Lotus Cafe's daily staff meal: Simple, quick and a minimum of talk

The staff meal at Lotus Cafe in Hackensack today included platters of simply fried fish, above, and baby bok choy, below. Cooks and servers also ate white rice and some had soup, but kitchen and dining room employees sit at separate tables.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The multi-course, price-fixed Chinese dinners and lavish banquets served at Lotus Cafe in Hackensack are strictly for well-heeled customers.

When the 15 cooks, servers and other employees sit down for a daily staff meal, the food is simple, and it's eaten quickly with a minimum of talk.

The meal begins at about 2:45 in the afternoon, and lasts only 10 to 20 minutes. Cooks and servers sit separately at tables in the back of the dining room.

The restaurant stays open during the staff meal, and I saw a table or two occupied by customers.

The cooks and dining room staff begin and end their 11- and 12-hour days in a 15-seat van driven by one of the waiters on the commute from Queens to the Home Depot Shopping Center in Hackensack, and back.

Chef Da preparing a dish of Chicken and Broccoli for me before I told him I no longer eat meat or poultry. But the food didn't go to waste. The staff shared it.

Chicken and Broccoli is a Chinese dish you will find only in America.

Next time I go to Lotus Cafe I will ask for a platter of fried fish, like the one served at today's staff meal.

One of the employees had a spicy noodle soup at the staff meal.

Portions are modest.

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

Open 7 days for lunch and dinner, BYO, large parking lot. Delivery ($12 minimum) within 3 miles. Reservations recommended on weekends.

Is this restaurant a honey?

Image by Another Pint Please... via Flickr

We had dinner last night in an Iranian grocery store with several tables that calls itself Honey Mediterranean Gourmet & Market.

The tables, which seat 20 to 25 people, seem to be an afterthought. Service in this family run place was well-meaning but slow. We were seated at a glass table near the front door, which proved drafty when a group of six or seven people took their time leaving.

We told the waitress we didn't want to eat meat, but could have fish, and she pointed out meatless soups, appetizers and an entree on the limited menu. My wife and I  liked everything we had, but the real specialties here are kabobs of well-seasoned beef and lamb, filet mignon and chicken, and the place was filled with their cooking aroma and the sound of Iranian music.

Frankly, I am all kabobed out, if there is such a word. Every Syrian, Lebanese, Armenian, Turkish and Iranian restaurant in North Jersey offers kabobs, but at most places you can find much more interesting food that isn't served on a skewer.

When we sat down, the waitress brought us a plate of parsley and raw onion (to eat with our meal, we were told), and a tasty, round flat bread baked in the restaurant. We got a second one with our soup, a thick preparation of spinach, cilantro, parsley, noodle, bean and lentil called ash reshteh. My son -- a soup-lover -- only had a couple of spoonfuls.

We tried three appetizers -- bland hummus; cold rice-and-lentil stuffed grape leaves; and a vegetable souffle called kookoo sabzi. Falafel also is served. Our entree was sabzi pollo -- tilapia and basmati rice green with dill and other herbs.

To finish, I had unsweetened tea, and we shared some nice coconut macaroons. Our meal cost $52 with tax but not tip, which you have to ask the woman at the register to include in your credit card total or  leave in cash.

Honey Mediterranean Gourmet & Market, 
1150 Teaneck Road, Teaneck; 201-530-5082.
No American Express cards.
Honeymarket1150@gmail.com