“Chef Peter Chang announces an October 8 opening for Chang Chang in Dupont Circle”

1200 19th Street, NW

From a press release:

“Chef Peter Chang and his daughter Lydia Chang announce an October 8 debut for Chang Chang, their dual concept contemporary Chinese restaurant in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of downtown Washington, D.C. The two-in-one concept at 1200 19th St. NW features parallel dine-in and carryout services, which function as fully separate entities, with little to no menu overlap between them. Though Chang Chang isn’t the first time Peter Chang and Lydia Chang have collaborated, the two Changs in the name nod to the fact that this restaurant is a much more even partnership, as the elder Chang looks to the next generation to expand his vision of contemporary Chinese dining. Chang Chang’s carryout branch, labeled Chang Out, will be the first part of the restaurant to open, with Chang In, the full-service dining room, opening its doors ten days later on October 20.

photo by Melissa Hom

“People have been asking us to open in D.C. for as long as my father has been running his own restaurants,” said Lydia Chang, “But even still, we’ve been blown away by the excitement and energy from our D.C.-based guests. It’s humbling, and we can’t wait to open our doors and show off what we’re doing at Chang Chang, both classic and new, to the city.”

photo by Melissa Hom

Chang Out features a carryout and delivery menu with favorite dishes from Peter Chang’s popular locations from Virginia Beach to Connecticut. Menu items will include Peter Chang favorites like pan-fried dumplings, mapo tofu, eggplant with spicy garlic sauce, bamboo fish, and sweet and sour spare ribs.

Chang In, the full service side of Chang Chang, offers an original take on seasonal modern Chinese cooking. Working with Peter Chang is Simon Lam, a Cantonese-American chef and Peter Chang protegee who cooked previously at Chang’s Baltimore restaurant NiHao, and whose resume includes Chef José Andrés’s China Chilcano. As Head Chef, Lam oversees a menu of ambitious contemporary dishes like pig trotters with chilis and chrysanthemum greens, red braised short ribs with seasonal vegetables, a Hainanese chicken presented as a roulade, and a salad of gem lettuce, avocado, green apple, seaweed, and tofu. Peter Chang’s take on roast duck will be a menu centerpiece, featuring a bird that is marinated, blanched, air dried and tea-smoked for a dish with a complexity of flavor that separates it from traditional Peking duck preparations. The ducks take 48 hours to prepare, so only a limited number will be available daily, and they can be requested by guests when making their reservation.

In addition to dinner service, Chang In will offer a fixed-price lunch special on weekdays. The Chang In lunch will be offered bento box-style, with set seasonally-rotating sides paired with a choice of entree selected from a menu that is changed daily. On weekends, the restaurant will offer Saturday and Sunday brunch with a spread that marries dim sum favorites with a menu of east-meets-west takes on American brunch classics like fried chicken with congee and char siu croissants.

“It has been a true pleasure to build the menu for Chang Chang,” said Peter Chang through his daughter Lydia. “All of my restaurants have been collaborations, working with my wife Lisa, and our great cooks and hosts, but at Chang Chang we are really gathering a strong team of specialists. In addition to working with exciting talents like Chef Simon and Pichet Ong, a family friend and inspiring chef, we’re bringing so many young cooks into the kitchen who are excited to learn about and spread the flavors of modern Chinese cuisine.”

At Chang In, a creative bar program will be built around cocktails highlighting baijiu, a clear spirit from China. Traditionally, baijiu is enjoyed neat and at room temperature, but in keeping with Chang Chang’s progresisve spirit, they are harnessing its varies and unique flavor profiles in drinks such as the Mr. Q Daiquiri, which pairs a Ming River baijiu with Don Q rum, Maraschino, Supasawa, and Grapefruit. Even drinks that don’t include baijiu will still draw on Chinese ingredients and flavors, like the In the Mood for Love which brings together Empress gin and Baltamaro Szechuan Amaro with lemon and Peychaud bitters.

For those with a sweet tooth, seven-time James Beard Award nominee Pichet Ong’s pastry creations can be found at both sides of Chang Chang. At Chang Out, Ong has a line of packaged cookies, brownies and other classic confections ready for carryout. At Chang In the chef’s sophistication and deft touch with Asian ingredients shines through in dishes like a tart of passion fruit and lime with black pepper meringue, or a bowl containing a sheet of mochi delicately draped over seasonal fruits, melon, and coconut jelly.

Hours of Operation

Chang Out, 11am-9pm daily

Chang In Lunch: 11:30am-2:30pm Monday-Friday

Chang In Dinner: 5-9:30pm Sunday-Thursday; 5-10:30pm Friday-Saturday

Chang In Brunch: 11:30am-2:30pm Saturday-Sunday

The Design

The Changs worked with District firm Nahra Design Group to design the look of the 5,000-square foot space which will include seating for 180 along with a bar and seasonal patio. Those familiar with Chang’s other restaurants will notice a more elegant, feminine design at Chang Chang, with white textured walls and intricate herringbone floors framing intimate arched-ceiling booths. At the front of the restaurant a group dining area offers large tables with central lazy susans near the 12-seat bar.”