Going off the menu at Lotus Cafe in Hackensack: 7 courses for $26

When you order an off-menu Dinner for Six at Lotus Cafe in Hackensack, one of the seven courses is South Pacific Prawns -- large shrimp pan fried in the shell with shallots, garlic, ginger, scallion and peppercorn. 

Editor's note: There are many reasons I seem to be eating out mainly at Asian restaurants. Most are BYOs, so I don't have to worry about getting gouged for a $12 glass of wine, the chef isn't sneaking butter into my food, and the abundance of seafood and vegetables is good for me.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The kitchen at Lotus Cafe, a Chinese BYO in Hackensack, really shines when you ask for a separate Special Prix Fixe Dinner and Banquet Menu.

The single sheet of paper offers multi-course dinners for four to 12 people -- five to 10 courses, plus dessert ($79 t0 $358 before tax and tip).

The price-fixed menu, which includes bigger portions of some chef's specialties and other a la carte dishes from the regular menu, offers especially good value.

On Tuesday night, six of us paid $26 each, including tax and a 20% tip, for a seven-course dinner, plus dessert.

Adding a small bowl of brown rice, I was pleasantly full, even though I didn't eat three courses with beef or poultry. 

We drank our own prosecco, beer or red wine, plus a couple of pots of tea.

Working on Banquet for 12

I've enjoyed this price-fixed menu over the years for up to eight people on such special occasions as my birthday or anytime I can get together four or more people.

I'm still working on assembling enough people to order one of the two 10-course banquets listed on the special menu.

No pre-ordering is necessary beyond a reservation, and you'd have no problem working with the friendly staff on a multi-course dinner without meat, if others in your group are amenable. 

Also, don't worry about the red pepper that designates spicy dishes on the regular menu: 

You'd have to ask the kitchen to turn up the heat, if you want food that approaches the spiciness of Korean or Thai dishes.

Lotus Cafe, which opened in 1993, uses 100% vegetable oil and no MSG, and the regular menu offers steamed dishes without oil, salt or cornstarch.

Dinner for Six also includes Three Cup Chicken Casserole. Chunks of poultry are braised in a cup of rice wine, a cup of sesame oil and a cup of brown sauce with ginger, basil and chili pepper.

Filet of Sole with White Chive was one of the most popular dishes at our dinner.

One of my friends said the Crispy Aromatique Duck was good, but dry.

Our Dinner for Six started with Seafood and Tofu Chowder, which isn't on the regular menu.

Our fifth course was Beef with Chili Pepper & Mustard Green.

We had a choice of vegetables and went with flavorful Snow Pea Leaves.

After our meal, I only had room for fresh orange wedges, but my friends enjoyed spoonfuls of green tea and other ice creams, below.

Details

Lotus Cafe, 450 Hackensack Ave., in the Home Depot Shopping Center, Hackensack; 201-488-7070.

BYO, large parking lot.

Free delivery within 3 miles ($12 minimum).

Night out in Wayne: Dinner at Aldo's, singer and trio in The Jazz Room

A Baby Arugula Salad with sliced pear, walnuts and crumbled gorgonzola cheese at Aldo's Cucina Ristorante Italiano in Wayne.

Three slices of crusty whole wheat in the bread basket proved to be addictive, especially when dipped in extra-virgin olive oil from an herb-filled dispenser on the table.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Hamburg Turnpike in Wayne looks like most suburban four-lane roads lined with shopping centers, strip malls and gasoline stations. 

But on Saturday night, we found we didn't have to stray far off the beaten path to:

Enjoy a filling Italian-American dinner, an after-dinner coffee at Starbucks and an incredible jazz singer, Cecile McLorin Salvant, backed by a trio, in The Jazz Room at William Paterson University.

At Aldo's Cucina, a large a la carte salad and an entree averaged about $35 per person before the tip.

I would have been happy with my wonderful Baby Arugula Salad ($8.95) and an appetizer. My wife had a Caesar Salad (also $8.95).

I ordered my Filet of Sole broiled to avoid the butter in the Francese option, and asked for vegetables instead of pasta.

