Commerce

4/18/2009
West Village: 50 Commerce St (near Barrow St) - (212) 524-2301
Price Range: High End
Rating (1-10): 7

Commerce is a moderately fancy but casual and boisterous restaurant serving high quality New American-y dishes in an unassuming part of the West Village. It’s a lively and noisy spot which might not be the best area for quiet conversation, but good for an environment where you feel comfortable to laugh as loud as you want. The food is rich and strongly seasoned while the service is friendly though a bit harried thanks to the packed bar and generally intense atmosphere.

One thing to appreciate at any restaurant is an effort to put out good bread. I’ve always been of the belief that the bread itself has the potential to be the best thing on the table. The quality of the bread also indicates a lot of things about the restaurant: soul, genuine interest in serving quality product no matter the P+L, and genuine interest in the customer experience. After all, the bread is a free offering and one that only serves to take up space in a stomach that might otherwise be fed something with a price tag. In other words, there’s not a whole lot in it for the restaurant. At Commerce, they offer a selection of various types of breads – from rolls to pretzel bread to more traditional wheat bread to more crusty selections. It’s all quite good and does in fact leave a lasting impression. The bread basket peaks the curiosity and deserves a tip of the cap.

In contrast, the steak tartare appetizer, which was recommended by the server, was below average. Obviously the point of this dish (raw beef) is to taste the essence of the meat flavor in its unadulterated form. But the overabundant quenelle of cream and chives atop the chopped meat serve to mask, rather than accentuate, the flavor of the meat. I can still vividly remember the meat flavor of the steak tartare that I ate at a market restaurant in southern France 7 years ago. But at Commerce, I struggled to get any sense of the taste of the tartare even as I was eating it – in fact, I could barely tell what was beef and what was other stuff by looking at it.

In the entrees, the chicken for two, which has received rave reviews and has become something of a signature dish of the restaurant, does much better. The dish takes 45 minutes from when you order it, so be ready for a wait. This isn’t highlighted as drawback however – in fact, there’s something nice about the idea that a restaurant insists on doing things the right, if inefficient, way – kind of like taking time to create real paella, rather than serving rice pilaf in 10 minutes.

The chicken is cooked whole, presented, and then butchered into two halves and plated. The meat is deliciously moist, and nicely seasoned with herbs (and I’ve read, truffles but wasn’t entirely sure) under a crispy skin. It’s a very rich, salty dish as the chicken is accompanied by pureed potato (somewhat like a thinner version of mashed potatoes), a brown sauce, and small pieces of croutons (the stuffing) soaked in juices of foie gras. It’s a neat idea to have the ultra-flavorful croutons accompany each bite of meat – providing a boost where it’s difficult for seasoning to reach deep in the body of the chicken. The dish is well-thought out, carefully executed, decadent and sleep-inducing satisfying.

Despite the success of the chicken dish and my recommendation to get it, at $28 per head, it’s pushing the limits of what is essentially half of a roast chicken with some fancy fixins. As good as it is, I would hesitate to call it the best game (no pun intended) in town, and certainly not dollar for dollar. A whole Peruvian rotisserie chicken, for example, can be found for under $10 and it can deliver just as much, if not more flavor, juiciness, and seasoning. The moral of the story is that, while you will get high quality, you should be prepared for high prices as well on the menu at Commerce.

The interior is very pleasing but it’s hard to put a finger on exactly why. Although I don’t often make restaurant comparisons, Commerce has the feel of a place designed by the masterful Kevin McNally – like a Schiller’s or Pravda. The yellowish lighting of the restaurant, simple but inviting décor, and shiny tile walls give it a feel like a bistro feel from a bygone era. It’s a fun vibe - kind of like that of a dinner party after everyone's gotten drunk - and it makes you feel part of a scene. The servers, runners and bussers do well to dip and dodge and maintain a friendly, communicative demeanor in the somewhat frenetic environment and crowded bar area. It’s not ultra attentive service but it’s not that kind of place either. The mostly financy, yuppied out, decidedly undiverse clientele here don’t seem to mind as long as drinks are in hand and the food is there. No one’s here for 4 stars, they’re here to loosen up, even if they do happen to be wearing a blazer.

In the end, I’m not convinced that this restaurant offers the best value but I’d bet that you will be satisfied with the meal – which may just make it worth it. Commerce suits the bill for a cozy but very lively, slightly off the beaten path restaurant tucked in the backstreets of a well-trodden area. Drinks are good, the mood is vibrant bordering on party, menu selection is appetizing, and the execution of the food is very solid, but it comes at a West Village premium.