'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.

Lotus Cafe feast is my calm after the storm

Filet Mignon Casserole with Chestnuts and Cellophane Noodles at Lotus Cafe.

Sizzling Jumbo Shrimp with Asparagus in Sweet White Sauce.

Lotus Cafe in Hackensack is celebrating the Year of the Snake (4711) with a special prix-fixe menu -- a bountiful four-course dinner for $28 per person.

You won't find snake on the Chinese New Year's menu -- which is being served through Feb. 24 -- but the food is seductive, nonetheless.

Late Saturday afternoon, after we had cleared our driveway and sidewalks of more than a foot of snow from a nor'easter, we set out for the unassuming BYO, which is only a couple of miles away.

I brought a chilled bottle of sparkling Spanish white wine that I bought in late December, but didn't open on New Year's Eve.

Fillet of Flounder in Ginger Sauce with Snow Pea Leaves.

Braised Half Tangerine Duck on soft pancakces.

After I popped the cork, the four of us started our meal with an appetizer of Lobster Spring Roll and  5-Spice Chicken Skewer.

I don't eat chicken and asked for two spring rolls (a $2 supplement), but was rewarded with twice as many tender, fresh lobster bits among the vegetables.

The second course was soup, either Pork and Winter Melon Consomme or Seafood Hot and Sour Soup, both delicious.

The special menu offers four entrees, and we ordered one of each. The portions were generous enough to be shared:

Filet Mignon Casserole with Chestnut and Cellophane Noodles, Fillet of Flounder in Ginger Sauce with Snow Pea Leaves, Braised Half Tangerine Duck and Sizzling Jumbo Shrimp with Asparagus in Sweet White Sauce.
 

An appetizer of Lobster Spring Roll and 5-Spice Chicken Skewer.

Seafood Hot and Sour Soup.

Tender Snow Pea Leaves in a bowl of brown rice.

Owner Philip Su personally removed the duck meat from the bones, and plated it on top of thick, soft pancakes -- Peking duck style.
 
I gorged on the beautifully cooked flounder, tender snow-pea leaves and jumbo shrimp, and plucked chestnuts, caramelized tangerine skin, mushrooms, garlic and cellophane noodles from the other entrees.

This was another unsually good, belly busting meal from Lotus Cafe, a small, unassuming restaurant that has been pleasing customers for decades.

Ice Cream Filled Sweet Rice Mochi.

The front of the dining room at Lotus Cafe.

I have two small complaints: The spring roll was deep fried, but not drained properly, and tasted oily. 

I asked for fruit instead of ice cream for dessert, but the restaurant didn't receive its order of lichee and pineapple that day. 

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

BYO, large parking lot. Reservations recommended on weekends.

Related article

• The Symbolism Of A Chinese New Year Eve Dinner

Leftovers get lost in the refrigerator

Organic whole-wheat spaghetti with salted cod fish and anchovies.

Canned-fish salad with celery, Dijon mustard, lime juice and ground cumin.

Editor's note: Why do I end up eating all of the leftovers? Also today, a trip to Costco yields two beautiful all-cotton shirts, and I rave over the salads at a Thai restaurant.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

On Christmas Day, I had a canned-fish salad with tuna, salmon and sardines as part of a homemade Feast of the Seven Fishes, relying on what I had on hand.

A few days later, I went looking for the canned-fish salad, and couldn't find it. 

So I made more, this time adding a small dice of sweet apple to cans of pink salmon and sardines with celery, Dijon mustard, lemon juice and ground cumin.

Today, rummaging in the refrigerator for a snack, I found the first version behind several other containers. 

I tried them side by side, and definitely prefer the one with the apple in it. 

Leftovers don't get any respect in our house from anyone but me.

In an effort to cut down the time and work that go into home-cooked meals, I make large batches of mashed sweet potatoes, pasta with sardines, canned-fish salad, 10-grain hot cereal with dried fruit and other dishes.

But I'm the one who usually ends up eating almost all of them, as other members of the family -- the meat eaters -- chase after a fresh taste sensation almost every night.

If something is good, I can eat the same dish a few times a week.

On Sunday afternoon, I made a pound of Trader Joe's Organic Whole Wheat Spaghetti with bottled Victoria Marinara Sauce, salted cod fish and anchovies. 

Even though I mentioned my intention to do so to my wife that morning, she prepared a big pot of tripe soup, and I was the only one who had spaghetti.

I ate it with leftover flounder no one but me touched after we had it for dinner one night, and my teenage son never had any of the fish.

Multi-tasking at Costco

I went to Costco Wholesale in Hackensack today for Kashi Trail Mix Chewy Granola Bars and raw, sodium-free almonds, and came home with those items and two beautiful, all-cotton shirts for only $17.99 each.

  

My salad days

I continue to be wowed by the salads at Wondee's, our favorite Thai restaurant (photos above).

On Saturday night, we shared a crunchy, fresh green papaya salad with lemon juice, chili, peanuts, green beans, tomato and dried ground shrimp (Som Thum, $8).

