Red (Flag) China

A cautious meal at P.F. Chang's China Bistro

First red flag: I invited my sister, who was visiting from the Mainland, to dinner at P.F. Chang's China Bistro, one of Honolulu's newest Chinese restaurants, and she politely declined after several days of hemming and hawing. She explained that she had already visited one of the restaurant chain's Los Angeles locations several times. Besides, she had other plans, like walking the dog.

P.F. CHANG'S CHINA BISTRO Hokua 1288 Ala Moana Blvd. 596-4710 Tuesday to Thursday, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. - midnight

Second red flag: Our waitress at P.F. Chang's informed us three times, within the first 15 minutes of our lunch, that the restaurant's dishes were served "family style." Let me see: Chinese food and family style. Is the sky blue? Was Mao a Communist? This is Honolulu, after all, where lazy Susans are rarely ever lazy.

Third red flag: the food. P.F. Chang's China Bistro, founded in 1993, is a Scottsdale-based chain that, according to the company's Web site, features "traditional Chinese offerings and innovative dishes that illustrate the emerging influence of Southeast Asia on modern Chinese cuisine." The restaurant also promises attentive service, an extensive wine list, Western-style desserts and killer interior design. It's a winning combination, because there seem to be as many P.F. Chang's as there are Changs. At last count, the restaurant could be found in 40 of the 50 states. Hawaii's P.F. Chang's opened late last summer on the bottom floor of the ultra-luxury Hokua high-rise condominium.

On our waitress's recommendation, we started with a pair of appetizers: Crab Wontons ($7.95) and Chang's Chicken in Soothing Lettuce Wraps ($8.50). I thought both were mediocre. The wontons had a rich, cream-cheesy filling, which overpowered any crab flavor or texture. Speaking of texture, the lettuce wrap filling seemed to have only one: ground chicken. I'm pretty sure there was tofu in there somewhere, as well as water chestnuts or bamboo shoots and maybe green onions, but it felt like everything had been run through the same food processor setting. The mixture also had a singular taste—salty.

The meal didn't get much better. We ordered three entrées, one vegetable and one noodle: Philip's Better Lemon Chicken ($13.25), Cantonese Roast Duck ($16.95), Salt and Pepper Prawns ($17.95), Sichuan-Style Asparagus ($6.95) and Double Pan-Fried Noodles ($11.95).

Duck and Roll: P.F. Chang's Cantonese Roast Duck comes with steamed buns and two different sauces. photo: Jimmy Forrest

The lemon chicken featured McNugget-size chunks of breast meat lightly fried and covered with a delicate citrus sauce. The chicken was dry and the sauce was weak. The asparagus was oily and surprisingly boring and, although they were spiced with black pepper, chili peppers and black beans, the prawns lacked heat and punch. However, they were plump, nicely butterflied and went down very easily.

The double pan-fried noodles were thicker, more substantial and less greasy than Hawaii's popular cake noodle, but they were also dry and lifeless. The sauce, which tasted very similar to what flavored the lettuce wrap filling and the asparagus, was very salty. The duck, which was served with cucumbers, shredded green onions and plum and hoisin sauces, was pretty good—both lean and moist at the same time. Unfortunately, the steamed buns, which were served alongside, were dried out.

We ended our Chinese-American meal with a Chinese-American custom, the fortune cookie. It was old and stale, an unexpected red flag.

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