I got plenty of fish and vegetables, but potato sticks also showed up on my plate ($21.95).

My wife ordered a special of Rigatoni with Shrimp and Salmon in a sauce made spicy with hot green peppers ($25.95), and took home plenty of leftovers.

A plate of rosemary potatoes was served with her entree.

Broiled Filet of Sole.

Rosemary potatoes.

A special of Rigatoni with Shrimp and Salmon.

Dining rooms at Aldo's Cucina in Wayne, above and below.

Details

Aldo's Cucina Ristorante Italiano, 777 Hamburg Turnpike, Wayne; 1-973-872-1842. BYO. 

Aldo's website: Founded in 1996

Starbucks, 1118 Hamburg Turnpike, Wayne; 1-973-872-6406. There are two other Starbucks in Wayne, which covers 25 square miles.

The Jazz Room at William Paterson University presents a dozen concerts a year with both student and professional musicians.

WPU's Shea Center for the Performing Arts, 300 Pompton Road, Wayne; 1-973-720-2371.

A great Chinese-style seafood meal with no fish-by-the-pound penalty

A whole Striped Bass, steamed with ginger and scallion, was the centerpiece of a wonderful seafood meal last weekend at Lotus Cafe, the Chinese BYO in Hackensack.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Unlike newer and pricier Chinese competitors, Lotus Cafe doesn't have "seafood" in its name.

But the Hackensack BYO's menu offers plenty of heart-healthy fish and other seafood.

And lovers of fresh whole fish won't be charged by the pound, as they will at Aquarius Seafood Restaurant in Fort Lee and Lan Garden in Ridgefield.

As usual at Lotus Cafe, me and my wife ordered too much food at a late afternoon dinner last weekend, including seafood soup, seafood dumplings and a whole striped bass, one of the tastiest fish around.

Our fish, steamed with ginger and scallion, was arranged artistically on an oval platter, and looked like it weighed 1.5 pounds ($28.95).

Whole flounder also was available, and the kitchen will fry your choice, but we prefer steamed fish with its light sauce.

Brown rice also is available at no extra charge. We took home leftover soup, dumplings and fish.

Seafood Soup for 2 is packed with squid, shrimp, scallop and fish cake, plus a few vegetables, and the broth isn't overly salted ($7.95)

You can order eight shrimp-filled Seafood Dumplings boiled or fried ($7.95).

We also ordered Sauteed Chinese Star Squash, a delicious side dish ($10.95).

At exactly 5 p.m. the servers at Lotus Cafe bring out the tablecloths.

Details

Lotus Cafe, 450 Hackensack Ave., in the Home Depot Shopping Center, Hackensack; 1-201-488-7070. BYO, large parking lot. Free delivery within 3 miles ($12 minimum).

Reservations recommended on weekends.

Ask for a separate menu listing multi-course, price-fixed dinners for 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 people (6 to 12 courses for $79 to $358, plus tax and tip).

At Seafood Gourmet in Maywood, fresh wild fish is everywhere you look

On the way to the dining room at Seafood Gourmet, the fish market and restaurant in Maywood, customers on Saturday passed a display of wild-caught coho salmon and other fresh fish on a bed of ice, above; and shelves of prepared seafood, including Penne with Shrimp, Broccoli and Garlic & Oil, and Hickory Smoked Trout, below.

Editor's note: This post was revised to correct the day I visited Seafood Gourmet. It was Saturday, not Thursday, as I wrote originally.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

If you love fresh wild-caught seafood, you'll find a home at Seafood Gourmet, the fish market and restaurant on Maywood's bustling main street.

For our late lunch on Saturday, both me and my wife chose dishes with wild shrimp -- the only kind served in the 38-seat dining room behind the market.

I was in the mood for pasta, but got pulled this way and that by the lunch specials, including day boat sea scallops, a fritto misto; and a char-grilled trio of wild salmon, shrimp and octopus.

I picked a fourth special, Shrimp Santorini -- crunchy sauteed jumbo shrimp finished in a light plum tomato sauce, served over whole-wheat pasta and topped with feta cheese ($15).

