Peter Chang

Does Peter Chang ever sleep? Is he really two people? I only ask because the onetime Chinese Embassy chef recently launched another restaurant — No. 14. His latest draw unfolds in the Merriweather District in Columbia, Md., and is small by the native of Hubei province’s usual standards, just 75 seats in the blond dining room and 56 items on the menu.

Quality and flavor infuse almost every dish. The dumplings are the sort you wish every dim sum parlor offered. “Grandma’s” noodles reverberate with the racy heat of chile oil, minced garlic and tongue-numbing Sichuan peppercorns. The vegetable dishes — snappy and smoky green beans, cabbage and Chinese yam seasoned with five-spice powder — are a testament to the reverence the Eastern school of Chinese cooking has for produce. If there’s a miss on the menu, it’s the wan Peking duck with its oil-drenched, kinda-crisp skin. That means more stomach space for crowd-pleasers like the scallion bubble pancake made famous by Chang’s wife, chef Lisa Chang, and shredded pork with spicy garlic sauce.