We also shared a second salad, from the vegetarian menu, of crispy tofu tossed with shredded apple, carrot, orange and onion in lime juice and chili paste (Yum Rod Pedt, $10).

Our entree (photo above) was steamed jumbo shrimp topped with sweet and sour chili sauce (Koong Lard Prig, $17).

We also had wonton and seafood soups.
 

Wondee's Fine Thai Food and Noodles, 296 Main St., Hackensack; 201-883-1715. BYO. Free parking in rear off Camden Street. 

From 'soup to nuts' in Allendale

Image via Wikipedia
Get off the NJ Transit train in Allendale, above, for a good meal at the family friendly Allendale Bar and Grill.

We had an early dinner at the Allendale Bar and Grill on Saturday, then headed over to Northern Highlands Regional High School for an a cappella tournament.

I inadvertently had the "soup" when I ordered a pasta dish that was served in a large bowl with way too much garlic sauce.


"Nuts!" was my reaction at the high school, where we and 30 to 40 others were told we needed tickets to the concert, but it was sold out. 


At least most of us were happy with what we ordered at the noisy, family friendly restaurant, where children can help themselves to bowls of popcorn while waiting for their food.


And they'll wait a long time, if our experience is any guide.


We were hungry when we arrived around 4:45 in the afternoon and sorry we didn't order appetizers as we waited for what seemed like forever for our entrees (30 minutes-plus).


We sipped our soft drinks, and free refills, and watched the upstairs dining room and bar fill up with other customers, including a large number of families with young children. 


My wife ordered lobster bisque, but was told it wasn't ready, so she settled for a cup of chicken-noodle soup ($3.25). I nibbled on a  side salad that came with my pasta dish.


My Tuscan Vegetable Saute was described on the menu as sauteed garden vegetables in a heart-healthy garlic sauce over whole-wheat linguine ($11.95). For another $4, I added shrimp.


When the dish arrived, the pasta and sauce were completely covered by vegetables -- including broccoli florets and small, round Parisian carrots -- and five crunchy jumbo shrimp, but once I started eating, I could see the soupy sauce everything was swimming in.


The linguine was properly al dente, but didn't appear to be 100% whole wheat and was too stiff to twirl around my fork. I didn't finish the dish. My son ate several mouthfuls and said he liked the sauce.


Unfortunately, the side salad was made with iceberg lettuce. I could have ordered a side of sauteed spinach instead of the salad for $3, but when I asked for the spinach in addition to the entree, it cost $5.95.


My son ordered baby back spare ribs with french fries ($12.95 for a half-rack). My wife and mother-in-law both had Chef Pierre's dinner special -- a thick, moist salmon fillet resting on spinach-and-feta-cheese risotto, with asparagus and sliced portobello mushroom ($16.95 each).


The risotto had been formed into a cake and possibly deep fried, leaving a crust around it, so my wife ate only the interior, but loved the dish, as did her mother.


They drank pink lemonade ($2.50) and I had seltzer ($2), plus a glass of cabernet sauvignon ($5.95).


Even with generous portions and fair prices, we spent $107.90 for four, including tax and a $14 tip.


Allendale Bar and Grill, 67 W. Allendale Ave., Allendale;
201-327-3197. Parking lot, free street parking.


Web site: Founded in 1941

This Chinese takeout finishes on top

Image by neilfein via Flickr

The best Chinese takeout in Teaneck isn't on Cedar Lane, above.

Every North Jersey town, big and small, seems to have a storefront that churns out Chinese takeout food from one of those huge menus, the ones that are bigger than place mats.

But only Teaneck's West Englewood section has Zen Kitchen, where the quality of ingredients and the preparation clearly are a cut above the rest. It delivers to Teaneck and 11 other towns.

Besides Chinese food, Zen offers Japanese and Thai items; sushi, and seafood and vegetable rolls, but I've been disappointed occasionally when I've strayed from the Chinese items.

On Friday night, I ordered a small, barbecued spare ribs for my wife and son ($7.75), Jumbo Shrimp in Black Bean Sauce ($11.95), House Special Fried Rice ($8.50), Dry Sauteed String Beans ($7.95) and Bean Curd with Vegetables, Country Style ($7.95).

All the vegetables retained their crunch. Triangles of tofu were fried, and the ubiquitous brown sauce was kept to a minimum. The shrimp were plump and delicious, and, again, there was just enough black bean sauce.

In the more than five years we've been ordering from Zen Kitchen, I've tried whole fish, steamed or fried; and I've enjoyed its soy chicken and beef dishes, which are especially tasty to a non-meat eater.

For breakfast this morning, I heated leftover vegetables in the microwave, topped them with an egg-white omelet and went to town.

Zen Kitchen charges $1.50 for delivery to Teaneck, Bergenfield, New Milford, Englewood, Tenafly, Loenia, Hackensack, Paramus, Bogota, Ridgefield Park, Maywood and Cresskill.

The front of the current menu carries coupons, including 15% off orders over $30. 

Zen Kitchen, 1443 Queen Anne Road, Teaneck; 201-837-7322. 

Open seven days to 10:30 or 11:30 p.m. 

Credit card minimum is $8.