Table talk

The simple pleasures of Rita Sodi and Jody Williams’ perfectly crafted, Shaker-inspired West Village tavern

- PEI-RU KEH

American cuisine might be first associated with the indulgent heartiness of, let’s say, a juicy burger slathered in cheese, and then next perhaps with the newfangled inventiveness that comes with that burger’s plant-based, lab-developed sibling. But if we were to delve back into the true origins of American food, the menu at The Commerce Inn, an early American tavern located in New York City’s West Village, is more likely to be a closer match.

Opened at the end of 2021 by chefs Rita Sodi and Jody Williams, the well-loved couple behind Manhattan stalwarts Via Carota and Bar Pisellino, all located in arm’s reach of one another, The Commerce Inn is a moody, wood-panelled restaurant inspired by the heirloom recipes, craftsmanship and design heritage of the Shakers, a Protestant sect that settled in the upstate New York region around the 1770s.

Located down a charmingly quiet lane and next to the historic Cherry Lane Theatre, the irregularly shaped restaurant is an aesthete’s fantasy with its curved plaster walls, richly toned millwork, spindle-back chairs and wraparound benches and, of course, recognisable peg rails that trace the space’s circumference. The restaurant’s bar is a statuesque presence encompassing a hammered zinc bartop, custom-made cabinetry with mysterious drawers, glowing brass hardware, and rows of glasses and frosty beer mugs along with the odd block of ice that bartenders chip away at when making heritage-tinged cocktails and signature milk punches.