P.F. Chang's statues removed in Chevy Chase

The famous horse statues outside the shuttered P.F. Chang's restaurant in Chevy Chase were removed Monday. No, they weren't stolen by the looters who ransacked the area Sunday. They were removed by contractors.

The horses are history in more than one sense. P.F. Chang's says the statues that stand guard outside most of their restaurants are inspired by China's past: "The horse symbolizes the original Forbidden City in China, which was built for China’s first emperor Qin Shi Huangdi."

P.F. Chang's closed in Friendship Heights permanently

The P.F. Chang's dining adventure in Montgomery County has come to a sad close. Their Friendship Heights location in the The Shops at Wisconsin Place in Chevy Chase has permanently closed. P.F. Chang's is moving to a new model of smaller, takeout locations in many parts of the country. Considering how popular their White Flint Mall location was up until the mall owners pulled the plug, I wouldn't be surprised if we see one of those to-go concepts pop up in Bethesda in the future.

P.F. CHANG'S CHICKEN MINI EGG ROLLS REVIEW (VIDEO)

To celebrate Chinese New Year, I tested out a new frozen product from P.F. Chang's Home Menu lineup, Chicken Mini Egg Rolls. I found these at Giant in Bethesda.

Fresh out of the microwave,
surrounded by P.F. Chang's
Signature Sauce

Inside the egg rolls are dark meat chicken, cabbage and carrots. The package includes a pouch of P.F. Chang's Signature Sauce for dipping purposes. It only takes about 90 seconds in the microwave to heat them up; the sauce pouch goes in a cup of warm water for a few minutes to thaw.

Are these egg rolls worthy of the P.F. Chang's name? Watch my review to find out!

WHITE FLINT MALL SIGN GOES DARK AFTER MALL CLOSES, P.F. CHANG'S STRIPPED (PHOTOS)

The Dark Side of White Flint, Part 35

Welcome to The Dark Side of White Flint, an ongoing series about the not-so-wonnerful, wonnerful, wonnerful side of urbanizing the suburbs of Montgomery County.

After White Flint Mall locked its doors for good this weekend, and P.F. Chang's China Bistro ceased operations late Sunday night, Monday found the mall's landmark electronic sign along Rockville Pike dark. Once alive with names of mall tenants and information, it now stands as a monument to unbound greed in the so-called "new economy." The one remaining business on the site, Lord & Taylor, can't be happy about the lack of electronic signage alerting motorists that it is still there. Lord & Taylor was one of the few voices of reason attempting to stop demolition of the successful mall. Owning its own building structure, the famed department store will continue operating even after the rest of the mall is demolished.

P.F. Chang's iconic horses were ripped from their pedestals and corralled out front, joined by a solitary take-out bag, as the advance winds of an Alberta Clipper swept across the once-full front parking lot. Gone were the signs and menu board. Hungry diners drove up seeking a bite of Mongolian Beef, only to find the restaurant was no more. They staggered demoralized back into their cars, back into the darkness.

"Time takes it all whether you want it to or not, time takes it all. Time bears it away, and in the end there is only darkness."

- Stephen King

Welcome to the Dark Side.

Read more about
The Dark Side of White Flint:

White Flint Mall closes its doors

No more fresh-baked cookies

The final hours of the White Flint Mall post office

P.F. CHANG'S SETS CLOSING DATE FOR WHITE FLINT MALL RESTAURANT AHEAD OF DEMOLITION

The Dark Side of White Flint, Part 33

Welcome to The Dark Side of White Flint, an ongoing series about the not-so-wonnerful,

wonnerful, wonnerful side of urbanizing the suburbs of Montgomery County.

If you're a fan of White Flint Mall like me, and the P.F. Chang's restaurant there, you'll want to stop in for dinner soon. The restaurant says it will close for good on January 4, 2015.

Gil Fornaris, Market Partner with P.F. Chang's China Bistro, said that the White Flint restaurant is thankful for the many patrons who have supported it over the last 15 years. He said those customers, who made P.F. Chang's one of the most popular dining destinations in the mall, are welcome at the chain's Chevy Chase location at 5406 Wisconsin Avenue after January 4.

In the meantime, service will continue as always at the White Flint Mall location through January 4.

Even after mall owners had made the risky bet to pull the plug on the fully-leased retail center, and redevelop it as an urban town center, P.F. Chang's remained a mainstay along with Lord & Taylor. The latter owns its mall space, and will not be included in the pending demolition. P.F. Chang's was one of several dining draws that made it difficult to find a close parking space on weekends at the mall even just a few years ago. Will that crowd return for the new development?

Although the upscale mall and its impressive architecture will be gone, P.F. Chang's is one tenant that plans to return as part of the new development on the mall site. Alas, most other tenants will not be back, having closed for good or moved to other locations. There is currently no official date for the opening of that future P.F. Chang's at the mall site.

Welcome to the Dark Side.

Go down the rabbit hole and explore the Dark Side of White Flint:

The Beginning

Dave and Buster's closes at White Flint Mall

The Veil of Death

A Classic Mall Movie Theater: The Balcony is Closed

Final Scenes from Abandoned Saab Dealership

The Final Hours of Mid-Pike Plaza

The Last Days of Toys R Us

ALL SEATING REMOVED AT WHITE FLINT MALL, PLUS: P.F. CHANG'S TURNS PINK

The Dark Side of White Flint, Part 32

Welcome to The Dark Side of White Flint, an ongoing series about the not-so-wonnerful,

wonnerful, wonnerful side of urbanizing the suburbs of Montgomery County.

In the game of musical chairs at White Flint Mall, the music has stopped, and everyone has lost. The mall has removed all benches and chairs, leaving nowhere for mall patrons to sit. One elderly person seeking relief was propped up on a marble shelf.

Wikipedia has a couple of relevant notes on Musical Chairs that might apply to White Flint Mall and the area's future. "The player who is left without a chair is eliminated from the game." It is the paying customer who has been eliminated at the mall, first by the closure of virtually all stores and restaurants, and now through the final indignity of having no place to rest. That also reflects the risk the mall's owners are taking, in driving away a huge customer base who will have gone elsewhere (downtown Bethesda, Westfield Montgomery Mall, Pike & Rose and Rio/Washingtonian Center, to name a few) long before any new "town center" opens on the current mall's property. "Playing musical chairs...can also refer to a condition where people have to expend time searching for a resource, such as having to travel from gasoline station to gasoline station when there is a shortage." Sounds like White Flint and downtown Bethesda after all of the gas stations have been redeveloped into luxury condos.

NOTE: Please do not steal these pictures and post them elsewhere without getting my permission first. All photos ©2014 Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row

In other White Flint Mall news, no, the horses outside of P.F. Chang's were not vandalized. Rather, they have been turned pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. They are using the hashtag #PaintPFChangsPink.