New, Not-So-New Places for Lunch in Midtown

If you work, live or play near Main Street you have a lot of options for lunch, but where can you get a sandwich? Recently, About Town visited two places we have never been to: Palisade Bagels & Deli and Mikey’s Café.

If there’s one thing Fort Lee doesn’t lack it’s bagel stores. For years, the only option near Main Street has been Fort Lee Hot Bagels. Until now. About Town finally got around to trying Fort Lee’s latest bagel store, Palisade Bagels and Deli adjacent to It’s Greek To Me at 1611B Palisade Avenue.

Most of the bagel stores in town are places you run into, grab your food, and then run back to your car. Sure, some of them have tables and chairs, or stools with a counter, but most of them lack the warmth that inclines you to linger over your purchase. Well, not Palisade Bagels. Unlike the bright linoleum and fluorescent lighting of other bagel places, the dark-hued wood interior and small bistro tables of Palisade Bagels makes it feel like a cross between a beautifully designed coffee bar and a chic city deli.

When About Town visited Palisade Bagels we were warmly greeted by Raymond, who we later discovered was the Manager. Raymond was very friendly and welcoming and took great care in making sure that everyone at the counter was being served. We arrived with bagels on our mind, but were surprised to see the  wall-to-wall menu detailing the breakfast and lunch offerings. The combination sandwich/hero menu is a delight to read. Here’s a sample: the Bridgemen (prosciutto, provolone, basil, lettuce, tomato); the Thomas Paine (Genoa salami, Virginia ham, provolone, lettuce, tomato); the George Washington (chicken cutlet, mozzarella sticks, French fries, marinara sauce); the Lou Costello (cappicola, prosciutto, provolone, roasted peppers, lettuce, tomato);  the Firefighter (corned beef, cracked peppermill turkey, Monterey Jack cheese, roasted peppers, lettuce tomato); the Detective (pastrami, salami, provolone, roasted peppers, lettuce, tomato); and not to be left out, the Port Authority (roast beef, Black Forest ham, provolone, roasted peppers, lettuce, tomato). All of these sandwiches are $8.99 and comes with your choice of cole slaw, potato salad, or macaroni salad.

About Town decided to stick with the bagels. Considering we arrived during lunch, we didn’t expect there would be many varieties of bagels to choose from, but were we wrong. Every bin was filled and the bagels we were served were still warm. The bagels were fresh, crisp, warm, and very tasty. We didn’t have to make a mental note to come back and try the breakfast sandwiches or the combinations sandwiches because Palisade Bagels & Deli is on our radar and we need no reminders to come back.

Although not new to town, Mikey’s Café is new to About Town, and may be new to you because it’s hidden inside the lobby of the Polygon Plaza on Center Avenue. We heard of Mikey’s Café by word of mouth and were eager to try it based on the great reviews. Mikey’s Café  is very small, but it has a few small tables where you can sit and eat. Although there’s a “Specials” board when you walk in, if you want to know what else they offer you have to get a tri-fold take-out menu from the counter. Not an easy task if it’s crowded, which it was. We ordered a BLT which was okay. They serve potato chips with the sandwich, but they placed the pickle spear on top of the chips resulting in soggy green chips.

Coffee is do-it-yourself from thermal urns located on a separate table. There were three urns, each marked Bold, Decaf, Mild. The problem was that all three urns were nearly dry and the coffee pots sitting on the burners of the industrial coffee maker behind the counter were all empty and we didn’t have time to ask, or wait, for new pots to be made. Somehow, we managed to eke out a half-a-cup of coffee between the three urns. Despite the thermal urns, the coffee was lukewarm. Having worked for many years at Bernie’s Deli on Main Street, About Town was schooled in Bernie’s dictum, “Always make sure the coffee is full. There’s no easier way to lose customers than having empty coffee pots.” We still hold that to be true.