They would really amp up the business if they would only put chicken feet, monkey brains, and maybe some insects on a stick on the menu. Low salt, of course.

Won't set foot in the place. I live in LA and have plenty of amazing restaurants to choose from. And they are less money. There finally is a great dim sum place on the westside (no small miracle) and two of us are stuffed for $20. Sadly it is the only good Chinese place on the westside, but nothing that a 25 min drive won't fix.

There is a local place (Typhoon - Joe's been there with me) that serves insects. More curiosity than anything else, but their Mongolian lamb is excellent. As for chicken feet, my fiancee got those at dim sum last weekend. She loves them. I'll stick with char sui bao and sweet tofu.

Not Santa Monica, Todd, but there's a place over by Robertson and Pico (or Olympic) called Fu's Palace that my parents and I like. Real Chinese food, but also a place the average gwi-lo would like.

Who's up for Yunan Garden in San Gabriel tomorrow night? I'll be there.

For P.F. Chang's prices you can get some good teppenyaki style cuisine.

Monday night? I have rehearsal in the valley until 10:30pm.

If you're out on the westside, The Palace on Wilshire for dim sum. Rumor has it they do dim sum at night but I haven't verified that yet.

Some of that authentic Chinese food really tastes like ass. PF Changs tastes like ass but it's not authentic.

approx. 1.4 billion are not complaining about their cuisine...next time please wash your hands after you handle your derriere (or someone else) AND definitely before you handle and eat some food :D...it might help...

True statements, both.

At a Chinese coworker's wedding they served sea cucumber (among many other atrocious things). I passed...

I eat real Chinese food all the time, at least 3x per week when home and have never touched western food while in China. It's fabulous. Even the dog I ate there once wasn't so bad. I've had far worse American food here. I wish PFC would just stop pretending they serve Chinese food. As long as you don't think PFC or most other Chinese-billed restaurants here servce real Chinese food, you won't be disappointed if you like real Chinese food.

This is the real stuff. No MSG or processed food here. There's a reason you don't see fat people in China unless they're foreigners.

http://fototime.com/A8EB3298E280FE0/standard.jpg

http://fototime.com/34290C6C776F329/standard.jpg

http://fototime.com/F1208609D9AA500/standard.jpg

Mr. Lee, Thanks for posting the pictures of your authentic Chinese dishes...pictures are definitely worth a thousand words...I agree with you that...PFC, Panda Express and other pseudo-chinese restaurants should stop the pretending that it is authentic Chinese food...It is NOT!!!

It is as obscene as claiming that a Chevy Corvair is just like an American Porsche !!! Herr Porsche will be turning over his resting place!!!

Maybe another crusader (and hip hop artist) could write and rap another game changer expose...

similar to "The Odium of Sodium" by the late Edmund Clerihew Bentley

Sir Humphry Davy
Abominated gravy
He live in odium
Of having discovered sodium

By the way, those dishes look real delish...what time do we come over?

I don't know nor do I care if PFC double pan fried noodles resemble anything from China.... They are d@mn good especially with a bit of hot mustard stirred in.

Who the F cares if "Chinese, Italian or Mexican" food served here in the US is authentic or not? I don't give a rat's arse. I just want my food to taste good regardless of what it is. ;):)

^^^ I agree. Lets eat.

I agree with above as well. I am Asian and I don't care if it is authentic or not, as long as it tastes good. We know it's not authentic. There's different places for different cravings, different price ranges, different atmospheres. If I don't like it, I don't eat there.

And as for the unhealthy part, it is difficult to find any restaurant that serves really healthy food. Few and far between. So, that being said, if you are hard core, just stay at home and cook.

In my experience, the "authentic" stuff tastes far better than the Americanized version. That likely isn't the case in much of the US since there aren't as many authentic ethnic options. One advantage to LA - you can get the real deal for most any cuisine and it hasn't been "improved" for American palettes. There are some exceptions - for instance a local Vietnamese place makes bun that varies from the traditional recipe (different greens). I actually prefer it, but the other aspects of the dish are traditional.

