Commerce

Decided to have a birthday dinner at Commerce.  Commerce is located on a quiet unassuming street in the Village.  Commerce gives off a classic Bistro vibe BUT with condescending attitude.   The dining room is on the left and the bar is too the right. 

Had reservation for three, when I and one of my dining buddies, arrived we were told that there would be a wait.  Went into the foyer, to wait on the birthday boy and good friend Willie [You all know him as my foodie road dog] only to learn that tables with earlier reservations had not yet been seated.  This didn’t bother me, as the birthday boy had not arrived.  20 minutes later when our entire party was present I inquired with the hostess how long it would be and she gave me attitude.  Wrong move!

The hostess (who was of Asian decent*) had the nerve to say to another employee, within earshot, “these fuckin’ people are annoying me”.  When I asked her to repeat what she said and inquired as to which “fuckin’ people” she was referring to?  Then I went on to say, “Certainly not those people who pay your salary?”  She dashed to the back. If you cannot handle working in a customer service position, then you shouldn’t be there, nor should you be a front line employee.  If we hadn’t waited so long and weren’t so hungry we would have gone elsewhere.  [I made sure to inform the manager and staff about her.]  The restaurant was so packed we couldn’t even wait in what they describe as “the bar.”  Customer flow is obviously a weakness at Commerce.

After an hour we’re finally seated and I’m fit to be tied.  Anyone who knows me knows that when I’m hungry I become crabby SoB.  I turn into a meaner and nastier person that Ben Linus and Miranda Priestley combined - and no one wants to experience the wrath of that beast!  Fortunate for us we had a first rate server, Rebecca, who quickly defused the situation by offering drinks.  While waiting for our drinks we perused the menu and we’re interrupted by a heavenly smell:  the infamous breadbasket.  The bread is off the chain!  It’s the best bread I’ve ever experienced. The bread is made onsite and could be a spin off business unto itself.  Although we’re all watching our carb intake ate we sampled each type of bread and before we knew it, we’d requested a second basket!  The bread is redunkulous good!

Our cocktails arrive.  The Daisy, Mulberry Spritz and Presbyterian are all good in their own right.  We’re back in a festive mood and order the Calves Liver, spaghetti carbonara and Gumbo. 

The Calves liver with bacon was tender and delicious.  The Gumbo was “grainy”, it was forgettable.  The spaghetti, just so-so.  Not bad, but nothing to write home about.

After finishing off a second basket of bread and awaiting our entrees we discussed our surroundings. We were seated at one of the boths near the entry so we were able to take in the entire space.  The décor wants to be accepted as “quaint” but give a bit of a dated feel.  The soft glow of the lights isn’t romantic.  The tables are very close and it’s probable that you will be bumped.  The restaurant is very loud. A construction site emits fewer decibels. Since we were seated in a window, we could see the domino affect of bad table/reservation management had.  There were about 20 people standing in the vestibule and it started to rain.  The restaurant isn’t handicap friendly.  If you’re in a wheel chair it’s extremely difficult to get in.

Our entrees arrive.  Willie ordered the Red Snapper and Chris and I order the Black Bass.  The Snapper sits atop bok choy and is served in a coconut, curry and lemon grass broth poured tableside.  The broth has a little kick but outstanding.  The Bass is served with a crispy skin, but tender and flaky and sits atop what I describe as compote of some sort.  I can’t remember what it was exactly, but it was delicious.  All three entrees were unanimously better than the apps and perfectly prepared.

We capped the night off with a slice of the chocolate cake.  Since we ate a ton of bread and had a couple of drinks we were all stuffed. The cake was rich, light and moist and the frosting was spot on!

Ironically as we were finishing our meal, the restaurant had all but emptied.  We were seated for a little over and hour.

The wait times and staff attitude issues need to be addressed and corrected, especially when a person is paying a $$$$ price point. Rebecca was obviously a seasoned server as she was attentive without being obtrusive.  She gave great suggestions for pairing wines with our dishes.

Overall a nice spot for a meal with friends or family, but I WOULD NOT go to Commerce for a special occasion meal. I suggest trying on a weeknight versus a weekend night.

COMMERCE

50 Commerce Street
New York, NY 10014

Phone: (212) 524-2301

www.commercerestaurant.com

Can be booked on opentable.

* Ethnicity is normally not something I use to identify a person however, in this instance, this specific hostess should be identified in the event a reader encounters her.