces, and a snow pea and sausage mix where the crunchy peas mingle with a sweet, salty, fatty sausage. And if you can’t find a seat, head to Chang’s forthcoming Fairfax restaurant, Mama Chang, set to open this winter.
Peter Chang
Chinese | $$
2503-E N. Harrison St., Arlington
1771 Carl D. Silver Parkway, Fredericksburg