I opened up my new edition of Time Out Kids this afternoon, looking for a place to eat this afternoon in the West Village. I spotted a “family-friendly” choice called Commerce not far from where we were at that moment, so I suggested that my sister, daughter and I head that way. We were surprised and happy to find it in the home of a restaurant that we used to like very much, Grange Hall, which was a neighborhood legend in its own rite. The description in Time Out Kids was very praise-worthy, so we went knowing nothing about the menu.
It still possesses the same homey, comfortable feel that its predecessor had. Paintings from an artist named David Joel cover the walls of the restaurant and give it a certain charm. You can learn more about the artist here. 
The menu is interesting, albeit expensive. Brunch ranges from $14-$19, depending on your choice and there wasn’t a child’s menu. My daughter was very happy to have her own adult-sized portion of German pancakes ($15). 
My sister had the slow cooked eggs with creamy polenta and mushrooms (also $15). It was absolutely out of this world. Delicious.
I had the Israeli Working Man’s Breakfast with pita, scrambled eggs, parsley and hummus ($14) which I also loved. It wasn’t a big portion, but filled me up and was absolutely delightful.
Harold Moore, the chef hails from Montrachet, and the Chef de Cuisine, Snir Eng-Sela, is from Israel. The food has a unusual mix of French, Israeli, Italian, Asian and American flavors. We were all impressed with the food, despite the high prices and would love to return to try other choices on the menu. There were other children in the restaurant. I would love to know if they were indulging in the croque madam or shakshuka. I certainly couldn’t get my daughter to taste those items, but I’m working on it. Nonetheless, she was very happy with her pancakes.
Commerce is located at 50 Commerce St (at Barrow St) in the West Village.
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