Commerce is a restaurant that opened earlier this year in a beautiful spot in the West Village. It’s in that great part of the Village where the cobbled streets make no sense at all, turning in seemingly random directions at whim. When you walk down Commerce Street to Commerce, the restaurant appears right after the street curves in what is basically a 90 degree turn. This sets up the restaurant to deliver something unique and unexpected, which is exactly what I found over brunch there a few weeks ago.

The restaurant itself has a great ambience. The deep wood is warm and inviting; the table placement strikes that crucial balance between having enough individual space while still promoting a lively atmosphere; and there is an expansive, interesting mural on the wall which gives the space an almost gallery-like feel. We went on a Saturday at 1pm, and after easily securing a reservation were shocked to see the place barely half-full. Commerce has gotten a fair amount of press for its dinner options, but I haven’t seen much on its brunch.

Its brunch deserves some ink. After ordering a round of drinks (champagne cocktails for the ladies, a nice IPA for me), we started our meal with the cinnamon rolls ($7 for two rolls). Growing up I was a huge fan of Cinnabon – whenever I was with my family in a mall and smelled that amazing aroma, I would not leave without having a roll. Commerce’s cinnamon roll takes this to a different level. The two rolls came out steaming and oozing a deep brown cinnamon liquid. The rolls themselves were perfectly soft and not too sweet, and the cinnamon sauce was divine. A great way to start the meal, and one order for the table left the four of us with half a roll each – which was plenty. They also have homemade donuts on the menu, which I’ll have to try next time…

I had the German Pancake for my entrée ($15). Normally I prefer savory entrees at brunch, but was in a sweet mood and did not regret my decision. Though I hear from others that the pancake at Prune is better, I was quite happy with the one at Commerce. It was thick, fluffy, and relatively rich, and combined with my beer threatened to send me straight back to bed. Luckily some of the ladies got savory entrees that I could try, the best of which was the “Israeli working man’s breakfast” ($14). This was an inventive combination of scrambled eggs, herbs, and hummus, served in a warm pita. Though composed of relatively simple individual ingredients, the dish brought those ingredients together in a unique and ultimately delicious way.

My overall experience at Commerce was great, and I have since recommended it to a number of friends for brunch. It has a ton of character to it, but is not annoyingly crowded like some of the more trendy spots tend to be. I can’t wait to return to try out their dinner menu, which looks very promising.

-P

dpetc Breakfast, Reviews