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The first thing they teach you at Pei Wei is the correct pronunciation of the brand name. It’s “pay way,” which sounds more like a supermarket than a restaurant, but so be it; that’s certainly better than “pee wee.” In any case, this regional chain of Asian eateries does have the P.F. Chang name standing behind it, so many Knoxville-area patrons will at least take some notice on that account.

The Grub Spouse, The Grub Sprout and I arrived at the new Turkey Creek diner to find the single, moderately sized dining room filled close to its seating capacity. The cozily modern space doesn’t lean as heavily on Asian decor as the Chang’s location, but the arsenal of woks and other cooking implements hanging in the expansive pass-through between the dining room and the kitchen leaves no doubt that diners are in an Asian-food establishment.

We were naturally funneled into an ordering queue, which first puts guests face to face with three vertical electronic menu boards. The brightly lit arrays feature animated graphics, and standing at floor level with us, they laid our dining options out clearly at eye level.

The selections aren’t overwhelming in number, but there are still plenty of dishes representing diverse Asian pedigrees, including Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese. (Quick thought: A restaurant spokesperson named Pei Wei Herman. OK, maybe not.)

Appetizers include minced-chicken lettuce wraps, crab wontons and edamame. We decided to try an order of two spring rolls for $3.75. (They’re also served as a sextet, but that would have been overkill for us.) We passed on the trio of salads: Asian chopped chicken, spicy chicken and Vietnamese chicken salad rolls.

The menu features a half-dozen noodle and rice bowls, and that’s where The Spouse found the Japanese Teriyaki Bowl ($6.75) featuring a choice of chicken, beef, shrimp ($1 extra), veggies or tofu over a base of onion, cabbage, carrot, spinach, scallion and a choice of white or brown rice. The Spouse customized this meal with shrimp and white rice selections.

The Sprout and I dwelled on the 11 signature dishes, which also come with the same meat and rice choices. Selections include Thai Dynamite (crispy chicken or shrimp only), lemon pepper, Thai coconut curry, ginger broccoli and spicy Korean. I got the Pei Wei Spicy (a la General Chu) with beef ($8.25), chile-seared soy sauce, scallion, garlic, snap peas, carrots and peanuts on brown rice. The Sprout got the honey-seared entree with crispy chicken ($7.75), honey soy sauce, garlic, chile and rice sticks on white rice.

We claimed one of two empty tables and placed an identifier number atop the chopsticks holder, but our wait was short. Our meals were hand-delivered, hot and steaming from the wok, within just a couple of minutes.

And all three were wonderful. Each creation was distinctively flavored, from my very spicy beef to the mellow, honey-glazed chicken to the uniquely seasoned shrimp. The veggies were all steamed just right — softened a little but with some firmness remaining — and the rice was cooked to perfection.

Overall, Pei Wei is a nice compromise between fast food and a leisurely sit-down meal. I felt that we got ample portions of fresh, well-prepared Asian food, which was served promptly. And we didn’t “pay way” too much.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel
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