Area hospitals take pride in cafeteria fare

Max Jacobson

Wednesday, May 9, 2001 | 8:29 a.m.

Most of us visit friends or loved ones in hospitals from time to time, and while we are there we often find ourselves hungry. All of our major hospitals have cafeterias catering to both visitors and employees. You wont get gourmet meals, but what you will get is good, solid food, fare that sometimes is surprisingly tasty.

The quality and variety do vary, though, so what follows is a brief snapshot of what to expect in four local hospital cafeterias.

Since lunch is the busiest mealtime both for staff and visitors, that was the logical time to observe. Food in cafeterias isnt prepared in the same kitchens that prepare food for patients. Whats more, prices can be amazingly low. At no time should you expect to pay more than $5 for a complete meal. These prices are for visitors; employees eat for about a third less.

St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Siena Campus, Henderson

If this bright, pleasant cafeteria, which you enter though a large rotunda, looks new, thats because it is. In fact, the entire hospital is new. The dining area is eat-off-the-floor spotless. Who could ask for more?

Similar to all four cafeterias visited, this one has a separate salad bar, with salads sold in various-sized bowls, ranging in price from 90 cents to $2.40. The choices are limited, but the salads are fresh -- macaroni salad, the fruit salad called ambrosia, a carrot-raisin salad, kidney beans and a variety of lettuces.

There are always two soups: all-American choices such as cream of asparagus or vegetable beef. There is a separate grill area, too, which is open until the wee hours, where you get grilled sandwiches such as a veggie burger, $2.20, and a double-cheeseburger, $3.35.

Entrees are $2.25 at lunch. One day featured Mediterranean chicken, a baked half-chicken with a fluffy breading and a rich tomato and olive sauce. Another day, it was a classic meat loaf for the same price. Side dishes, such as broccoli with cheese sauce, a low 85 cents, cost extra.

Desserts, meanwhile, are mostly sheet cakes and pies not prepared on the premises. But at least there is real cappuccino to wash them down with, and 85 cents gets you a 12-ounce cupful.

Desert Springs Hospital

2075 E. Flamingo Road

Things are run a bit differently at this cafeteria. This was the only one where visitors are asked to wear a visitor's badge, and the only one where the manager declined to handout menus or disclose prices. There is also a "no patients allowed beyond this point" sign as you enter the cafeteria. Oh well.

If you go for lunch, you'll experience long lines, so much so that there is an electronic numbering system. The seating area is large and bright, though, and the menu changes daily. There are always steamed hot dogs for $1.75, and the entrees average around $2.75. Offerings include such meals as lemon chicken, stuffed cabbage, teriyaki beef or a traditional Friday fish and chips. There is usually boxed sushi, and there are always low-fat desserts, a nice touch.

University Medical Center

1800 W. Charleston Blvd.

The variety is quite impressive. Sodex'ho Marriott, an outside service company, is responsible for the food-service operation.

What you have is a series of small specialty stations: the Copper Pot, a soup bar; the Selona Grille, a hot grill area; Etc. Etc., a hot dog-and-burger bar; Deli Signatures, where you can get ham, turkey and roast beef sandwiches; a steam table area featuring various specials; and others.

The salad bar is original, and salads are sold by weight for only 23 cents an ounce. One day the choices included a crisp Caesar, a barley-and-corn salad with cucumbers, marinated tomato and green pepper salad and an appealing, offbeat jicama-and-orange salad, to name a just a few. A half-pound Dijon Swiss burger was $2.25 with all the trimmings, and $3.45 bought a complete barbecued chicken plate, stocked with a choice of two sides, corn on the cob, potato salad, baked beans or slaw.

What's more, there are extras, hot baked pretzels from Pretzelmania, $2.40, and even better, a Dreyer's soft ice cream machine with such mix-ins as mint chips and malted milk balls, at no extra charge.

Sunrise Hospital

3186 S. Maryland Parkway

This cafeteria, unlike the others, is open 24/7. It also has the largest seating area, and an east-facing window that lets in lots of sunlight in the morning and early afternoon.

The selection is quite extensive, and the cafeteria is again spotlessly clean.

The salad bar area is called Village Green, and while it is perfectly OK, there are no major surprises here.

One nice thing is that the menus change weekly, and are posted, so you know every day what you can expect. Another interesting wrinkle is that there are ethnic themes from week to week. One week will be Mexican fare such as chile verde, taquitos and fish a la Veracruz. Another week the theme might be Chinese or Greek. Whatever the theme, entrees are usually under $3.

The Parkway Deli and Corner Grill are always open. The deli serves made-to-order sandwiches for $1.90, while the grill has good burgers such as a patty melt for $2.90. There is also a section called Pizza Via, serving enormous slices of freshly made pizza with various toppings for around $2 a slice.

Who says hospital food has to be boring?