Update July 18, 2012: China Star has new owners, we are all starting from scratch here. Most of the dishes are worse, the braised fish actually is better. We’ll see how it evolves.
Juyongguan Great Wall under Stars, by Tim Wang
Yes I know the article is gated but I wanted to blog the link anyway, out of sheer enthusiasm. It’s a superb piece. China Star is my favorite Fairfax restaurant and it’s the #1 restaurant for GMU blogger lunches and debates (though one of us hates it; can you guess which one? We make him go nonetheless). It’s also where we take job candidates, at least the ones we respect. Even though Chang is now gone, the restaurant remains superb in the hands of his successors, who have kept many of his original recipes. Some people claim they get better meals when I go there to eat with them. It’s so close to our house that sometimes Natasha and I walk there. They know us well and are rarely surprised by our order. For two, our default is the braised fish and Sichuan chili chicken, on the bone of course. Scallion fried fish is a must for larger groups. John Nye likes General Kwan’s Spicy Beef there. They have real kung pao shrimp. Kudos to Calvin Trillin for covering Chang and his mobile culinary empire.
Originally posted on Marginal Revolution – click to see comments and suggestions.
Here’s another article about Peter Chang: “Todd Kliman Chases The Perfect Chef”
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