I am currently moving to Towson. I just put down the first rent payment and security. After that I was in the mood for a little lunch, and stopped nearby at the Pei Wei Asian Diner. I went to one a few years ago in Oklahoma City. A friend I was visiting took me to the local one. I did like it, and it only hit me today that, yes, this was the same thing, only in Towson.
The Pei Wei Asian Diner has a nice assortment of different dishes with rice, noodles, veggies and meat, done in Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai styles. As usual, I couldn't decide. The guy behind the counter asked if I liked spicy or sweet. "Both, preferably in the same dish," I responded. He responded with what he called the perfect recommendation: the Pei Wei spicy (they call it their General Chu's, or General Tso's?). For $7.75 I got a General Tso-style pork - crispy, sweet, tangy, and very slightly spicy - with snap peas, carrots and little pieces of red chili. Add to that a healthy helping of rice - your choice of white, brown and fried (I got the first), and a cup to get a drink. I didn't order a drink, nor did they charge me for one, so I guess it came with the meal. With tax it came to a little over $8. It was pretty much self-serve after they delivered the food to my table, so I left just a dollar for tip.
Apart from the snap peas, whose flavor I just don't enjoy, this was some pretty tasty pork. I liked the tanginess and sweetness. I was a little disappointed in the spiciness - specifically in the lack of it. But apart from that, it was a filling, satisfying lunch.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Pei Wei Asian Diner
at 9:48 PM
Labels: cheap eats, Chinese, Pan-Asian, Towson
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11 comments:
i got the kung pao chicken the last time i went there and it was very yummy!
I didn't realize there was a Pei Wei there. The first and only time I've been to one of those was on my visit with my friend in Torrance, CA. If she ever gets to visit me in Baltimore, now I'll know where to take her!
i love that place...
they dont produce too much spice because they want to cater to a mild pallete..in my humble opinion.
Off the subject and you might not want to know this, but check out the below link. It is regarding Rachel Ray.
http://www.crazydaysandnights.net/2007/09/rachael-ray-owes-her-cheating-husband.html
do you say it like you do peewee herman?
congrats on the move.
Meghan: Sounds like a logical reason. But I still want SPICY when they say "spicy" :)
Atlanta Social: Oh my! Ray Ray is maddeningly irritating - or irritatingly maddening - but I have to feel a little sorry for her here. She sure knows how to pick 'em alright. And she is kind of a sap now - a quarter of a billion dollars!? MAN!
Fairfax: Thanks. I think it's more like Payway.
Danielle: Do go, it's delish! Technically, it's on the City side of the City-County Line. But it's a helluva lot easier to just remember "Towson" because it's close enough.
Nathalie: I'm not much on kung pao chicken. I have to be in the mood for it. Next time I am I'll look into it, thanks!
We tried it earlier this year -- I thought it was okay, my wife wasn't all that impressed. As far as I was concerned the food was as passable as most Chinese-American places around the area, you can get a beer, and I liked the fact that you can get the lettuce wraps without having to go to a PF Chang's (I think they're owned by the same company). But with so many good sushi places like Kyodai, San Sushi Too/Thai One On, etc. just up the road in Towson, I don't think I'll be going back anytime soon.
Dan: I dunno, I liked it. Again, I was hoping for more spiciness, though. As for the PF Chang affiliation: yep, it said right there on the door "A P.F. Chang company" or something like that. And that place is crazy expensive.
Like I said, I thought it was okay. In a pinch and hungry for Chinese food I'd go back, but I have yet to find really good Chinese cuisine here in the Baltimore area.
Has anybody here been to Try's Asian Fusion on Old Court Road in Pikesville? A buddy of mine has been and said it's great but I have not gotten over there yet.
Yesterday we went back to Kyodai (which John reviewed before)... perfect timing, too. They open at 4:30 on Saturday afternoons and we got there around 5:00... which meant the bar just kept getting stocked with super fresh stuff just out of the kitchen. Yet another amazing meal there, two people, two beers, green tea, tons of sushi, $54 plus tip.
Dan: That is one thing I've noticed. You can't find great Chinese food in Baltimore. You have to go to DC, New York or San Fran for the best in the US. And as much as I liked it, everything is relative - Pei Wei is one of the ones I've liked the most in the area, but I've certainly had typically better Chinese outside of the area.
I have to Google Try's Asian Fusion!
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