Asian gourmet: Lotus Café in Brownsville offers great food, tranquil setting

BROWNSVILLE - Hot chunks of chicken in a light tasty batter greeted my yearning hunger as a sat surrounded by a din of noonday voices.

The demure ambience of Lotus Café was broken only by the Byzantine conversations cutting through the dim light created by the rollup blinds shielding customers from the audacious sun. They sat in chairs of polished burgundy wood carved with dragons, dining on tables with a wine-chased veneer, enjoying meals characterized by chicken and shrimp, bean sprouts, tofu and garlic.

Although customers had filled most of the tables, waiters immediately attended to me after I selected a table. The first waiter brought a paper place mat and took my drink order. I already knew from a previous visit that the restaurant doesn't serve decaffeinated coffee, so I chose water. Very soon, a second waiter brought a menu that introduced itself with a host of offerings, which included lemon chicken, broccoli shrimp, chow mein and other delightful Chinese favorites.

Appetizers included egg rolls, fried wontons, crab cheese puffs (I have to try those!) and shrimp tempura. I might have sampled the jalapeño chicken but that's a little too much pepper for me. The kung-pao beef sounded good, as did the lamb with XO barbecue sauce. "All Day Specials" of pepper beef, Szechuan pork and beef with ginger sauce sounded very good.

There was dragon and phoenix soup (Hm!), house garden salad and egg drop soup under the "Soups and Salad" heading, and the "Vegetables" section included sautéed mixed vegetables, tofu home-style, and steamed mixed vegetables with your choice of chicken, beef, shrimp or sea scallops.

I finally decided on the sweet and sour chicken. I also ordered a cup of hot and sour soup and looked forward to this delightful treat I hadn't enjoyed in quite a while. During my short wait, snippets of conversation momentarily punctuated the steady hum filling the room whose walls were decorated with paintings of water lilies and birds surrounding ornately flowered branches.

"It's just delicious," muttered one woman at the next table as she plowed a fork through her meal. "I like this better." Steam rose from the plate of another woman near a window as she meandered slowly through her rice and eggs rolls, her attention cemented in the conversation with the woman across the table.

At another table: "We're from Laredo."

"Grew up or just born?" came the reply, before the brief articulations dissolved into the mix of discourse.

My hot and sour soup finally arrived, along with a basket of crispy noodles. I loved dipping the crispy noodles in the soup, even though it didn't make them less crispy. They were delicious, and the soup, a thick and creamy concoction of flavors bequeathed by the chunks of meat, tofu, and other ingredients, was neither hot nor sour, but a genteel combination of both.

Soon, the main meal arrived. I thoroughly enjoyed the chicken, but the steamed rice was a tad too pasty for me. Still, this was a meal to be remembered, and soon repeated. The wait staff was attentive, the food delicious, and the atmosphere most appetizing for the tired soul seeking a break from the crashing sensations of traffic and work life.

WHAT: Lotus Café

WHERE: 1601 E. Alton Gloor Blvd.

Brownsville, Texas 78526

PHONE: 550-8288

HOURS: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Mon. - Thurs.

11 a.m. - 10:30 p.m. Fri. and Sat.

11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sun.

PAYMENT: Credit cards, no checks

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE: yes

COST: $ Most meals are under $10

RATING:

ATMOSPHERE: 4 ½

SERVICE: 4 ½

FOOD: 4