Pei Wei Asian Diner...A National Chain That Cooks Fresh as Local!

 

  

Don't judge me for loving fresh food...

 

     Okay, I guess it's true what they say...one should never say "never".  I always said I despise national chain restaurants and would never blog about one. What I should have said all along is, I don't like national chain restaurants OR ANY restaurant for that matter, that serves pre-made or frozen processed foods and refuse to blog on that!

     Pei Wei Asian Diner is described as a "fast-casual restaurant concept", offering a "wok'd-to-order" menu.  It's definitely cooked-to-order, with 35 FRESH ingredients that are hand-cut daily.  I guess they know what they're doing because like their parent company P.F. Chang's, they're growing and adding locations all over the U.S. to meet the demand of the consumers.

     The newest location in Tulsa is located at 10005 S. Memorial Dr., Suite 10. So now they're located all over town...mid-town, south, everywhere! Also, they just introduced some new fall flavors to their menu:

• Sriracha Pineapple Pork Lettuce Wraps feature all-natural, wok-seared pork and a combination of fresh-cut ingredients—pineapple, red onions, and red and green bell peppers—topped with a kick of Pei Wei’s own Sriracha sauce and served with cool, crisp lettuce cups.
• Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps provide a light, fresh and tangy Thai-inspired twist on Pei Wei’s traditional lettuce wraps, with all-natural wok-seared chicken, and a combination of hand-chopped vegetables including red onions, red bell peppers, scallions, along with cilantro and mint, all tossed in a tangy citrus soy sauce.
• Korean Steak Lettuce Wraps
  feature a rich, robust and fiery combination of wok-seared marinated steak tossed with fresh carrots, bean sprouts, red onions, scallions, cucumbers, and toasted sesame seeds, drizzled with a Korean red chile sauce.

     Being a crazy fanatic of Asian food, I ordered the Korean Steak Lettuce Wraps. Serious, rich, deep and spicy flavor throughout the steak, balanced with the coolness of the freshly cut veggies.  That robustious meat combined with the crisp fresh veggies...no words can describe. Okay, maybe one...yummy-ness.

      I also ordered my all time favorite Thai food...Pad Thai. It's because of Pei Wei's Pad Thai that I learned to make it at home and made it my next obsession.  I still would rather get it from Pei Wei when ever possible...they make it easy to swing by and grab take out.

     You can see the spices and freshness in this Pad Thai masterpiece.  They top it with the traditional peanuts, lime and cilantro...watering mouth alert.

     So, the moral of the story...don't judge a restaurant by it's private or public status, as long as they make food fresh.  There are four locations in Tulsa now, 61st & Memorial, Broken Arrow, 35th & Peoria (Brookside) and the newest location, in South Memorial/Bixby.   ไชโย! (cheers!)