Chateau Chang offers a fine dining experience with culinary flare in Victorville
Area residents who enjoy fine dining should celebrate the culinary accomplishments of 1988, the year Victorville welcomed an elegant restaurant with a unique concept and upscale menu that has delighted diners for 36 years.
The restaurant is Chateau Chang, which several readers have recommended as a Dining Around profile.
From the beginning: Dr. Henry and Mrs. Marjorie Chang
Dr. Henry and Mrs. Marjorie Chang opened the restaurant in 1988. While Henry engaged in various library endeavors ─ to name just two of his accomplishments in librarianship, he founded the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association in 1980 and in 1990 became the Director of Braille Institute of Libraries in Los Angeles ─ Marjorie pursued her wish to open a wonderful restaurant that would become Chateau Chang.
The concept was unique because the menu offered what is known today as “fusion cuisine,” a menu of dishes from different culinary traditions or cultures. Chateau Chang offers traditional Chinese and French fare as well as the finest seafood and steaks perfectly prepared and exquisitely plated.
The Changs selected a gift shop as the location of their restaurant.
Renovation and remodeling assistance came from architects Ray Vecchi and Robert Martinez, and its interior design still in place today is the handiwork of Karen Tinsley, whose husband Bob developed Apple Valley’s Spirit River Center among other projects.
Chateau Chang gains popularity in Victorville
Chateau Chang became the go-to restaurant for lunches ─ from casual get-togethers to informal business meetings or a tasty break during a trip to town ─ as well as wonderful dinners for families or special celebrations like date nights and more.
In 1998, the couple decided to move down the hill to ease the commute. They advertised Chateau Chang for sale in a Chinese newspaper.
Enter the Chiens
Chuan “Jan” Chien and her husband, Kun-Hsiung “James” Chien, know about commutes, but James was doing the really long-distance kind. For several years, he commuted between home in Las Vegas to Santa Barbara, where he worked as a gourmet chef.
His culinary skills developed from his own knack in the kitchen to his own studies and apprenticeships with top chefs who shared their special techniques. The Culinary Institute in Pasadena played its part in James’s training as well.
He grew up in Taiwan and prepared dim sum and short ribs Chinese style plus sushi and sashimi but eventually broadened his skills to other menu cultures ─ perfect training for Chateau Chang.
In 1998, Jan saw the Chinese newspaper with the ad about a lovely restaurant business opportunity in Victorville. She thought it would be a chance to own their own restaurant and eliminate all that driving.
Everything worked out fine.
The tradition continues
Chateau Chang’s menu is quite comprehensive, and the restaurant’s website reveals dishes in each course with many beautiful photos.
Hors d’oeuvres include steamed or pan-fried pot stickers filled with ground filet mignon, crab cakes, deep-fried frog legs, and their popular Mojave Chicken, which is also a luncheon entrée and can be ordered as a vegetarian dish. Several other vegetarian items are also available.
For those who enjoy traditional Chinese meals, there are stir-fry luncheon options, as well as fried rice and chow mein.
Chateau Chang menu specialties
These specialties are the portion of the menu where fine dining reigns supreme.
Elegant fish and seafood dishes include rack of lamb, New York steak, and roast duck. Traditional Chinese specialties include Happy Family ─ chicken, beef and shrimp with stir-fry vegetables in the chef’s special brown sauce ─ and Kung Pao Three Delights ─ chicken, beef and shrimp with mixed vegetables and a stir-fry chili sauce.
Desserts are delicious choices like crème brulee, cheesecake, and mudpie.
Chateau Chang also offers special holiday menus.
When you go
What: Chateau Chang, 15425 Anacapa Roa, Victorville. 760-241-3040. www.chateauchangus.com.
When: Open Tuesday-Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Information: Order online. Full bar. Reservations accepted. Available for private parties and off-site catering. Live entertainment Friday and Saturday nights.
Dining Around
If you want a restaurant profiled in Dining Around, text/call 760-953-8682 or email kaynhuey@aol.com.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Chateau Chang in Victorville offers a fine dining experience
