Chang's adds class, dumplings to Route 1

Classy may not be my middle name, but I was still quite pleased to note the opening of the upscale PF Chang's China Bistro at the Market Fair shopping center on Route 1. All things considered, I had a terrific dining experience and I'd recommend the restaurant to any fans of Chinese food who are searching for an alternative to Ivy Garden.

The reasonably priced nationwide chain offers high-quality modern Chinese food in an environment somewhere between family-oriented and romantic. PF Chang's would be a very nice place for a dinner for five: all dishes are served family-style, meaning that orders are placed in the middle of the table so diners can share. The bistro might not quite be the ticket if you want to amaze your crush with an uber-romantic Richard-Gere-in-Pretty-Woman routine, but it would be perfect for a scaled-down date. The room was softly lit and quiet enough for a conversation, and our waitress attended to us with both punctuality and charming friendliness.

After being seated 15 minutes early (!) for an 8:30 p.m. reservation Sunday, my partner in crime for the evening and I asked for our waitress' recommendation for an appetizer. We accepted her proposal, and 10 minutes later we were presented with a pleasantly warm plate of six Northern Style Spare Ribs ($7.95). What a terrific way to start off the night. The ribs were braised in a tangy concoction and served with a five-spice salt, and infused with a remarkable amount of flavor. Unlike barbecue ribs, which often rely on a thick outer sauce, the marinade packed a succulent taste into every piece of meat on the bone.

For the main course, I ordered Chang's Spicy Chicken and my dining companion selected the exciting-sounding Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon Lemon Pepper. Despite the rather busy nature of the dining room at that point in the evening, the dishes arrived right on time, minutes after we finished the ribs. The chicken was essentially a variation on the popular General Tso dish — lightly fried in sauce along with a side portion of brown rice. The brown rice was overly dry for my taste, but it was saved by the sauce covering the chicken. Despite its initially sweet effect, the sauce actually had a rather ferocious and quite unexpected kick of spice. The overall effect was fantastic.

My friend's dish was a visual tour de force, featuring a sizable cut of wild salmon perched above a bed containing an impressive array of stir-fried vegetables. Its taste fell a little short of its magnificent appearance, as the salmon was above average but delivered a far less intense flavor than the ribs or the chicken. Still, it was a satisfying dish that would likely delight a seafood lover with a slightly less-than-exotic palate.

Dessert seemed out of the question after we were forced to pack a third of the food away in doggy bags (my friend's roommate ate like a queen that night). The waitress teased us with promises of delicious sweets, however, and before long we were staring at a dessert menu which included such offerings as the Lucky 8 (eight chocolate creme-filled sticks to be dipped in chocolate and toffee chips) and the oddly-named Flourless Chocolate Dome (a dish with a fudge-like consistency, covered in a raspberry drizzle). However, as my faithful readers are all too aware, I am just a man. I'm not made of steel, folks, and I cannot resist a dessert called The Great Wall of Chocolate.

Best described as a gigantic wedge of almost obscenely rich chocolate cake garnished with fresh strawberries, blackberries and raspberries, the Great Wall was ringed with a fruity glaze and covered on one side with bits of chocolate. The dish was a delight for both the eyes and the ever-sensitive papillae of me and my guest. I've been told by my contacts at NASA that the dish will go down in the record books as the first cake visible from outer space. Though the Great Wall was probably designed to feed an invading Mongol army of five or six people, my friend and I decided to end its existence on our own and in the most delicious manner possible.

In the perfect ending to the night, my companion and I hitchhiked back to campus in the backseat of an SUV rented by a pair of freshman parents. All things considered, the night taught me two things: You can always depend on the kindness of strangers, and the only way to top an excellent meal of flavorful Chinese food is with an enormous mound of dough and chocolate. P.F. Chang's Market Fair Mall 3545 U.S. Highway 1 (609) 799-5163 Pros: Reasonable prices; casual but pleasant ambience; The Great Wall of China dessert. Cons: It's a hike to get there.