P.F. Chang’s Great Wall Of Chocolate: Portion Out-Of-Control
15
December
Well it’s time for another edition of Food Horror and it’s unfortunate that one of my favorite restaurants has to be featured on this page. As vegetarians, we find few restaurants can offer us tasty and healthful options, but P.F. Chang’s was always a favorite except they didn’t have a branch in Connecticut when we first moved here. That changed last month, when their first branch opened bang in the center of Stamford, right by the mall.
The very next occasion we had to celebrate, we drove all the way to Stamford to reacquaint our eye with the ambiance and tongues with the gastronomic treats P.F. Chang’s has to offer and we were certainly not disappointed. From the familiar sculptures of the twin horses guarding the door to the large mural of a Chinese village scene above the bar, the restaurant continues to remain faithful to tradition. The food, while unlikely to be described as “spectacular”, is well above the standards set by other restaurants that serve vegetarian fare. The Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps still maintain that delicate balance between crunchy and tangy, the Coconut Curry Vegetables is aromatic and flavorful as ever and the Banana Spring Rolls are crispy, sweet and the only way we know to end our dinner.
Actually we might have ended our dinner with the Great Wall Of Chocolate which, according to the site, consists of “Six layers of rich chocolate cake frosted with semi-sweet chocolate chips and served with raspberry sauce.” But I was fortunate enough to have seen their online menu (complete with ingredients and nutrition info) and that helped me avoid this calorie, sugar and fat laden disaster:
2240 calories, 376g of carbs and almost 90g of fat. Infact, the head waiter told me they have a stretcher on standby and Stamford Hospital’s Emergency Ward on speed dial just in case someone decides to test the limits of their arteries with this brown bombshell. I mean, this would have been too much even if we split it like we always do. So although it looked and sounded delicious, we just passed on the offer (the guys holding the stretcher were decidedly unhappy with our decision) and chose the Banana Spring Rolls instead (not too much better nutrition-wise, but still manageable).
I sure hope someone talks to them about portion control, and real soon. Thankfully, they still carry some pretty healthful choices for those so inclined. Case in point is their Buddha’s Feast (choose the steamed version):
I guess it’s just a question of knowing (and more importantly, ordering) what’s good for you. What’s your favorite at P.F. Chang’s? And how special should the occasion be for you to go for the Great Wall Of Chocolate?
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