Celebrated chef Peter Chang has finally answered the calls of D.C. residents tired of traipsing to the ‘burbs to taste the Chinese chef’s famed dishes.
Chang Chang, a dual-concept restaurant in Dupont Circle, is split into “Chang Out” and “Chang In.” Chang Out, the takeout/delivery section, opened on October 8. The full-service Chang In dining room opened Thursday. There’s almost no menu overlap between them, according to Peter’s daughter and business partner, Lydia Chang.
Chang Chang is the chef’s 13th outpost — and his first time back cooking in D.C. since working as a chef in the Chinese Embassy in the early 2000s. After leaving there, he went on to open several restaurants outside the D.C. area in Virginia, as far away as Williamsburg, before returning to the region and opening in Arlington, Fairfax, and Bethesda, among others.
“People have been asking us to open in D.C. for as long as my father has been running his own restaurants,” says Lydia, who runs the business elements at Chang Chang and several of the family restaurant group’s other locations. “There’s a sense of coming back home to a familiar environment, but with a renewed sense of energy,” she adds.
Chang Out features a carryout and delivery menu with favorite dishes (and those that can withstand a 20-minute walk or scooter ride home) from the Peter Chang chain of restaurants, their “‘bread and butter” says Lydia. The menu is populated with items like the mapo tofu famous for its tongue-tingling effects from Sichuan peppercorns and chiles, plus three-pepper beef, bamboo fish, and sweet-and-sour spare ribs.
At Chang In, the chef is leaning into modern interpretations of his cuisine, which pulls from Sichuan Chinese cuisine. Joining Peter in the kitchen is Simon Lam, a Cantonese-American chef who has worked with Chang for 3 years at NiHao in Baltimore. Together, Chang, Lam, and Chang’s wife, Lisa, have put together a number of contemporary takes on traditional dishes.
In one, a homey stewed pig feet (trotters) dish becomes a creamy terrine livened up with chilis, cooled off with Asian pears, and brightened by a layer of chrysanthemum greens. Another dish remixes the must-have crunchy scallion bubble pancake served on its own as an app at other Peter Chang restaurants. At Chang Chang, it’s only served atop simple grilled fish bathed in yet another Chang favorite: prawn-and-scallop seafood curry.
“These are new presentations with classic flavors not traditionally seen,” says Lydia. “The young chefs really have a lot of energy; there are no barriers or boundaries. When my dad gets new idea from young chefs, they all express creativity.”
The restaurant’s take on roast duck will also be a centerpiece. Its 48 hours of prep work results in a marinated, blanched, air-dried, tea-smoked bird. The duck is served alongside forbidden rice, duck confit, bone broth and foie gras dumplings, and crispy wings, plus scallion pancakes (the more typical pliable kind) to wrap it all up.
Multiple-time James Beard Award nominee Pichet Ong is handling dessert for both sides of the business: sweets like a passionfruit and lime tart given a kick by black pepper meringue for Chang In, and packaged goodies such as cookies and brownies for takeout..
Lunch offers seasonal bento-box-style set menus changing daily; on weekends, brunch will fold American brunch dishes in with dim sum offerings (see: fried chicken congee).
Baiju, China’s popular distilled spirit features heavily in the bar program; Peter Chang is a big fan and intent on introducing it to new quaffers. While traditionally taken neat, at Chang Chang, it’s included in craft cocktails with complements like rum, maraschino liqueur, and grapefruit.
The bar, which also serves the full dinner menu, seats 12-15 people. (The restaurant seats more than 150 total.).
For the design, the Changs transformed what was a dark, mood-lit Thai restaurant into a brighter, livelier space fit for date nights in a cozy booth or Instagram shots of pastel plates at the family-sized tables up front. “We wanted a comfortable and inviting place, with a sense of relaxation and airiness,” says Lydia. Soothing shades of reds, pinks, and whites balance each other on the walls. “For other openings, we would look to interior finishes with imports from China, but now with supply chain difficulties, that was unavailable,” she adds.
All the Chang restaurants have been collaborations, “but at Chang Chang we are really gathering a strong team of specialists,” Lydia says. “My dad is excited to bring so many young cooks into the kitchen who are excited to learn about and spread the flavors of modern Chinese cuisine.”
Chang Chang is located at 1200 19th St NW. The restaurant is open for dining in for lunch Monday – Friday, 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., brunch Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., and dinner Sunday-Thursday, 5 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. and Friday-Saturday 5 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. Takeout and delivery is open daily from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
