Commerce Restaurant

Tucked away on Commerce Street, Commerce is most definitely one of my favorite spots to dine in the Greenwich village area. Formerly the Grange Hall, it has been renovated to give the feel of a brassiere. It has a beautiful bar that produces a fine melange of anything from young hipster types to the local more mature adult looking for a delicious meal in the neighborhood. The menu offers a diverse selection of fare possessing notes of Italian, French and even Asian cuisines.
One thing that is very distinctive about this place from a culinary perspective is the bread plate that Commerce supplies to its' guests. It is always piping hot with an assortment of mini sourdough, pretzel bread (my favorite), and there was one type that was stuffed with bacon or pancetta. It's definitely an experience!

For our first course we decided to go with the Hamachi special ($17). Thinly sliced Hamachi served with micro greens, red onion and a spicy remoulade. The Hamachi was very fresh and the appetizer was the prefect amuse bouche in proceeding to our next course.

My dinner guest went with the Parmentier ($22) which is basically the Commerce version of a shepard's pie. Beef stew topped off with buttery whipped potatoes and then baked in the oven to a golden brown. This is a dish that perfectly translates comfort food and with those components you really can't go wrong.

I decided to go with the Pecan Crusted Lola Duck ($29) served with wild rice. I realize not everyone loves duck, however, I'm a huge fan, especially if it's cooked right. The breast was cooked to a perfect med rare as per the chef's recommendation. The leg was braised and was extremely tender with the meat falling right off the bone. I was very satisfied with this dish.

For dessert we went with the most popular item on the menu the old fashioned banana pudding with Nilla wafers ($10). The banana pudding was dense, creamy and complimented very well by the old American favorite, traditional Nilla wafers.

The service was a bit slow on this occasion but I have dined at Commerce several times and this was simply just an off night for them. Nonetheless, the servers are always very hospitable and not to mention, damn good looking!! The food is always consistent regardless of whose in the kitchen. Definitely squeeze Commerce into your dining out agenda!

Commerce Restaurant

50 Commerce Street NY NY 10014

212.524.2301

http://www.commercerestaurant.com/main.html#