Midtown Lunch

On a particularly cool and rainy day, I was in the mood for something meaty and hearty. In other words, I wanted some good old-fashioned comfort food. That was how I ended up at Texas Rotisserie & Grill on Fulton Street – where you can get a gut bomb or a marginally “healthy” meal squarely in the Midtown Luncher price range.

This place had been on my radar for a while, but I was a little confused by the small sign pointing toward a weird hallway and stairway to the second floor. What was through there? It’s now in a recently renovated street-level space and is a little fancier lunching experience than I’m used to, meaning that there are tables and chairs. The bonus is there are flat screen TVs on the wall playing shows like “Judge Joe Brown.”

A pretty new space is all fine and good, but how’s the food? I am happy to report that what I sampled was pretty freaking good. Since rotisserie was in the name of the restaurant I went with the quarter chicken combo that came with two sides and a cornbread muffin for $6.95.

The skin on the chicken was crispy, and the mashed potatoes that I got were real, with actual lumps of potato. For my other side I chose marinated roasted vegetables after an exchange with the guy at the cash register where I asked what he recommended and he responded with “You should probably get a vegetable.” When I said that this was the kind of advice my mom would give me, he went silent, and then grudgingly suggested macaroni and cheese.

Those vegetables were surprisingly tasty (and coated with delicious oil, in case you’re concerned about getting too many nutrients), and the cornbread contained kernels of corn, meaning I got TWO forms of vitamins for the day.

My only quibble with the food I got was the small amount of gravy on the potatoes. I would ask for extra if gravy is your thing.

My co-luncher got the barbeque chicken sandwich for $6.95. It was “just grilled chicken and bread,” as she put it, with a tub of barbeque sauce on the side to remedy the situation.

She gave the sandwich a thumbs up, but the sweet potato fries she got with it were unremarkable.

I am interested in the “real pit smoked barbeque” that comprises another part of the menu. They also have burgers, wraps, seafood, fried chicken and about 25 side items. Basically, I was pretty impressed with the food I got for the price I got it at. And I got to catch up on my trashy TV in the process.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• Daytime TV while you eat!
• The food is cheap, and they use real ingredients.
• Seating is plentiful.
• The menu variety ranges from greasy to having some nutritional value.

THE — (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• I don’t want someone trying to push vegetables on me.
• The interior is too clean and spacious.
• I hate daytime TV.
• I like my flame-grilled flavor to come from chemicals.

Texas Rotisserie & Grill, 94 Fulton St. (between William and Gold ), (212) 566-6666