Midtown Lunch

Sometimes I get a premonition when I walk into a place that looks like it hasn’t been renovated in 20 years that they’re going to feed me good food. This happened at Rockwell’s last week. The handful of times I’ve walked past the deli on Broad St. (at Water), I’ve made a mental note that they have a $5.95 burger, fries and soda deal advertised in the window but never got around to actually trying it. A craving for greasy food hit so I finally went to see what $6 gets you. The answer: A fair amount of food, a surprisingly decent burger (that you definitely need to customize) and mediocre fries.

Rockwell’s is basically a generic deli, but it’s not as gigantic, clean, or corporate feeling as many in the area (Europa, Pax, etc.). While there is a counter for toasted sub sandwiches, there wasn’t an obvious make-your-own salad station which further endeared me to this place. They seem to specialize in sandwiches and those burgers which are grilled over open flame behind the counter.

If you want a burger that tastes like it was cooked at a summertime barbeque, this is the place to get it. You’ll be asked what temperature you want it cooked to, and I said medium, but the wide, thinnish patty was cooked through. My major fail of the day was that I wasn’t watching while my burger was being put together and couldn’t really see it through the fogged up plastic container. I laughed when I opened it because there was absolutely no roughage to be found. Yes, they charge you 50 cents for tomato or 75 cents for cheese, but seriously, no lettuce or onion? I think you just have to ask for it, so make sure you’re diligent if you like greens with your burger. I had to settle for the poor man’s tomato – ketchup packets. All that being said, the burger was pretty juicy and flavorful so I would definitely get one from Rockwell’s again.

The fries suffered from their time in the steamy container and were lukewarm and limp when I ate them, but they were plentiful. Next time I might just skip the fries and go for a burger with a bag of chips. Oh, and the included soda is a 12 oz. fountain variety.

If I worked closer to Rockwell’s I’d probably take advantage of this $5.95 deal more often than I’d like to admit. Even if you add cheese, or your 50 cents worth of tomato, it’s still a bargain.

Rockwell’s, 105 Broad St. (at Water), (212) 363-3030