Think you know all there is to know about Chinese food? Think again. There may be a whole new realm to the Americanized menu of General Tao's chicken, Asian sesame chicken and lo mein, topped with a batch of white rice that you have yet to discover.
Located on 612 Albemarle Square, Taste of China offers a popular authentic Szechuan menu from the legendary Peter Chang, one of China's finest and most well-known chefs. Chang is also well-known for leaving his restaurants - each arguably as successful as the last. Some theorists say that he does so once they attract a significant fan base. Others hypothesize he constantly moves because of his daughter's education. The theories are seemingly endless as to why Chang has bounced from Fairfax, Va. to Marietta Ga., from Knoxville, Tenn. to Alexandria, Va.
In what appears to be a continuation of this pattern, Chang recently left Taste of China. I always had enjoyed going to the restaurant when Chang was at the helm and returned to see if the food had maintained its quality with new culinary leadership.
During my first experience at Taste of China while Chang was still a chef, I tried the restaurant's numbingly spicy peppered dishes, but only after a lengthy wait for a table. This authentic taste so reminiscent of traditional Szechuan cuisine, however, could have been in danger, given Chang's departure.
I stopped by for dinner one night with a few friends. We arrived to find ourselves immersed in the Oriental ambience marked by dim lights, quaint tables, red Chinese lanterns and a diverse background.
I began with my favorite appetizer, Fu Qi Fei Pian: sliced beef and beef tripe with hot pepper sauce for $7.50. I ordered a dried fried eggplant Szechuan-style dish as an entr
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