Lunch

A few of us at work ordered from PF Chang's today. I have to give them props for giving you the option to order online. There's never any argument about who is placing the order when it only involves clicking. In case you were wondering, I did the ordering. And now I'm signed up for sundry coupons and exciting PF Chang's news.

This was my first PF Chang's experience. I ordered the salmon lunch bowl, which came with asparagus and brown rice (my choice). There was also a grilled half a lemon for garnish(?). The lunchbox came with egg drop soup, which most closely resembled, texturally anyway, chilled chicken broth. I added a little vinegar and chili oil to it, but it still wasn't anything amazing. I gave up on it about halfway through.

I also got a small order of Asian slaw, which was supposed to be Napa cabbage and red pepper and scallions. Well, cabbage was present, along with carrots, but I didn't see any red pepper or scallions. I fucking love scallions and I feel a bit gypped. The dressing was supposed to be a creamy citrus and I guess it was. I mean, it was cream and bright fucking yellow. Like glow in the dark yellow. It was definitely creamy, but there wasn't much citrus to speak of. I think they should retool the recipe a little, and maybe make the dressing more rice vinegar-based, with a shot of lime juice to liven things up. Don't misunderstand me, I ate all of it and it was tasty, but it fell a bit short of my expectations.

On to the entree...

The piece of salmon was good for the price I paid. Probably around 6-7oz and the lunch bowl was 9.95. Remember, it also included rice, asparagus, and soup. Oh, and the charred lemon half. The outside of the fish was nicely charred, but I think some people would prefer the insides to be a little more well-done. I like my salmon on the rarer side, so I was very happy with it. The brown rice was brown rice. I pepped it up a bit with a splash of the "Special sauce". Shockingly enough, at least to those who know me, I ate half of the asparagus. It wasn't half-bad. In fact, it was pretty tasty. My cube mate ate the rest.

I found their fortune cookies too sweet, so I only ate half. I wonder if that means my fortune (something about my ambition and making a name for myself) will only be half true. Not that I've noticed all my other cookie fortunes becoming reality. I'd be much richer and more famous by now.

I decided to sit at my desk and pick at my teeth with one of PF's toothpicks. OK, they weren't branded or anything. Moving along. These toothpicks were possibly the bluntest toothpicks ever. Did someone on PF's legal team think they could avoid a slew of toothpick and gums-related lawsuits? Honestly, the ends were flat; no crevice penetration at all.

Overall, my PF's experience was good, not great. Maybe it would have been different if we were eating in the restaurant, but I can't blame a lack of flavor/imagination on transportation time. Still, it was a nice change of pace from The Works.