Lotus Oriental Disappoints

It was a lazy Sunday evening after a very hectic weekend. I was in no mood to cook or go out to eat, so take out was the logical choice. Two things come to mind when I think of take out — pizza and Chinese food.

Chinese food won and I decided to go to Lotus at 444 Main St. I parked across the street and went into the relatively clean take-out restaurant. A semi-friendly, young girl asked for my order.

I looked through the usual extensive menu and focused on the 'chef specialties' section. I was looking to eat a relatively healthy dinner and looked for dishes reflecting my sentiments.

Mango chicken ($10.95) looked good with fresh shredded mango with white meat chicken and a chef's special sauce. The mango tasted fresh, but the chicken pieces were coated with a thick mixture of cornstarch. I could taste the oil every time I bit into the chicken pieces. I asked for the dish to be cooked with a bit of spice, but it was quite bland. It did have a sweet and tangy element to it that, ultimately, made the dish tolerable.

Another dish that sounded healthy was the spicy stir-fried jumbo shrimp ($11.75). It was described as jumbo shrimp stir fried until crisp with chef's special Szechuan sauce. The shrimp were huge, but as I opened the package, I could tell they were fried, not stir-fried. The same thick corn-starch coating was present. Plus, the shrimp didn't taste right — something was off. It was a combination of the oil it was fried in and the quality of the shrimp. We tried one shrimp each and put the rest away.

Lesson learned: Always ask if something is fried, even if it states otherwise on the menu.

I also ordered broccoli with garlic sauce ($6.45). This was the best dish of the evening. The broccoli florets were perfectly cooked without being mushy. The garlic sauce was well spiced with bit of tang to it. We ate most of the simple, yet very flavorful dish.

Continuing the healthy theme, I had requested brown rice with all the dishes. The rice was delicious, unlike any other I have eaten before. The grain was smaller than the usual — almost like a brown Arborio rice. It was nutty and soft.

We also ordered a small wonton soup ($1.25). The broth was adequate, not too flavorful. The four wontons in there were gummy and the filling was not very tasty.

Overall, I would go back for the broccoli and the brown rice or I could save myself a trip and make it at home.

Rating: C (half an orange)