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By Barbara Penny Angelakis
Commerce
50 Commerce Street
Greenwich Village
New York, NY 10014
212-524-2301
www.commercerestaurant.com
Tucked away on a charming Greenwich Village side street of the same name, you will find Commerce at number 50, a historic address that gained its reputation during Prohibition as a speakeasy. At that time, entrance to the unlawful bar was via a corner shoe store, providing you had knowledge of the admittance password that changed daily... a designated European shoe size and color. So on one day you could gain access to the inner sanctum with a 37 Blue and the next day 44 Brown might be the key. No such wink, wink, password is needed nowadays but a reservation is necessary, especially for brunch, as the popular restaurant was humming with a lively high energy crowd when we arrived on a Sunday afternoon during a heavy rainstorm that usually provides incentive to New Yorkers to remain cozy at home.
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50 Commerce was previous known as Grange Hall and before that as Blue Mill, but with the name and ownership change came renovations that have turned Commerce into a trendy, sophisticated, village meeting place, with little evidence of its origins as a speakeasy. One side of the rectangular room has been devoted to a large luxurious bar while the other side consists of tightly packed tables - packed as closely together as the apartment houses in the area the restaurant serves. The décor is simple with pseudo art deco accents - as in the wall torches, chandeliers and plaques - but the overwhelming decorative influence are the large paintings by David Joel mounted high on the walls. The visuals are a romanticized tale of two feuding sisters whose sea captain father bought them the adjoining townhouses across the street from Commerce with a single garden connecting the two properties. It was his hope that sharing the common garden would bring them together. The muted colors and dreamy bucolic scenes depicting somnolent women and children, forever look down over the diners at Commerce, as they merrily chatter away perusing the limited in scope, but intriguing in imagination, menu. The menu was designed by Chef/Owner Harold Moore with blessings from his partner, restaurateur Tony Zazula. It mixes the flavors of Asian, French and Italian cuisines and incorporates them into Chef Moore’s own unique style developed over a career that earned him a Michelin star.
 The Brunch menu is contained on one page, and offers crowd pleasers such as Shakshuka; eggs baked with melted peppers, onions, and tomato and served still sizzling in a wrought iron skillet. Our waiter when pressed acknowledged that his favorite brunch dish was the Israeli working man’s breakfast; pita with scrambled eggs, parsley and hummus, but the mushroom and fontina ravioli with sunchoke puree and parmesan emulsion caught my eye. As I read the menu and sipped my made-from-scratch Bloody Mary, which was a little too heavy-handed on the Tobasco but otherwise very nice with celery and olive garnish, in the end I ordered the unusual slow cooked eggs with creamy polenta and wild mushrooms served layered in a tall, narrow bowl. Manos was unable to pass on the Cinnamon Rolls - dripping with a thick syrupy sauce - appetizer and the Shakshuka and in the crowded room we could not help but notice that most others ordered either the house specialty Donut or Cinnamon Roll, or both, as a starter. Some of the other intriguing items were Brioche French toast with local apple marmalade and smoked salmon Croque- Madame. By the time we finished the rain had stopped and the sun was sparkling bright giving us an opportunity to walk off the Cinnamon Rolls and explore this lovely section of the West Village.
© May 2009 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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