We hope twin-lobster deal comes around again before the year 2020

As part of a Leap Year promotion, two steamed lobsters with two house side dishes were only $29 on Monday at Legal Sea Foods in Paramus, one of the most expensive restaurants in North Jersey. 

Normally, a single lobster with two side dishes is listed on the menu for $34.95.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

On Monday night, the dining room at Legal Sea Foods in Paramus was filled with the sound of contented customer cracking open steamed lobsters and enjoying the sweet, tender meat.

The Leap Year promotion on the last day of February -- two lobsters with two house sides for $29 -- isn't scheduled to be repeated until 2020.

But our server said the restaurant, one of the most expensive in North Jersey, plans to offer it again before then. 

We hope so, recalling the shocking $81 lunch tab, including tax and tip, on our last visit to Legal Sea Foods in September.

On Monday, our total for four lobsters, four side dishes, wine and ginger ale was $91.04, including tax and an 18% tip.

Despite high menu prices, the service and the complimentary bread leave a lot to be desired.

Our waiter misunderstood our order, and another server brought us only one twin lobster special. 

Although that was easily remedied, the house-made rolls are awful, with doughy interiors that go to waste. They are served with butter, so you have to ask for extra-virgin olive oil.

A flight of red wine -- three 2-ounce glasses of pinot noir, chianti and malbec -- was $10.75.

With her lobsters, my wife chose the excellent coleslaw and delicious sauteed spinach, above. I had brown rice and sauteed spinach with mine.

Not long after we arrived for our 4:30 reservation, and was shown to a booth, the dining room filled up with customers who had read about the Leap Year lobster promotion in a local newspaper -- "an extra day, an extra lobster."

Legal Sea Foods, Paramus (201-843-8483), is part of Garden State Plaza, New Jersey's largest mall. Web site: Fresh fish in landlocked Paramus 

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).

At BCD Tofu House in Fort Lee, fewer customers means less service

When you order organic soft-tofu stew or another entree at BCD Tofu House in Fort Lee, free side dishes include terrific kimchi, center, and a small battered and fried yellow croaker. Want another fish? That's $1 extra, but the other side dishes or panchan are replaced for free.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I've eaten at the popular BCD Tofu House in Fort Lee when it was packed and we had to wait for a table, and when it wasn't and we were seated immediately.

Strangely, we got better service at lunch time in January, when we had to wait, then on Tuesday afternoon, when many of the tables in the popular Korean restaurant were empty.

We were seated immediately at a table near the doors to the kitchen.

We placed our order for Pork Soondubu or soft-tofu stew and Oyster Soondubu ($12.99 each), as well as a small order of Steamed Dumplings ($6.99).

I asked for brown rice instead of the traditional white rice.

That's where the problems began.

I got my brown rice, but the male server forgot to bring my son his white rice, and we had to remind him. 

Later, when I asked for another brown rice, the server went into the kitchen, but I never got the second portion.

Usually, at a Korean restaurant, the complimentary side dishes will be replaced as soon as you finish them. 

This time, our male server asked us which seconds we wanted, instead of replacing all of the empty dishes.

Organic and non-GMO

These minor service glitches didn't distract us from the high quality of the delicious Korean soft-tofu stew, which is made with 100% organic tofu.

Of course, organic tofu is your guarantee the soy beans that went into it weren't genetically modified.

We asked for our stews to be made "spicy." You can also specify "danger."

A fresh egg is provided to crack into the bubbling broth of your soft-tofu stew.

If you ask, BCD Tofu House will serve you brown rice instead of white. Both come in a metal bowl with a cover.

Shredded radish in a sweet dressing, left; spicy raw squid, top; and seaweed are among the side dishes that came with our meal.

Details

BCD Tofu House, 1640 Schlosser St. (take driveway into shopping center), Fort Lee; 201-944-2340.

Open 7 days 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Alcohol available. Free parking. No reservations taken.

Costco changes Egg Whites closure, but not carton

The new, larger screw top on Kirkland Signature Egg Whites from Costco Wholesale, but the carton still carries directions on how to open the old closure. "NO PULL RING" is incorrect; under the new top, you'll find a pull ring, below left.

The new pull ring and larger screw top, left, and the original instructions on the carton, which I crush to recycle.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss preparing food at home using ingredients fron Costco Wholesale in Hackensack and other stores.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Using the 100% liquid egg whites from Costco Wholesale just got a lot easier with the introduction of a larger, easier-to-open screw top and a pull-ring seal.

Frankly, I sometimes had trouble twisting the old, smaller top, which pierced the carton as you turned it to open the 16-ounce carton.

But the six-pack of Kirkland Signature Egg Whites my wife picked up at the Hackensack store for $7.99 on Saturday had cartons with the new top and printed instructions for the old closure, which had no pull ring.

The new screw top is the size of the one you find on a half-gallon of milk or orange juice.

Egg Whites are still listed on the Costco receipt as "KS Real Eggs," the name for the old product, which contained coloring and other ingredients.