A side salad, normally $3, was included.

My wife had Ceasar Salad with Shrimp ($12),  from the regular menu, and there was no charge for her cup of Lobster Bisque.

We also ordered takeout, Sole Stuffed with Lobster, an entree that came with rice and steamed vegetables ($16).

Fresh wild seafood, imaginative preparation, moderate prices and good service make every meal there a pleasure.

In northern New Jersey, only the sinfully expensive Legal Sea Foods in Paramus can match the quality of Seafood Gourmet. 

The whole-wheat pasta used in Shrimp Santorini was good, but organic whole-wheat pasta from Italy, such as the Luigi Vitelli brand sold at ShopRite, would be better.

Caesar Salad with Shrimp.

We shared a side of Sauteed Spinach ($5).

A side salad and a cup of Lobster Bisque were included.

The Lunch Specials menu on Saturday.

Seating is at tables for two or four, and when we walked into the dining room at 3:30 on Saturday afternoon with a half-bottle of red wine, most of them were occupied.

Seafood Gourmet is a BYO.

Details

Seafood Gourmet Fish Market & Restaurant, 103 W. Pleasant Ave., Maywood; 1-201-843-8558. Closed Sundays.

BYO, free street parking, reservations recommended for dinner, especially on weekends.

Website: The Restaurant at Seafood Gourmet

Big plates of food, early bird discount for cash at Giovanni's Restaurant

Filet of Sole alla Tagame at Giovanni's Restaurant in Elmwood Park is made with black olives, tomatoes, garlic, marsala wine and balsamic vinegar, and served with pasta or potatoes and vegetables, above.

Gamberi alla Scampi are large shrimp sauteed in a sherry garlic sauce over linguine or capellini.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

New Jersey may have more Italian-American restaurants than any other kind, but that doesn't make it any easier to find a good one.

Our last favorite BYO for moderately priced salads, pasta and fish, Bocconi Restaurant in Hackensack, closed suddenly last October.

On Saturday, in our search for a replacement, we returned to Giovanni's Restaurant, a storefront in Elmwood Park, where we ate twice before many years ago.

I noticed the long, rectangular dining room had been renovated and, when we got the menu, a three-course early bird dinner special at a discounted cash price of $14.95 per person.

You have a choice of eight appetizers (plus a salad) and 23 entrees (with pasta or potato and vegetable), and you also get coffee or tea and dessert.

That sounds like a great deal for a lot of food, but we decided to order one of the moderately priced a la carte entrees, which come with a side salad (all but one under $20). 

Enough for 2

Filet of Sole is available francese or broiled, but I asked whether the kitchen could prepare the fillets alla Tagame, the style listed for broiled salmon ($19.50 each).

There was enough white, flaky fish for two in marsala wine and balsamic vinegar, plus potatoes and mixed vegetables -- a perfect one-dish meal.

My mother-in-law ordered the Filleto di Salmon alla Tagame, and my wife had Gamberi alla Scampi, large shrimp in a rich sherry garlic sauce over linguine ($18.50).

She couldn't finish the al dente pasta, which I sampled, but I'd like to see this dish made with less sauce.

I loved my food, and we plan to return to Giovanni's when we're in the mood for Italian again.

When you ask for anchovies with the Cesare Romana side salad, you actually get anchovies.

Sweet green pepper sections cooked in balsamic vinegar come with the warm, crusty bread.

The Early Dinner Menu is served from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The dining room at Giovanni's in Elmwood Park.

Details

Giovanni's Restaurant, 430 Market St., in Marketplace of Elmwood Park, Elmwood Park; 201-791-3000. BYO, parking lot, closed Mondays.

Open from 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays to Fridays, and from 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Reservations recommended for dinner. 

Choripan, a popular Argentinian grill restaurant, reopens in Hackensack

Choripan Rodizio reopened about a month ago at 10 Sussex St. in Hackensack, a little over a block from the original location on the ground floor of a Main Street building destroyed in a fire on April 26, 2015.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Choripan Rodizio in Hackensack appealed to both meat eaters and salad lovers before the grill restaurant was destroyed in a fire nearly 16 months ago.