It just depends on what you've been exposed to and grew up eating. Born and raised in San Diego, good Mexican food was always around. I remember going back to Princeton, NJ and being taken out to a "Mexican" restaurant. I thought is was terrible. The locals liked it, but they'd never had the real thing. They probably would hate "authentic" Mexican.

You're right that if you like it, then it is good to you. But most people eat "ethnic" food and make a judgement on that example...which usually isn't ethnic other than the name given to it.

I was in Shenzhen a few weeks ago and had "local" Kung Pao Chicken. Trust me when I tell you, I will never eat "american" Kung Pao Chicken again....It was THAT much better.

Rick, tell us what all those dishes are, and what is involved in making them at home. It looks incredible!

JA

Sheesh, I couldn't begin to tell you how to make any of those. I have rarely had to order my own food in China, always had locals around to do it for me. I love super spicy fish and thing with cumin on it. The second my mother-in-law heard that, I seemd to always have it put in front of me. China has a lot of regional cooking styles and I don't love them all. But I'll eat spicy Sichuan or the Uighur-made cumin lamb stuff every chance I get. PFC has a dish called "Chengdu Lamb," which is sort of like Sam Adams calling one of their brews "Bavarian Hefeweizen" - just a cruel hoax, designed to make the unannointed think they're getting something authentic.

Never been to a PFC's.

But I tell ya, nothin hits my cravings like a giant heaping pile of General's Chicken at this hole in the wall place in Hawthorne CA... Yes it's 'California Style' Chinese food but jesus christ it's good. And fattening. I'm pretty sure it's just carmalized sugar and salt, deep fried, with chicken bullion for the flavoring. But I don't care. It's like $4.99 at lunchtime.

Maybe it's that much different in L.A. but I eat in restaurants that are much healthier than anything I can make at home. Granted I'm not much of a cook, (eat out a lot), but there are super-healthy restaurants here. Strangely enough, I'm sitting in one right now waiting for my food. It's called Real Food Daily in West Hollywood and it's a macro/vegan/whatever place that makes phenomenal food. There is another place called M Cafe down the street on Melrose that is also macro and excellent.

It's hard to believe they can make this kind of food this tasty but they do. And it's as healthy as it gets. Lest you think that I only eat heathy food, I ate 12 hot wings last night, (late), so I'm atoning for it tonight.

Bon apitit!

Aww SNAP!!! Now the beer. This is an impossible crowd!

Name of the place please?

Hey! If I want bugs in my food I will shop at taco bell!

http://www.msgfacts.com/news/~/media..._salt_360.ashx

Chill :cool:.. Have a pill :) sodium consumption raises blood pressure, increasing the risk for heart attack and stroke...We do not want you popping a gasket...blow-off valve might be clogged...ticker might not take it...;)...i would order a side a statin just to be safe

Population Strategies to Decrease Sodium Intake and the Burden of Cardiovascular Disease

Is Italian food authentic if it contains tomatoes?

i can't eat at pf changs; i've eaten there twice. never again. there should be a NaCl and MSG warning in blinking red two foot block letters right above the door.

the reason i have never been to a PFC's is because my brother told me it was a saltlick. he tried to return some super salty food, and have it re-cooked with less salt. the server told him "NO". apparently all the sauces are pre-done from some PFC factory somewhere, and the "chefs" simply follow an exact "recipe" to create the dishes. i guess a half ladle of the brown juice is not possible if the corporate directions say to put a full ladle.

crazy. the place is a money maker in my neighborhood. valet parking and everything. really high class, hehe. the valet guys always leave the high end cars parked out front. looks really impressive.

Mario & Luigi are asking ..."YO!!! are those da San Marzano tomatoes?... pass me a canoli and top me off with expresso ;)

exactly.

the one downtown, here, is packed every night, as well. my current boss loves the place. that right there is enough to warn me away.

