- I tried P.F. Chang's "chef's feast" for two, which is a three-course meal deal for $23 a person.
- There were some misses, but most of the dishes were excellent, and I'd order them again.
- The same meal would've cost me over $20 more if I hadn't used the meal deal.
These days, if I can find an excellent meal that costs less than $25 a person, I grab a seat at the table and order.
So, I recently found myself at the American Asian bistro chain P.F. Chang's to try its "chef's feast" for two.
The meal deal includes three prix-fixe courses for $23 a person, and I wanted to see if it was worth it.
Both starters had pros and cons.
The first course consists of either egg-drop soup, hot-and-sour soup, or the restaurant's house salad. Since this deal is meant for two people, I got to pick two starters.
I went with the egg-drop soup and house salad.
The soup was loaded with ingredients, including plenty of sliced vegetables. However, I thought the flavors tasted a little too bland to be exciting.
I actually wished it were saltier, a rarity for these kinds of broth-based soups.
The salad tasted great, but it was a little overdressed for my liking. The tangy soy- and sesame-flavored dressing was tasty, but the lettuce was almost sopping with the stuff, and the wontons quickly lost their crispiness.
I also found the tall bowl it was served in rather hard to eat out of. Each time I tried to get a good stab with my fork, it wobbled and threatened to tip over.
The appetizer was an absolute success.
The meal deal included one shared appetizer, and there were four to choose from. I went with the pork spring rolls, which were absolutely a high point of the meal.
They were well formed, holding their structure even after I took a bite. The wrapper was also pleasantly crispy, and the filling was savory and flavorful.
I loved the blend of cabbage, garlic, and ginger. The duck sauce was a bit thinner than I'm used to. However, it was flavorful and did the job.
My chicken entrée was pretty good.
For my first of two entrées, I ordered the crispy honey chicken, which is one of six options available.
I really enjoyed the texture. The fried exterior wasn't too thick or too thin, and it was nice and crunchy.
The honey flavor was pleasant but simply not powerful enough for me. I also would've appreciated some added spice to give everything a little more oomph.
The entrée wasn't bad, but it was nice to know I was at least getting a good deal on it.
I'm glad I saved room for the beef lo mein.
For my second entrée, I chose the restaurant's signature lo mein with beef.
The lo mein noodles were excellent — cooked to perfection and flavored well. The word "heaping" came to mind. I certainly couldn't finish them all, especially alongside the other courses.
I also appreciated all the sliced vegetables.
The thinly sliced beef was tender and flavorful, but my one complaint was that there just wasn't enough of it. Frankly, I would've wanted almost twice as much.
The deal saved me money and I was pretty satisfied with my food.
If I ordered everything I got off the regular menu without this meal deal, it would've cost me over $72.
Although I don't think that's necessarily a bad price for two starters, a shared appetizer, and two entrées, it just made the deal even more impressive to me.
Thanks to the special, my meal cost $50 after tax.
That's not much more than I'd pay for dinner at a diner — or even some of the higher-priced fast-food chains — these days. Plus, this food was decidedly better.