A wedge from a 10-inch frittata made with a 16-ounce carton of Kirkland Signature Egg Whites, low-fat milk, shredded Asiago Cheese, salt and chopped garlic, scallion, sweet pepper and onion. After the frittata finished cooking under the broiler, I poured Garlic Chipotle Salsa from Trader Joe's and La Costena Mexican Green Salsa over the top.

A salad made entirely of ingredients from Costco Wholesale except for the dressing, organic extra-virgin olive oil from Turkey and balsamic vinegar from Italy. I used Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix, Sunset-brand Campari Tomatoes and Gourmet Cucumbers; Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese and Organic Made In Nature Dates, which are sun dried and unsulfured.

Organic whole wheat pasta shells from Whole Foods Market prepared with Kirkland Signature Marinara Sauce, chopped Christopher Ranch Monviso Garlic (peeled) from Costco Wholesale and Moroccan sardines in tomato sauce. 

Fresh, wild-caught porgy ($1.99 a pound at H Mart in Englewood) seasoned and poached in Trader Joe's Salsa Verde and fresh lime juice, and served with California-grown brown rice, also from the Korean supermarket chain. 

Beautifully sliced Kirkland Signature Wild Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon made putting together a dinner salad easy, using Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix, Campari tomatoes and cucumber, blueberries and Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese, all from Costco. Complement the luxurious taste of the naturally smoked salmon with a full-bodied red wine, such as Giordano Nebbiolo D'Alba from Italy.

I used organic extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dress the salad.

More fish tales from eating out and eating in

Lotus Cafe in Hackensack's Home Depot Shopping Center does a brisk takeout business. The Chinese BYO, which opened in 1993, offers free delivery within 3 miles, with a $12 minimum (450 Hackensack Ave., Hackensack; 201-488-7070).

Seafood Soup for 2 is filled with tender shrimp, squid, fish cake and vegetables in a perfectly seasoned broth ($7.50).

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

On Saturday morning, I discussed with my wife eating out at either Wondee's or Lotus Cafe, two favorites near our home.

By mid-afternoon, my wife informed me that, on the one day we eat out, everyone had made other plans.

I flirted with the idea of driving to Fort Lee for sashimi -- which no one else in the family touches -- but decided it was time for a simple Chinese meal of soup, vegetable and rice.

I drove to Lotus Cafe, ordered Seafood Soup for 2, Chinese Broccoli Stir Fried with Fresh Garlic and brown rice.

Chinese Broccoli Stir Fried with Fresh Garlic is both deliciously leafy and crunchy ($9.95). Brown rice is available at no extra charge.

At home on Saturday morning, I prepared a smoked wild-salmon and Swiss cheese frittata with bottled Mexican green salsa and prepared pesto, above and below. The basic mixture included egg whites, whole organic eggs, shredded cheese, organic low-fat milk and sun-dried tomatoes, with most of the ingredients from Costco Wholesale, as was the salmon, reduced-fat Swiss cheese and pesto. 

Ackee and Salt Fish, the Jamaican national dish, can be made even spicier with Valentina Mexican Hot Sauce (Black Label). The bland ackee fruit and boiled green banana are foils for salted fish from Costco Wholesale (Canadian cod or Alaskan pollock), and sweet and hot peppers, garlic, onion and scallions, below.

Seasoned and pan-fried fresh, wild haddock fillets from Costco Wholesale ($8.99 a pound) are especially good covered in sauteed sweet peppers and onions.

Miyoshi in Hackensack: 33 years and counting

Miyoshi, the only Japanese restaurant in Hackensack, opened in 1982. At lunch on Tuesday, I was very happy with an $11 platter of sashimi, below. In Fort Lee, a center of Japanese and other Asian cuisine, the same dish would cost far more.

The platter included raw mackerel, salmon, yellowtail snapper and other fish.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss eating out in Hackensack -- at a Japanese restaurant I haven't been to in decades, and at our favorite Chinese place.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR 

A couple of months ago, I turned my car down Mercer Street in Hackensack, saw the red door and sign of a Japanese restaurant called Miyoshi, and blinked a couple of times.

Miyoshi, which opened in 1982, is where I ate occasionally after I started working for a newspaper on nearby River Street.

Seeing it all these years later made me wonder how it had survived.

I met a friend there for lunch on Tuesday, and discovered Miyoshi doesn't have any free parking, unlike the other restaurant on the block, Villa de Colombia.

Some of the sliced fish in the $11 sashimi platter, above and below.

The dated interior looks like it hasn't been touched since the place opened, and it needs a good airing out.

There was a Japanese sushi chef, whose shaved head was wrapped in a small, rolled-up towel; a Korean waiter, who handed us an extensive menu; and an unseen cook in the kitchen.

Flipping back to the lunch pages, my friend ordered a pork lunch box ($6.50).

I was told there was no sushi or sashimi lunch box available, just platters, so I went with the sashimi plate, which came with a bowl of steamed white rice ($11). 

The green tea was excellent, and free.

The pork lunch box ($6.50).

When the waiter brought the lunch box, my friend looked at the portion, and said he probably would be able to eat only half of it. 

