Chang's satisfies cravings for top-flight Chinese fare

I will confess right now that I am a Chinese food snob. Growing up in the Jersey suburbs, I could find my way to Philadelphia's Chinatown with the instincts of a homing pigeon by age 7. Later, while living in Manhattan, I ate my way through the Big Apple's Chinatown, too.

I learned to navigate past such faux Chinese dishes as egg foo yung and chow mein, feasting instead on lobster hot pots, Peking duck, and dim sum, the Chinese version of tapas.

Then I moved to Southwest Florida and discovered, much to my horror, that neither authentic Chinese food nor bagels with character were available this side of Miami. Granted, that was almost 30 years ago and the region's culinary state has improved immeasurably, but what was once a staple of my diet became an occasional treat - when I could find a worthy restaurant before it went belly up.

When I first heard about P.F. Chang's, I thought the idea was absurd. An upscale Chinese restaurant chain? Corporate Chinese food? To a devotee whose idea of ambience involved watching the restaurateur's family stuffing wontons at a corner table, the whole concept seemed just plain wrong.

PHOTO KAREN FELDMAN Neatly groomed servers dressed in black provide efficient, confident service, making sure customers are served quickly and have everything they need. Nonetheless, I tried the one in Naples and became a convert.

The food was wonderful. The service was first-rate. And the place was downright beautiful. The only problem was that it was an hour's drive each way, too far for regular forays.

But the food gods have taken pity on me - and on other Lee County lovers of inventive Chinese fare - now that P.F. Chang's has opened in Gulf Coast Town Center.

Although it has only been open for a few weeks, the whole operation runs as smoothly as if it had been there for years.

I thought that I'd have the place to myself on Memorial Day - a holiday on which one customarily barbecues. Nonetheless, I made a reservation and was glad I did. Apparently a lot of people think classy Chinese food outranks slaving over a hot grill. When we arrived at 5:20 p.m., the lobby and bar were full of parties awaiting tables. A friendly and efficient hostess told us our table would be ready within 25 minutes, but we waited less than 10 minutes.

There's a grandeur to the place, as if it's poised for Chinese royalty to stop by for an impromptu feast. Suspended from a high vaulted ceiling lined with wooden beams are huge angular hanging lights that illuminate without glare. Large stone statues of Chinese soldiers stand sentry atop tall platforms around the restaurant and a mural depicting well-to-do men on horseback in the Chinese countryside spans a whole wall.

The room has a full complement of tables, which remained full throughout the evening. Although the room was noisy, it wasn't deafening, the result of subtlely positioned sound absorbers, such as a wall lined with fabric, upholstered seats and banquettes.

Once seated, we were quickly greeted by a server who promptly produced glasses of pinot noir (a full-bodied Buena Vista for my companion, a lighter Coppola Silver Label for me). Chang's offers close to 40 wines by the glass.

Next, our server delivered a condiment tray that contained hot mustard, vinegar, soy sauce, chili oil and chili paste. She mixed the mustard, soy and chili paste together and explained we could use the various items to make our food hotter or less spicy. A nice touch.

We particularly enjoyed the mixture with the vegetarian lettuce wraps, although the crab wontons benefited from it, too. Both appetizers arrived within minutes of our ordering them. The menu describes the veggie filling as tofu, red onions and water chestnuts mixed with lime and mint. It was finely chopped so it was difficult to discern the various ingredients, but the mixture was quite tasty when tucked into a lettuce leaf then dipped in the spicy sauce. The crab wontons were a fancy version of crab Rangoon, with a crunchy wrapper that contained a dollop of creamy crab filling.

For entrees, we opted for the wild Alaskan sockeye salmon steamed with ginger, Philip's better lemon chicken and Sichuanstyle green beans. The fish was perfectly cooked and artfully dressed with a light ginger sauce. The vegetables beneath were also nicely cooked, but had no seasoning to speak of. We solved that problem with more of the mustard/chili paste/soy mixture.

The lemon chicken consisted of fried chunks of chicken, tender-crisp broccoli florets and little triangles of lemon with the rind, all bathed in a smooth lemon sauce. This dish had a good mix of textures but needed a spritz of soy to give it a little zing.

The green beans were perfectly cooked with just enough garlic and chopped veggies to add crunch and complexity. This was a great dish.

For dessert, we bypassed the Great Wall of Chocolate (a giant wedge of chocolate cake), because it really requires more people to share it. Instead, we split a delicious banana spring roll, which had been cut into six segments positioned around a mound of creamy, just-sweet-enough coconut pineapple ice cream, finished with a drizzle of caramel and vanilla sauces and fresh berries.

From start to finish, the servers and expediters were efficient and knowledgeable, not to mention well groomed and dressed neatly in all black.

Chang's has so many good things going for it that it's no surprise that it's been full to capacity since the day it opened. This is a corporate concept that even a Chinese food snob can love. If you go
P.F. Chang's China Bistro
Gulf Coast Town Center,
south Fort Myers; 590-9197

>>Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily
>>Reservations: Recommended
>>Credit cards: Major cards accepted
>>Price range: Appetizers, $3-$8; entrees,
$9-$17
>>Beverages: Full bar. There are about 40
wines available by the glass, more by the bottle.
>>Seating: Conventional tables and chairs,
some banquettes in the dining room and regular
and pub tables in the bar. Outside seating is
available, too.
>>Specialties of the house: Chang's vegetarian
lettuce wraps, Chang's spicy chicken,
Chang's lemon scallops, The Great Wall of
Chocolate
>>Volume: Relatively loud, but not deafening
>>Parking: Free lot