SUMMATION: A bit disappointing with some cheap ingredients and 1 bland-tasting dish. Quick, excellent service and nice décor, but tables a little crowded.
NAME: P.F. Chang's China Bristo, Ponce
ETYMOLOGY: Paul Fleming (see Wikipedia) and Philip Chaing
SIZE: 7400 square feet with room for 268 patrons
CHAIN: They have 260 restaurants in 14 countries, but do not franchise domestically in the Continental USA (204). Paul Fleming and Philip Chaing, Founders, pfchanges.com. They also have restaurants in Caguas and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
TITLE: "Disappointing" [Yelp, Parguera Pirate review #410, submitted 21 Jun 2015]
MY RATING: Average (3/5)
TELEPHONE: (787) 844-8600
WEB PAGE: pfchangspr.com
RESERVATIONS: Tables can be reserved and one can order online.
TAKE OUT: yes
HOURS OF OPERATION: 11 am-10 pm Sunday-Thursday, 11 am-11 pm Friday-Saturday
LOCALITY: Plaza del Caribe, 2040 Avenue Rafael Cordero, Suit 2, Ponce, Puerto Rico 00716 [1]
OCCASION: We had heard good things about this restaurant. One dish was bland and flavorless and some of the ingredients were cheap.
AIR-CONDITIONED: We asked for an empty booth, but waiter said the AC blows against the window there and it is too cold. The booth stayed empty. We were comfortable.
OUTSIDE SEATING: no
GREETING: excellent, no waiting, escorted to table
DÉCOR: Beautiful with a nice design and decorations, but the tables were a bit crowded. No table cloths, but cloth napkins. Wood furniture. Plain, straight-backed chairs.
INTERNET: free WiFi
BAR: full-service, specialty drinks
WATER: Pressed glass with ice and lemon wedges on the side. Straws wrapped in clear plastic.
CUISINE: "American Chinese" with a lot of Japanese and Puerto Rican stuff. "Asian Fusion"(?) certainly Asian, but not fusion.
FLATWARE: Heavy good-quality stainless
MENU FORMAT: They have brunch, lunch, and dinner menus and gave us the last 2 after 1 pm. Also on their web page.
MENU ITEMS: More limited than ones in continental USA. They have a few, incongruous local items [2] and Japanese items.
WAITSTAFF: Excellent, attentive, professional, well-trained waiter
APPETIZERS: Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wrap was good, but should have used butter Lettuce. Iceberg was too hard and broke instead of wrapped. Chicken was finely chopped. Sauce with sesame oil, shoyu, and wasabi was very good and not too spicy. A few rice noodles for crunch.
ENTRÉE: Moo Goo Gai Pan and Mongolian Beef both had a plain presentation and were enough for 2 people [3]. The chicken and shrimp dish was bland and tasteless. The Beef was good.
SIDES: Brown rice was good and in an ample amount. White or fried rice were also options.
SERVING TIME: very quick
DESERT: A desert menu was presented after the meal.
COST COMPARISON: A bit pricey
PROBLEMS: (I) In Plaza del Caribe not Plaza los Americas [1].
NOISE LEVEL: Our friend objected to the loud music. The content was also inappropriate. They turned it low. They turned it up again as soon as we were leaving.
HEALTH: Most Norwegian Salmon" [=Atlantic Salmon] are raised without antibiotics. Recipes can be prepared to avoid allergens and gluten.
ENVIROMENTAL: Chilean Sea Bass [F-1] was once a "bad choice" fish, but the fishery has improved [F-1].
AWARDS: In 2013, Philip Chiang's mother, Cecilia Sun Yu Chaing (1920-), won a James Beard Foundation Award for lifetime achievement. Her life's story is far more interesting than her son's (see Wikipedia).
REVIEWS: rated Very Good, 4.22/5, 9 reviews (Tripadvisor); Average, 3.00/5, 5 reviews [4] (Yelp) [1]; Good, 3.5/5, 4 reviews (Google); Very, Very Good, 4.4/5, 872 votes (FaceBook); Very, Very Good, 8.8/10, 63 votes, 19 tips (FourSquare); 14 comments (SAL)
HISTORY: This restaurant opened 13 May 2013. The chain began in 1993 in Scottsdalle, Arizona, USA. Headquarters is still there.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Many sources list their address in Plaza los Americas. That megamall is in San Juan, not Ponce. They have a restaurant in Plaza los Americas, but this is not it.
[2] Traditional Flan, Garlic Spiced Tostones, Chang's Crispy Fries; really?
[3] Waiter said these dishes were for 2 people and we took home half.
[4] They state 6, but only list 5
SPECIES: [F-1] "Chilean Sea Bass" [Lantz, 1977] is actually Patagonian Toothfish, Dissostichus eleginoides, the Patagonian toothfish, is a species of cod icefish found in cold waters (34-39 °F) in depths of 148-12,631 feet mostly around sub-Antarctic islands. This is on the Green Peace International Redlist; however, the fisheries is now regulated, sustainable, and its status is being re-evaluated by most organizations. read more