P. F. Chang's China Bistro, Freehold, NJ:
A Restaurant Review
Freehold Raceway Mall
3710 Route 9
Freehold, NJ
732-308-1840
Website
Restaurant Highlights
Fare: Chinese - Mandarin
Price: Moderate Expensive
Food Quality: 2 1/2 Stars
Service: 2 Stars
Decor: 3 Stars
Overall Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Note: Four star Rating System from 1/2 Star = Poor to Four stars = Best in Class
Well prepared Chinese - Mandarin cuisine *Note description of Mandarin below
Upscale, chic ambiance
Offers line caught sea food
Value: Good
Noise Level: Moderate - High
Dress: Casual
Recommended For: Diners who enjoy and appreciate the art of Mandarin Chinese served in a trendy, upbeat setting
Not Recommended For: Budget conscious diners who prefer basic Chinese food in a neighborhood setting.
Recommended dishes: When available, The Salt & Pepper Prawns; The Mongolian Beef; and The Line Caught Chilean Sea Bass.
Liquor: Full Service Bar, Bar scene is vibrant
Restaurant Review
P. F. Chang's, located outside the Freehold Raceway Mall, one of five locations in New Jersey, is not your neighborhood style Chinese restaurant. It's a destination restaurant!
The decor is attractive with an entrance of guarded stone horses leading up to a stylish main dining area with large tables and spacious booths. The atmosphere of high ceilings and cherry wood trimmings and candlelit tables is high energy, noisy, with throngs of people waiting for their table.
Once in and seated though, you are in for a treat. The food is artfully prepared with fresh and Eco-conscious ingredients.
P. F. Chang's China Bistro features Mandarin style wok cooking in the preparation of many of the menu selections.
* For skeptics who claim that that P.F. Chang's serves non-authentic, Americanized - Chinese food --- As an aside; Mandarin is a style cooking where presentation is key. Originating in the royal courts of China centuries ago, Mandarin dishes pair mild spices with colorful vegetables. It is considered an art form mixing colors and aromas. Rice is not the central staple for Mandarin dishes. Wheat is the more typical grain. Mandarin dishes with wheat products are a work of art.
Chang's offers a full cocktail menu along with a variety of Asian wines, saki's and beers. The attractive bar is a high energy New York style scene.
The staff is attentive and friendly, and does an excellent job of accommodating the very high volume of people in a professional manner.
P F Chang's is very child friendly.
If you don't have a reservation, you can expect to wait up to 2 1/2 hours on a weekend for your table. Beepers are not available until one hour before being seated and do not work inside the mall.
(updated December, 2016)
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