Chang Redux

I could look at it as a double couple date or as being a fifth wheel. The former has a much nicer ring, I think.

Despite it only having been a week since my last trip to Peter Chang's in Charlottesville, I was more than happy to be driven out there again for another heated meal.

With a table of five instead of two, there were even more opportunities to taste around the menu. There were some repeats from my last week's dinner (scallion bubble pancakes, dry-fried eggplant) and some new options to consider.

The funniest moment came when we were ordering our first course and my friend asked for the crispy fried pork belly. Like a movie character in a slow-motion scene, I looked up from my menu and said "Nooooooooooooooooooooo!" more forcefully than I should have. He canceled the order.

After our affable server left, I explained that I'd had it last week and that there was no fat to it, just crispy bits deep-fried. Laughing, he said, "Well then, I don't want it but it was totally worth it to see that look on your face and hear you react like that."

I'd been told that now that Mrs. Chang has arrived that the steamed pork buns were stellar (she's a pastry chef) so we got them. The fat little dumplings were nicely done, but nothing unusual.

The special of spicy deep-fried assorted mushrooms was similar to the eggplant but earthier tasting because of the mushrooms. The Sichuan bang bang shrimp had all the overt and subtle heat you'd expect and a wholly different flavor when eaten with a piece of cilantro.

And then the hot, hot heat arrived.

The one repeated entree was the Jing Jiang shredded duck with pancakes, which I recommended to my mixologist friend who was seeking a duck dish. He loved it and I felt relieved to have steered him well.

One of the spicy food lovers got another special, the duck consomme in (enormous) ceramic pot, a combination of duck, pork meatballs, fresh mushrooms and clear noodles.

Although she knew it was non-spicy, she wanted more heat and added a good amount of chili sauce to it to raise the heat index. The tiny little meatballs and generous pieces of duck, not to mention duck broth,  made it heartier than your average soup.

The closest thing to a disappointment was the shredded pork with hot peppers which, while quite tasty, wasn't the least spicy despite the menu indicating differently. He made sure to add some chili oil before having the rest boxed up to take home.

My beef tendon and tripe in chili sauce, the only room temperature dish, was very spicy with the thin slices of tendon and tripe soaking up all that chili oil.

And before the squeamish types react, had you tasted it and not known, the tripe would have been just another interesting bite.

The heat seeker took the prize with her braised fish with chili peppers in hot pot dish. Arriving in a metal bowl over a flame, the heat from this one was the spiciness, not the temperature.

She took one bite, turned bright red and reacted open-mouthed to the heat. Her jean jacket was soon removed. Turning to her non-spicy loving beau, she insisted he try it, knowing if it challenged her, he would be dead meat.

He soldiered on, acknowledging its tastiness but sweating profusely, and after we all tasted it, we agreed that while it did pack a wallop, it was mainly on the finish and that dissipated shortly thereafter. Nonetheless, beers were soon ordered.

Consensus was that this was the knockout dish, flavorful and dramatic.

Not a one of us finished our second course, despite much sharing and tasting. "Bring us fifty to-go boxes," our ringleader said; the duck consomme alone took two containers.

The three of us who had been to Chang's before agreed that this visit delivered far better across the board than either of our previous visits. With such an extensive menu, perhaps knowing what not to order is paramount.

But that said, with the wide array of food on our table, there were clear and distinct flavors in every dish. This is not a one sauce/preparation fits all kind of place.

The most challenging part is the hour-ride home whilst in a food coma. But as we all know, Peter Chang never sticks around anyplace for long, so we may as well enjoy his cooking while we can.

Or at least that's how I'll justify it the next time a couple or two invites me to head to the mountains for another heated dinner with them.

Color me a well-satisfied fifth wheel.