(Credit: Metromix/Danielle Munim)
- Address:
- 1400 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL, 33431
- Phone:
- 561-393-3722
- Overall User Rating:
-
(10 ratings)
- Hours:
- 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday. 11 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday.
The place: The first impression on entering is upscale. The long sweeping bar across the room commands a view of both the spacious dining room and the open kitchen and service area. Two enormous statues of ancient warriors stand guard over the dining room and create a focal point and a rough contrast to the refined decor. Waitstaff clad entirely in black glide about the room in an unhurried manner. Complex and intriguing aromas waft about the room.
The menu: The menu is effortless to read. Columns define appetizers, soups, entrees (beef, chicken, seafood, vegetarian and noodle dishes) and desserts.
Many of the dishes are Sichuan influenced. However, the server dutifully forewarned us which were spicy, and conveyed that there is no problem accommodating individual preferences. The wine list is impressively well crafted and offers reasonable prices for excellent wines. The list exhibits forethought to pairing with the menu rather than a list of the most popular vintners' names.
The appetizers: Several of the appetizers are served with finger bowls of spices designed to compliment the dish, which is a subtle and deft way to engage the diner into the food experience.
Northern style spareribs ($8) are amazing. Lacking a sticky slathering of sauce (true to the dish), they are served with a finger bowl of five-spice salt for the diner to add as desired.
From the soup offering, the won ton ($6) is only offered as a bowl, which is actuality a tureen that could serve at least four as a light starter.
The hot and sour is offered as a bowl ($6) as well, and as a cup ($3). It is without a doubt the best I have had in a long time—perfectly balanced so that not one flavor dominates. I really enjoyed having soup family-style from the tureen; it adds a wonderful sense of communion to the table.
The main attraction: For the main course, my table tried four dishes: Chang's spicy chicken ($13); Cantonese scallops ($14.50); Kung Pao shrimp ($14.50); and Tam's noodles with savory beef and shrimp ($11). Bowls of white and brown rice are automatic accompaniments.
Chang's spicy chicken consists of sliced poultry dusted with a dry spice mix, stir fried and finished in Sichuan sauce. Although it was just a little too salty, the overall combination was very nice.
The Cantonese scallop is a wonderfully light dish consisting of perfectly cooked sea scallops, garlic and snow peas with a minimal suggestion of sauce.
The Kung Pao shrimp was the table favorite. The shrimp remained crispy until the entire platter was finished, even though they were coated with sauce. Vegetables are only an accent to the dish. Even though there is an abundance of chili peppers, the shrimp themselves do not pick up too much heat and are enjoyable to the more sensitive palate.
Tam's noodles is an interesting creation. Special noodles, sliced beef, shrimp and chili peppers are stir fired and finished in abalone sauce. Although described as gnocchi-like, the noodles are thick slices of a heavy rice pasta which are somewhat chewy and rubbery, closely resembling the texture of abalone.
From the entrees offerings, it is notable that there is an excellent selection of vegetarian dishes beyond a simple vegetable stir-fry or steamed vegetable plate.
The meal proved to be satisfying, but not uncomfortably heavy. Even after having appetizers, soup and entrees, we couldn't resist trying at least one of the desserts.
The big finish: The Lucky 8 ($8) was an excellent choice; eight warm pirouettes of chocolate cream filled won-ton skins are served with a dish of caramel-peanut sauce and a pile of crumbled toffee brittle to "dip, roll and enjoy."
Cuisine: contemporary Chinese
University Commons, 1400 Glades Road, Boca Raton 561-393-3722, pfchangs.com
Cost: moderate-expensive
Credit cards: all major
Hours: lunch, dinner daily
Reservations: recommended
Bar: full service
Sound level: moderate
Smoking: prohibited
Children's facilities: yes
Wheelchair accessible: yes
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