In China, It's Called Just "Food."
New to Charleston - and Mt. Pleasant -
P.F. Chang's opened a few months ago in Towne Centre.
Not Chinese food. It's called a
"China Bistro."There's been one in Myrtle Beach for quite a while.
One of their two trademark guard horses overlooks Highway 17 and the other, the parking lot.
The bartender I talked to said the use of brick and wood was done to reflect the Lowcountry feeling.
"Each Bistro has a distinctive mural," she added.
The main dining room has a 5-panel mural that looked to me sort of like an oak tree.
That certainly would work here.
But, instead of having leaves, it appears to bear cherry blossoms?
Then I noticed that the bar is a pass-through design. There are stools for service outside as well as tables.
A nice covered open air patio is equipped with gas heaters and shades that pull down when it's bright and sunny.
> Somebody obviously studied our weather before they built this place.
I didn't try the food this time. I had bought some in a grocery and had it in my freezer at home.
Just stopped in for a beer and saw they had a nice tasty stout on tap.
(Click - twice - on the photos to see more detail.)
I saw ours listed on their web page as a recent opening along with a new Bistro in
Grand Rapids, MI, Providence, RI and Dulles, VA.
Bet none of them has a year 'round open air bar and patio.
Gotta love our Lowcountry!
Labels: cherry blossoms festival, China Bistro, Chinese food, Mt. Pleasant Towne Centre, oak tree, P.F.Chang's
Easy as 1,2,3. And, sometimes 4 & 5..
I read somewhere you should not blog or mention online any upcoming trips.
Criminal types will take note.
Come back and your stuff is gone.
Worse when it happens to you on the road.
Well almost.
My recent 8-day Amtrak vacation included a very comfortable ride up to
Washington,DC. After a few days there, hopped on for a day in
Baltimore and that evening continued to
Philadelphia.
The Cherry Blossoms peaked right on time while I was there.
The Smithsonian had several areas open that were closed my last trip.
Saw Archie Bunker's chair and hat.
Went into the Smithsonian Castle too.
The best though was a narrated night tour of 6 monuments and memorials.
Gave my new "almost SLR" point-and-shoot camera a real workout.
The deal was the way I kept track of my valuables:
1. My camera on my belt,
2. My cell phone and
3. My wide-brimmed Tilley hat (with a $20 tucked inside.)
_edited-2+COPY_edited-1.jpg)
Adding my back pack one day meant adding another number.
But, before that, I left my hat in the cafe at the
Newseum.
Remembered it 15 minutes later as I walked past real sections of the
Berlin Wall and entered a theater. Reached up to take off my hat.
Went back to the dining area and the cashier said
"Here's your hat," when I asked if it had been turned in.
Later that day used my camera at
National Building Museum to capture the huge room that was a site for an Inaugural Ball last year. Used some photo manipulation to make it really special looking.
The back pack got left behind in
Baltimore.
I realized it was gone when I was across town an hour before the train was to leave for
Philly. More on that later.
(As usual, please click on the photos for a larger image and more detail. The new camera is the
Canon S90 with lots of manual controls.)
Labels: Baltimore, Berlin Wall, cherry blossoms festival, DC, National Building Museum, Newseum, Philadelphia, Philly Cheesesteak, Poe, Smithsonian Castle, Tidal Basin, Washington
New to Charleston - and Mt. Pleasant - P.F. Chang's opened a few months ago in Towne Centre. 
> Somebody obviously studied our weather before they built this place.
_edited-2+COPY_edited-1.jpg)
