Peter Chang's in Fredericksburg

For the first weekend in a while, we were not house hunting. Instead, we cleaned the apartment, hung out with the kitties, and hung out with a friend while embarking on an unexpected adventure. We had checked out Peter Chang's restaurant in Fredericksburg a few months back. It was pretty awesome, although quite a drive. We've been meaning to come back for ages, and finally made the trek. 

I was happy to see the restaurant had pretty fair to high reviews on Yelp, but take issue with the complainers who are mad that all of the food does not come out at the same time. To those whiners, all I have to say is, you're missing the point. Most Asian food is communal dining. Learn to order collectively and share. Instead of only eating one dish, you get to try bits of multiple dishes and flavors, enhancing the experience. 

We arrived after nearly an hour drive, and the dining room was nearly empty. Our friend had heard of the chef, Peter Chang, and is the type of person who asks if the chef is in the kitchen. Our waitress said yes, he is, and would we like to meet him? Um...yes please. I was also much more reticent, thinking "who am I to bother this culinary genius", and what if it's like the Wizard of Oz, and realizing the Great Oz is just an ordinary man behind a curtain? Well, those thoughts flew away when the chef and manager came over to our table. He had mistakenly thought we were Chinese, probably because of the waitress, although we were the only Asian group in the restaurant. He was really sweet, smiling at us and even came out after the food to check on if we liked it. At that point, we requested a group photo with him, which he was gracious enough to agree to. 

 Spicy and Numbing Tofu Skin

My favorite dish. Such a different flavor profile with the fresh cilantro mixed in, and the texture of yuba is perfect as an alternative to noodles. More people should use tofu skin (yuba). 

 Dan Dan Noodles

Our friend's favorite dish. The noodles were perfectly cooked, toothsome and not too mushy, with great flavor.

 Mapo Tofu

My husband loves this. Super soft tofu, not like the firmer tofu used at Hong Kong Palace.

 Beef in Spicy Sauce with Tofu Skin and cilantro in a hot pot.

This dish goes by the name, beef in spicy sauce or tender beef in fiery peppers broth at the other Sichuan joints we like. I think this is one of my favorite Sichuan dishes. This version stays super hot, thanks to the burner, and the yuba strips are a nice textural contrast.

House Special Fish

This had a spicy, vinegary flavor profile, which was a nice, subtle difference. 

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To cap off the Fredericksburg visit, we stopped off at the shoe store where I indulged in purchasing some new dress shoes; the vaping store, where the husband was able to test out different products and e-juices; and I even managed to squeeze in a manicure. Pretty awesome ensoku.