And I didn't have to cook it! Last night, Tam and I went to Pei Wei Asian Diner, a fairly recent addition at Glendale shopping center. It's a chain restaurant, but don't hold that against them.
The food was plentiful, nicely presented and tasty. Tam ordered their Pei Wei chicken and I had sesame beef. We'd started with appetizers, hot & sour soup for Tam and a couple of very good pork egg rolls, which we split. When the food arrived, big oval bowls piled high, we realized we were outmatched: it was enough for four!
Tam's chicken was accompanied by carrots and pea pods, the beef had onion and red bell pepper, nicely prepared with the appropriate sauces, spicy for mine and sweet and sour for hers. She went with white rice -- traditional "sticky" rice; I had the brown rice, which was more of a challenge to eat with chopsticks. But the sauce was thick enough to compensate. (And yes, they do provide knives, forks and spoons if you prefer.)
Interior decor is, well, "Asian diner," verging on "space-age Japan," appropriate without being pretentious. The drinks machines were pure outer space, touchscreen controlled, with drilldown menues (selecting "Dr Pepper" calls up a submenu of plain, cherry and cherry-vanilla, for instance) and a freeform front panel.
The place was clean and comfortable. The food was good. They have beer. We will be back. It's got tables enough for a blogmeet; there was a party of 8 or 10 near our booth last night.
BUILDING A 1:1 BALUN
4 years ago
7 comments:
Ha! I read that too fast, and thought you wrote "Wet Pet Asian Diner".
Sorry.
-Popgun
When I was stationed in Korea as a inexperienced youth, I was eating a bowl of rice out on the economy with chopsticks, and having a hard time of it.
A table full of little old Korean men was watching, apparently fascinated.
Finally, one reached into a pocket, pulled out a spoon, held it up to me and said "in Korea, we eat rice with spoons."
A simple truth I still take to heart 25 years later.
Scott
Loves me some Mandarin Kung Pao..
Pei Wei is owned by PF Changs, a decidedly pricey asian restaurant.
davek
Of all the implements that could have been selected to eat rice, how did two sticks come out on top?
Chicago-style voting??
In his past life, my office-mate worked on the design for the space-age drink dispenser. What did you think of it? I've never actually seen one in meat-space.
Two sticks are a pretty good option when you're clearing trees and bushes for rice, bamboo is easy to grow, and metal implements are for those much wealthier than you...
Old Windways: Totally a fan! They are exactly what a drinks machine should be.
In re "two sticks:" considering the etiquette for eating with chopsticks and the serving methods in places where they are used, they are a hygienic upgrade from everyone diggin' dinner out of the same pot with their filthy hands. Huge step up. (People in parts of East Afirca do something similar with tough sourdough flatbread: tear off a bit and use that to scoop from the common pot. Get a new piece for bread for each scoop. Not a bad dodge.)
I don't find chopsticks a problem. (Not since the time a friend took me to a good Chinese restaurant and took away the silverware: "Sticks or starve," he said with an evil grin. The food smelled great. I learned FAST.) Being able to manipulate chopsticks is a big plus when you have to put small things in hard-to-reach places: they are more versatile than needle-nose pliers.
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