Now, the popular Argentinian steak house is back in business at 10 Sussex St., near the Bergen County Courthouse.

A woman who was unlocking the front door about 20 minutes before today's 11:30 a.m. lunch service explained the restaurant reopened about a month ago, but the owners haven't been able to update their website.

One of the restaurant windows calls Choripan an Argentinian steakhouse, which also offers empanadas and pasta, the last reflecting heavy Italian immigration to the South American country. 

Open 7 days

I picked up a copy of the lunch menu, which is served from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Five salads are listed, four of them for $6.95 each; and All You Can Eat Rodizio with two side dishes runs $20. 

Choripan, a grilled Argentinian-style sausage sandwich, is $10.

The Choripan Burger is served with french fries and includes bacon, egg and American cheese, also $10.

Details

Choripan Rodizio, 10 Sussex St., Hackensack; 201-880-7941. BYO, open 7 days from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. A parking lot is behind the restaurant.

See: 

You can easily skip the meat

A welcome sign of renewal

Cilantro, lime, avocado and other bright flavors at Bohemia Restaurant

Fried Green Plantain Cups Stuffed with Shrimp in Garlic Sauce ($10) is one of the appetizers at Bohemia, a Colombian restaurant at Main and Camden streets in Hackensack.  

Another appetizer is Seafood Ceviche served with green banana chips ($14).

A whole fried Red Snapper is served with salad and tostones, which are smashed and fried green plantains ($17). Sides of white rice and black beans were $2.25 each.

An entree of Grilled Shrimp is served with an Avocado Salad ($13).

Carne Asada or grilled skirt steak can be ordered with white rice and black beans ($11).

A highlight of our diner for four on Saturday night was a complimentary salsa filled with cilantro and onions that lent a spicy accent to plantains, fish and other items.

We ordered two sides of Tostones ($3 each). This is only a portion of one of the sides.

On our second visit to Bohemia, we had a $36 Groupon good for $60 worth of food for four people, but that and a photo menu that made every dish look delicious only encouraged us to order too much. The BYO, at 287 Main St. in Hackensack, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. As on our first visit in March, servers took our order right away and brought us batidos and other drinks, but we had a long wait for our appetizers.

-- VICTOR E. SASSON

Enjoying a delicious, garlic-rich dinner at Lotus Cafe in Hackensack

South Pacific Prawns at Lotus Cafe in Hackensack are jumbo shrimp in the shell that are butterflied and pan fried.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

What wasn't there was almost as big of a draw as all of the wonderful garlic used to prepare the dishes we ordered late Saturday afternoon at Lotus Cafe in Hackensack.

Chinese dishes often are made with a ubiquitous "brown sauce" that is based on soy and filled with sodium.

But we ordered two dishes without sauce:

South Pacific Prawns ($17.95), which are pan-fried with shallot, garlic, ginger, scallion and peppercorn, according to the menu.

The preparation also is known as pepper and salty, and we ate the jumbo shrimp shell and all. I dipped mine in Chinese mustard.

You also can get the shrimp cooked without the shell.

Our second dish was Chinese Broccoli stir-fried with fresh garlic ($10.95). 

We asked for the broccoli "well done" to soften the stems.

We were finishing dinner in our favorite Chinese restaurant, and noticed the waiters putting tablecloths and cloth napkins on empty tables.

That's when I knew it was 5 o'clock.

Leafy Chinese Broccoli stir-fried with fresh garlic.

We began with Seafood Soup for Two ($7.95), above and below. 

Our soup contained shrimp, squid, sliced fish cake and vegetables, but I didn't find any of the bay scallops I enjoyed on previous visits.

Lotus Cafe doesn't charge extra for brown rice.

Details

Lotus Cafe, 450 Hackensack Ave., Hackensack, in the Home Depot Shopping Center; 201-488-7070.

Open 7 days, BYO, big parking lot, special fixed-price multi-course dinners for four or more, free delivery within 3 miles ($12 minimum).