Pei Wei Asian Diner

This is P.F. Chang’s on speed, a quick-service offshoot of the national chain that built its following on the accessible exoticism of the lettuce wrap: cool leaves, hot minced chicken and water chestnuts, no complaints. That same lettuce wrap is available at Pei Wei, a restaurant that pulls off the remarkable feat of transporting you from Logan Square to Any Mall in America. Browse the menu on computer screens toward the entrance, relay your order to the programmatically friendly folks behind the counter, grab a drink from the soda machine (which supposedly mixes Coke to order—who knew?) and in minutes your combination of sweetly sauced meat and corporatized trends (chewy Korean BBQ beef, tea-smoked chicken) will arrive steaming.