Washington West's Petit Roti does chicken right

Like pale gold apples at a Halloween party, a mess of thin-skinned potatoes bobbed in a stainless-steel trough of aromatic liquid fat. Above, Amish chickens spun slowly on spits, electric-blue flames snapping at their bodies like car-sale pennants in a stiff breeze and turning the birds' butter-slathered skin caramel brown. Schmaltz and butter sluice down the birds to the thirsty potatoes, slowly confitting supple and creamy. Crisped, halved and greened with herbs, these spuds are the star side order at Petit Rôti, the fetching new French-style rotisserie joint from Olivier Desaintmartin. Located on Jefferson's campus near Desaintmartin's other restaurants (Zinc, Caribou Café), Petit Rôti is not messing around with its French rotisseries plated in cerulean enamel. Sold by the whole or half, Rôti's chickens await customers in one of two glass display cases (the second is stocked with pâtés, charcuterie and cheeses). The turnover must be speedy, because the bird I received was still hot and juicy, its brittle copper skin still perfectly crisp. I also tried a slab of Rôti's roasted prime rib; it was bright pink in the center, crusty around the outside, studded with soft deposits of fat and so tender I could have cut it with a straw. The fat-slicked potatoes were as decadent as a dessert. But while Desaintmartin has the meats and spuds on lock, the other sides disappointed. Warm roasted beets with nothing else made for a lazy salad. The melange of roasted carrots, parsnips and peppers wore a sticky, sweet glaze, like someone had accidentally dropped a bottle of corn syrup into their pan. Carrots showed up a second time, buzzed into a butternut squash soup that lacked dimension. Petit Rôti should emulate its cross-Broad competitor, Rotisseur, in the sides department; it would be worth increasing the selection as well as making them more interesting. Also, when packing orders to go, it would be nice if the friendly staff would package the vegetables separately from the meats instead of just heaping them on top. When I opened my container, everything was jumbled together. Uncovering the chicken and beef was, quite literally, like hunting for treasure.

PETIT RôTI | 248 S. 11th St., 267-457-5447, petit-roti.com. Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sandwiches, $5.50-$8.50; dinners, $12.90-$19.90.