George’s Roasters & Ribs

An unobtrusive red sign, two long tables, a large clear fridge, two black stools. Everything looks plastic. George’s Roasters and Ribs is small and empty. A little blonde boy, two middle-aged women, a policeman and a variety of other patrons flow in and out, one or two at a time.

There is no line at George’s Roasters and Ribs, but there is a good 10-minute wait for the food. Nobody wants to stick around to eat, as most patrons leave with their food, abandoning the small dim room for the beauty of the park across the street. Hoagie Haven is a few steps away, a bit cheaper (a dollar or two less), with a line out the door. George’s has been cast as the underdog; I note that even the cook is wearing a Hoagie Haven shirt.

But George’s features more food items than Haven: There are buffalo wings, rotisserie chicken, fried chicken and even sweet potato fries. But the menu of “Hot Items” is almost all hoagies. I enjoyed “The Tiger” — a little excessive on the meat, but purely delicious. The jalapeno poppers (not available at Hoagie Haven) are mainly responsible for the brilliance. The bread is crisp and warm, tasting like it came from a pure white baguette that just emerged from the oven. And afterward, there is no slight knot in my stomach, no hint of vomit that I always feel after my usual “Phat Lady.”

The buffalo wings are a major letdown. I get them “spicy,” and they come covered with a light amount of goopy red stuff that tastes more like tomato than hot sauce — I’ll stick with my Pizza Hut Wingstreet wings. The fried chicken is decent, with a good amount of meat, but the fried batter sticks stiffly to the chicken like cardboard. The chicken parmesan hoagie is bland, but the bread makes up for it — oh, that heavenly bread! The sweet potato fries are a treat, not the most flavorful (nothing at George’s truly is), but there are a lot in one serving, they are cheap, and there is nothing tastier than sweet potato, right?

I pack up my feast and reflect. My experience taught me that George’s is worth returning to if only for the hoagies with the pure-tasting bread and the burst of those flavorful jalapeno poppers, which are definitely worth the extra dollar over the “Phat Lady.”

George's Roasters and Ribs

244 Nassau St.

3 out of 5 paws