Even if I ate meat, it didn't look appetizing.

I couldn't possibly recommend Miyoshi, based on such a limited experience, but I look forward to having that sashimi platter again when I don't feel like driving to Fort Lee.

The farmed salmon in the sashimi platter wasn't anything special. I told the waiter I didn't want any tuna, which is high in mercury.

Details

Miyoshi Japanese Restaurant, 21 Mercer St., Hackensack; 201-489-0007. Closed Mondays. Metered parking in lot off State Street.

Seafood Soup for 2 at Lotus Cafe in Hackensack, above. Large Shrimp with Yellow Chive, below, is garnished with an edible flower fashioned from radish, toothpicks and a rubber band.

Lotus Cafe is a Chinese restaurant in Hackensack that I heartily recommend, especially if you enjoy seafood that is cooked perfectly. 

The scallop, squid, shrimp and fish cake in the Seafood Soup for 2 were tender and delicious ($7.50).

The large Shrimp with Yellow Chive also were perfect amid crunchy vegetables, but this was a rare instance when the sauce was too salty ($17.95).

When I mentioned that to the waiter, he said he would tell the chef.

For less salt, I have ordered seafood, including whole fish, made with ginger and scallion.

Brown rice, above, and Sauteed Chinese Star Squash ($7.95), below.

Details

Lotus Cafe, 450 Hackensack Ave., in the Home Depot Shopping Center, Hackensack; 201-488-7070. BYO, open 7 days, free parking in lot.

Squash is the star of our meal at Lotus Cafe

Sauteed Chinese Star Squash at Lotus Cafe in Hackensack.

Fillet of Sole with Ginger and Scallion.

Each of us had a filling bowl of brown rice.

Lotus Cafe gives out chocolate fortune cookies.

The restaurant does a brisk takeout business.

We won free tickets to a jazz concert at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, but wanted to get something to eat before the show, which began at 6 p.m.

So, on Saturday afternoon around 4:15, we stopped at Lotus Cafe in Hackensack, our favorite Chinese restaurant in North Jersey, and had a filling meal of fresh fish, vegetable and brown rice, with cup after small cup of tea.

Looking over the menu, I asked the waiter what vegetables were available, and he replied, "Have the Star Squash." 

I ordered the Sauteed Chinese Star Squash, which I had never noticed on the vegetable section of the menu ($9.95); Fillet of Sole with Ginger and Scallion ($16.95); and small bowls of brown rice (no extra charge).

Small pieces of the wild-caught fish are floured and stir-fried.

My wife and I loved the squash, and the simple but delicious meal was the perfect amount of food for two hungry people. 


Lotus Cafe, 450 Hackensack Ave., in the Home Depot Shopping Center, Hackensack; 201-488-7070. BYO, free parking, open 7 days. 

On the Web:

Try the Star Squash

'Whole paycheck' is an exaggeration

Last week, fresh, wild-caught whole fish at Whole Foods Market in Paramus included porgy and Spanish mackerel for only $4.99 a pound and $5.99 a pound, respectively.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss Whole Foods Market's reputation for being expensive, enough Chinese takeout for a few meals and The Main Dish in Hackensack.

 

The fresh fish, organic produce, and naturally raised chicken and beef sold at Whole Foods Market are supposed to be so expensive, you'll spend your "whole paycheck" there, if you're not careful.

Nothing could be farther from the truth, as long as you don't rely on Whole Foods for all of your groceries, and shop for sale items and specials.

Last week, two wild-caught whole fish were only $4.99 a pound and $5.99 a pound, excellent buys given the quality of seafood at the Paramus Whole Foods.

Whole Foods also usually stocks frozen organic chicken feet, backs and necks for as little as $2.99 a pound. 

If you eat poultry, they are antibiotic-free, excellent for soup and far better than those mystery parts sold in most supermarkets.

We didn't feel like going out to dinner on Saturday night -- and couldn't agree on where to go, if we wanted to -- so we had food delivered from Zen Kitchen in Teaneck, including jumbo shrimp and vegetables with fresh garlic, and dried sauteed string beans, above (201-837-7322).

The next night, leftover string beans and brown rice were perfect side dishes for leftover wild-caught Canadian flounder in Mexican green salsa.

This morning, I had more Zen Kitchen vegetables with an organic egg and leftover whole-wheat spirals from a container I found in the back of the refrigerator. We order all of our dishes with fresh garlic to avoid the ubiquitous, sodium-laden brown sauce.

 

The zen of takeout

The Chinese meal we had delivered on Saturday night from Zen Kitchen in Teaneck kept on giving at dinner the next night and breakfast this morning.

There may still be some shrimp and vegetables with fresh garlic left.

A large bowl of lentil soup at The Main Dish in Hackensack was $3.95.

Soup to nuts

Today, I stopped at The Main Dish, the restaurant that replaced Naturally Good on Hackensack's quiet Main Street.

The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch, but closes at 3:30 and isn't open for dinner.

I had a nice, filling bowl of meatless lentil soup for $3.95.