Eater’s Loss

Thank you for making me the Eater I am today.

A few weeks ago I touched down in Boston for a weekend of R&R. As my father chauffeured me from the airport, I dialed from memory my favorite Chinese food restaurant in the entire world—Chef Chang’s House in Brookline. The phone rang, and while I did not recognize the voice on the other end, I quickly jumped into ordering my favorite dishes:

“I’d like an order of Hot & Sour Soup, a-ha, an order of Peking Ravioli’s pan-friend, a-ha,an order of Fried Curried Wantons…”

“We don’t have that on our menu. You must be thinking of the old restaurant.”

Stunned, I stammered a few forgotten words into the phone. The woman on the other line patiently explained that Chef Chang’s had closed. For good. I would never eat there again.

A cursory review of Chef Chang’s yelp profile found a restaurant that was loved by some but not others. Founded in 1980 it was responsible for bringing sophisticated Chinese cuisine to the average Bostonian. No doubt college students and faux-foodies found the old décor and deep-fried nature of many of its signature dishes off-putting. Szechuan cuisine is what’s hot right now, literally and figuratively. With its focus on spice and sauce, I can’t complain that more exotic Asian cuisines are taking off in America. I also recognize that Chinese food in other parts of the world blows Americanized food out of the water. Like in China for instance. I’ve traveled to Chengdu and tasted kung pao chicken and seafood hot pot that blew my freaking mind.

But my favorite Chinese restaurant will always be located in Brookline, Massachusetts. As a youth growing up, it was my introduction to what became my favorite cuisine. As a college student and later a world-travelling vagabond, I returned home several times a year and always made it a mission to return to Chef Chang’s, usually accompanied by my younger brother and order an absolutely obscene amount of food. Usually enough to feed your average Mormon family. I particularly enjoyed having the wait staff look at us like we were somewhat off our rocker. We weren’t. Just Great Eaters trying to get a meal in.
Even if not every dish on the menu was perfect, Chef Chang’s had some winners that could compete with the best Chinese food around. The hot & sour soup perfectly blended broth, tofu and pork with a spicy sour tang. The cold sesame noodles featured a thick peanut sauce that made the taste buds dance. And the General’s chicken was perfectly breaded with a sweet sauce.

But there are two dishes from Chef Chang’s whose loss will haunt me forever.

The Peking Raviolis. The breading on their dumplings was the perfect ratio of rice flour to water. This made the dumplings slightly crisper and fuller than any other dumpling I’ve had.

Fried Curried Wantons. I don’t know how these were made. The inside was a mix of curry paste and something. I’ve had waiters tell me it was vegetarian and contained beef. Maybe it was a mixture of all the leftover food from the day before. Who cares. It was a flavor explosion in your mouth. Actually it was TWO flavor explosions in your mouth. You could combine it with a either a nasal busting spicy mustard that could bring tears of painful joy. Or you could use a sweet duck sauce to combine salt and saccharine. And unlike Peking Raviolis aka potstickers, which are a staple of every Chinese restaurant, I’ve never seen this offered at another restaurant. So unless Mr. Chang wants to cook a personal meal for me I will never eat this dish again. Wow that hurts.

This past week I’ve been back in the Boston area. With Chef Chang’s no longer in my life, I’ve instead turned to other favorite spots, such as J.P. Licks and Same Old Place for comfort. I’ve also moved on. The start for a new Chinese restaurant in Boston has begun. Since I’m only home a few weeks a year, it could take quite some time to find a suitable replacement. In the mean time, I will have my favorite Chicago spot as well as the prospect of travelling to China in less than a year to satisfy my cravings.

But ultimately a major player in my development as a Great Eater no longer exists. I will never bite into a fried curried wanton again. The closing of Chef Chang’s serves as a reminder that while we’re put on the Earth to eat, no one can eat forever. So if you’ve been putting off visiting your favorite Mexican restaurant or have decided you’ve moved on from your favorite childhood pizza joint to wait two hours for Great Lakes or some nonsense, I suggest you take an extra moment to make the drive back for one more meal. You never know when it may be your last.

Advertisement