Thursday, January 13, 2011

Red Lotus, Little Neck, Queens NYC.

Driving home from Long Island the other night VegOut comes up with this place and being in an adventurous mood, (and hungry), we decided to check it out.  It's more of a bakery than a restaurant but had enough vegan/vegetarian options to take care of a dinner.

Just your basic Queens storefront establishment. 
Actually sort of Spartan with tables and chairs along one wall and display cases along another.  I wondered about egg and sausage sandwiches, (yes the real kind), wrapped in plastic and sitting out under lights.  That's room temperature.  So how is that not a Dept of Health issue.  Glad I don't eat eggs or sausage.
We didn't get anything from them but those are not refrigerated cases against the wall, just display cases.
We ordered all of out food cooked to order.  Some of the items had egg or dairy and the staff made an attempt to help us out.

Tapioca Rose Tea on the left and Coffee with soy milk on the right.

I think the flash makes the coffee look bizarre.

Looks like May Wah to the rescue.  These look very much like the vegan drumsticks sold by my favorite store on Hester St.  They had a great deep fried crunch.
A very meaty bite with a nice amount of chew.  There is a nice subtle flavor.

We ordered 3 different sandwiches.  In all of them the bread was fresh and moist with a very nice, "freshly made" toothiness to it and a combination of dark bread heartiness mixed with a tad of sweetness.
If bread makes a sandwich then this sandwich was "made."  The veggies were fresh and crisp.
Soy bacon, lettuce and tomato.
Soy BLT.
On second thought it's a roll with salad on it, veganaise, and a little bit of soy bacon.

The veggie burger was vegan but this happens to be regular cheese.  Regular?  I don't know if anything in the animal kingdom actually has that yellow color but I didn't order this.  I did have a small taste of the burger and it had a nice rich flavor and "meaty" texture.  

You can plainly see all the vegan options here.  Some just pose questions, like, uh, "How come a hot dog comes with iced coffee?"  Make sure and ask ask ask because that's not veggie turkey or ham on the menu.

Wait ... where's the chicken?
It must be said that although the deliciousness of the Lord of the fry-o-lator comes shining through there is about half as much chicken on this sandwich as there should be.

My first sandwich was served with a honey mustard layer and I had to explain to the woman who brought it that I was vegan and didn't eat honey.  I figure that people who deal with and advertise to vegans and vegetarians should sort of "get it" by now.  But they don't.  Or pretend not to.  I'd personally just rather receive a look of mock horror and an apology and a new sandwich than a "w\What?"

The food was tasty and good but there just wasn't enough of any of the proteins to make this a regular stop.  Maybe I'm being harsh and comparing the amount I expect based on what a Supersized upbringing has given to me as a perspective but ... nah, I think they were just skimpy sandwiches on great bread.

Ah, if only I ran the world.
Red Lotus on Urbanspoon

2 comments:

JL goes Vegan said...

This place is three miles from my office! I'll have to give stop by for lunch!

Unknown said...

What an exciting experience!/Hilarious! Delightful! True!/wonderful stuff! thank you!

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