<< previous review   next review >>

reviews

“Commerce”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	West Village	Moderate	Good

in a tepid broth of cream. The chicken ($26) is as tender as can be (it looks and tastes sous-vide or poached) but it’s lackluster. It’s quite pale, almost the color of the potatoes that it rests on, so there’s no life on the plate visually. And there’s no texture either. Moore separates the skin from the meat and serves it in a crisp shard on top of the bird, which does little for the issue of texture. When I tried to slice off a piece to pair up with my chicken, it sort of cracked into pieces, making it hard to eat. The chicken is also served with “brussels sprouts” that have been stripped of all of their interior cabbage leaves. All you’re served are two helmet-like brussels sprout leaves. It’s very upsetting. My question is this: Why? Please return the missing interior cabbage leaves to the brussels sprouts and give them back their texture, flavor, and sense.
Another disappointment was a Spanish-inspired shellfish dish, cooked a la plancha. While it was more along the lines of the rusticity I expected from the menu at Commerce, it too missed the mark, as the spicy fregola (Sardinian cous cous) was mushy and the seafood overcooked.

On the other hand, when Moore gets a dish right, he nails it. The rare beef tataki is terrific: barely seared, the beef is beautifully marbled and served like sashimi, and dressed with ginger, soy and minty shiso leaves ($18). His fluke sashimi is also gorgeous and plays out like a ceviche, cured with chili and lime, and given some crunch with sheer slices of radish. His braised beef with bone marrow and sliced sirloin ($34) on a gratin of crushed cauliflower is exactly what I was looking for on the menu—simplicity, flavor, and soul.

We also loved a bowl of house made fettuccini dressed in a summery sweet one-hour tomato sauce topped with scoop of fresh ricotta and a few shavings of Parmesan ($14/$28). We had only ordered a half portion and as we passed the bowl around, and mopped it clean with bits of crusty bread, we considered going in for the second half. But soon, we had more food than we knew what to do with. Kiri, Debbie, and I were seated next to a very friendly table of two couples on the night we were in. After chatting a bit and playing a bit of Jewish Geography, Kiri discovered that she had worked with one of the couples’ daughters and Debbie found herself being set up with that couple’s son. It was hilarious and ... [more, click below]

Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  

 Make a reservation

<< previous review   next review >>

Posted: March 9, 2008

Other restaurants in West Village :
+ Jefferson-- Closed   + La Palapa Rockola   + Sumile   + Babbo   + Tasca   + AOC Bedford   + Home   + The Spotted Pig   + Barbuto   + Numero 26   + Mas   + August   + Alta   + Cru   + Blue Mill Tavern-- Closed   + Employees Only   + Lassi   + Metropol--Closed   + Turks and Frogs   + Bellavitae   + Yumcha-- CLOSED   + Gusto: SEE EARLIER REVIEW; THIS CHEF HAS LEFT GUSTO   + Perry Street   + Home   + Ditch Plains   + The Little Owl   + Cafe Condesa   + Cafe Cluny   + Gusto   + The Waverly Inn   + Morandi   + P*ONG   + Perilla   + Soto   + Market Table   + Centro Vinoteca   + Barfry   + Dell'Anima   + Bar Blanc   + Smith's   + Commerce   + Elettaria   + Bar Q   + Cabrito   + 10 Downing   + Minetta Tavern   + Braeburn   + Scuderia, by guest reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Bar Blanc Bistro by Guest Reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Joseph Leonard   + Bar Henry, by Guest Reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Kin Shop   + Monument Lane   + Wong   + Bin on Bleecker, by Dara Pollak   + Ristorante Rafele   + Cole's Greenwich Village by Guest Reviewer Claire Jaffe   

Share ! Post a comment