News - Entertainment

Thursday, Jul. 17, 2008

Dining out: Take a drive, try the Lotus brunch

This column offers a sampling of dining experiences in the area. It is not intended as a review of the restaurant other than to provide the reader with one diner's experience.

Lotus Bar & Eatery

Location: 1941 Hoffman Road, Suite 1, Gastonia, N.C.

Hours: Lunch: 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday; dinner: 4:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; brunch: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday; bar is open ’til late Monday through Saturday and ’til 10 p.m. Sunday.

Phone: (704) 853-1698

Ambiance: Upscale, yet casual bistro/sushi

I’m going straight to it — Sunday brunch at Lotus Bar & Eatery in Gastonia, N.C., is amazing.

Don’t let the shopping plaza location next to Lowes Foods fool you. This is an eclectic, classy four-star restaurant with simple yet smart and sophisticated decor reflective of a wonderful menu and beautiful dish presentations. However, Lotus is still casual and welcoming enough that you don’t have to be on a date or business lunch to feel comfortable. We were in shorts and T-shirts.

There’s a small bar to the right, a large sushi bar in the center of the main dining room (there’s also a loft), and sidewalk patio dining, too, which is the only smoking area.

The Sunday brunch menu runs two pages, and boy, was it hard to choose. Do I want a salad ($6.95 to $8.95) like the arugula with Fuji apples, spiced pecans and bleu cheese in a citrus vinaigrette, or a flatbread pizza ($7.50 to $8.50) like a white cheese with mozzarella, ricotta, bacon, shiitake mushrooms, scallions and balsamic drizzle? Or an entree, like shrimp ’n grits ($10.95), barbecue sliced smoked pork (rubbed and smoked in house) with grits and fried green tomatoes ($9.95) — now, that’s Southern.

Or try something new like a half-pound Kobe burger with Swiss cheese, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms and garlic herb aioli ($10.95). It’s my understanding the Japanese Kobe burger from Wagyu beef is tops in the world for being rich, tender and juicy. There’s also pan-seared salmon with Mediterranean veggies, cucumber-yogurt and a red wine reduction for $10.95, which my friend absolutely applauded. My taste of the cucumber yogurt was liken to dill, only much lighter, like a hint of dill flavor. I prefer it to dill, which is often too overpowering for me.

I couldn’t resist starting off by ordering sushi — salmon and California rolls. While they aren’t the largest pieces I’ve had in the area, each one is light, fresh and flavorful. I just love how the ginger and soy sauce punch the flavor.

Then, I turned to the other brunch page — breakfast. The first item on the list won my favor — eggs benedict ($9.95). There’s also omelets, salmon scramble, steak and eggs, country breakfast and French toast, with a twist of crispy-caramelized in citrus liqueur with fresh berries and powered sugar — be still my heart. It was a tough decision, but I know a Benedict made at home can be a bit complicated and dirties some dishes .... so early in the morning.

Plus, you know how it is, everything tastes better when someone else cooks it. It was great, just the right serving size (if I hadn’t eaten all that sushi), and the Hollandaise sauce was the perfect amount of tangy zest. Wonderful!

I hear (and could see from the menu) the regular lunch and dinner menu are standouts, too, with great mussels, crabcakes, roasted chicken, watermelon salad and perfection steak.

There’s not a children’s menu, however, there are dishes that can be portioned for the little ones including the pasta, chicken finger, Alfred, pizzas and sides.

They also have a well-thought-out wine list, and original cocktail list, that includes favorites like martinis. Lotus also offers take-out, catering and serves private events, too.

With it’s great service and warm atmosphere, this lotus has definitely reached the surface to bloom as a successful and beautiful place to dine.