Vash, your brother has very good sense of observation...He is correct, that is what I meant as the PFC corporate snafu in my earlier post in this thread...I was fortunate enough to partake with their good eats when they initially started...when it was still under Fleming...now it feels like it is owned by Morton Salt (when it rains it pours)

...btw please don't be tempted to bring the bow and arrow near the saltlick... :)

As long as "authentic" does not look like this I am on board ;)

Being married to a retired dietician gives me a unique perspective on restaurant food. You don't know what they put in the food. If you cook your food u know what u are putting in it. Restaurant food if it tastes good likely has too much cholesterol, salt, sugar , msg in it. Therefore it is bad for the heart, the arteries and diabetic promoting. As u get older your cholesterol increases and it is harder to get it down to acceptable levels. Restaurant food is okay in moderation. There are ways to make rest. food tasty without the bad stuff but I would guess they can't be bothered. Fast food is the worst. You are what u eat? Scary? Yes:eek:
Tip the scales in your favor:)

Mantra of da boss to her peeps...
 

Eat anything, not a lot, mostly greens

from my boss, "j"

I've been to China a number of times, usually spend between three weeks to a month at a time (going through an immigration process with my wife and stepson)

I've been to PF Changs once! there has to be some sort of a correlation.

This is authentic Chinese food.. at a roadside restaurant in the mountains about two hours n/w pf Beijing..

This is a stew of fresh chicken, some sort of greens in a light vinegar sauce, wife and sister in law digging in.. (stepson does not like to be photographed so you can see the remote in my hand and the camera is resting on a wall)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1334010054.jpg







In this photo some tofu in chili oil has arrived at the table, along with some pickled cabbage (think sauerkraut) and some sort of stuffed corn fritters..
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1334010279.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1334010324.jpg

This also authentic Chinese food... Beijing Duck with the wifey in a really upscale restaurant in Chaoyang




http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1334010422.jpg

More authentic:

This was breakfast one day!!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1334010599.jpg

This is grilled fish at another roadside restaurant

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1334010711.jpg

This is a really refreshing salad made from fresh peppercorns (piper nigrum) The peppercorns don't get the heat until they are dried..


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1334010796.jpg

These are miniature rose blossoms that are battered and fried


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1334010838.jpg

Another stuffed corn dumpling? made from cornmeal and stuffed with greens.... I think it was mustard greens and chives

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1334010941.jpg

Finally the outdoor kitchen....


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1334010981.jpg

we have a certified pizza place here - the Italians sent out inspectors & they have to import the San Marzanos

BUT - my point is that tomatoes (aka, love apples) are a New World plant - they are not indigenous to Italy, hence not "authentic" in some meanings of the term -- yet cultures evolve (one of the nice things about culture is that you can "evolve" faster than those who rely on purely genetic evolution), and that includes food culture

so what does authentic really mean?

for the record, I ate in a P F Changs... once

You wont find General Tso's chicken or Sesame chicken as made in restaurants here in China... kung pao is an authentic dish... and when had in China will be made with cut up bone in chicken....

Here is some more Chinese food...

Here are some mudbugs we had in Sanlitun district Beijing

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1334013371.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1334013399.jpg

Now for some street food... things on skewers

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1334013499.jpg

Not sure about grilled starfish

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1334013536.jpg

Is this authentic Chinese/Italian? We found a Wood Fired oven Pizza Place in Sanlitun

Really nice Pizza

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1334013851.jpg

And I washed it down with something from Belgium


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1334013972.jpg

We sat near the kitchen

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1334014131.jpg

Saw some graffiti that looked like it was from NY or LA?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1334014198.jpg

From healthcentral.com...

Chinese food is known to be high in calories and sodium, but this offering from P. F. Chang takes this fact to a new level.

The restaurant's Crispy Honey Shrimp has 70 g of fat, 290 g of carbohydrates, and 1,890 mg of sodium. The total calories in this seafood dish? More than 2,100!

Mmmmm..... sounds good. I will consider trying that the next time I eat there. Thanks Art!