By Dave Begel Contributing Writer Published Jan 26, 2012 at 12:15 PM

I'm a guy who loves his Asian food. Thai, Vietnamese, Laotian, Japanese or Chinese all make me happy.

I am also a local guy. Emperor of China has replaced the long-forgotten Eddy's Place on Farwell as my favorite. Dining in or taking out, I have never been disappointed.

This week my wife and I found ourselves out at Mayfair at dinner time and decided to tray P. F. Chang's. It's a chain restaurant, so I didn't have high expectations.

How wrong I was.

The place was busy when we got there but managed to snag a table in the bar where they had full menu service. That became a plus immediately. Then our server, who was doubling as a bartender, stopped by with menus and took drink orders. Nothing special there.

But a look at the menu convinced me that there was stuff here that I hadn't seen in all these years of Asian dining.

I opted for the pan seared lamb, which came out in short order. Nicely shaved pieces of lamb with shallots over a bed of shredded hot lettuce and I was in absolute heaven. It was one of the best Asian dishes I've ever had.

P. F. Chang's is not budget dining but it's not outrageous either. The best thing about it was how surprise I was that it was as good as it was. Even though it's a long way away, I wouldn't mind getting stuck at Mayfair at dinner time again.

Dave Begel Contributing Writer

With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.

He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.

This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.

Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.