That man is running from “The Derby” ($7.50), a specialty cocktail served at the Commissary. The combination of Maker’s Mark, mint leaves, mint syrup and lime sounded promising, but the gritty, too-sweet swampwater in a plastic rocks glass didn’t satisfy. Shame on me, perhaps, for ordering my bourbon adulterated but, like so many other elements of the newest addition to the P St corridor, my cocktail fell apart somewhere somewhere between vision and execution.
Commissary sounds like a good idea. It aims to be one of those “third places” that the owners of Tryst talk about — somewhere to stop between home and work for breakfast, coffee, lunch, a smoothie, booze, dinner, a snack, whatever. It’s in a can’t-miss (er, except for Merkado, which it replaced) location, across from the Whole Foods, a strip that needs a non-Starbucks. The space is high-ceilinged and wide open with a great-looking kitchen, a nice bar and plenty of patio seating.
With those bones, they should have done better than a clipart pinwheel logo, an over-sized American flag, some hokey chalkboards, a bar food smorgasbord menu featuring non sequitur quotes ranging from Francis Bacon to Homer Simpson and a cluster of single seat workstations without accessible outlets. It’s all very paint-by-numbers, like Old Glory’s design aesthetic humped Circa’s antiseptic corporate vibe, and now we’re left holding this Trig coffeeshop on P st.
It’s not terribly surprising. The EatWell DC restaurant group establishments — Grillfish, the Heights, Logan Tavern and the now-defunct Merkado — all strike similar chords. A vision of a funky bohemian coffeeshop, one with non-recyclable stirrers, the sort of place that fills up a mug from home, has chalkboards that change every couple days, sports some local art on the walls and puts out a couple specials ‘cuz that’s what’s fresh, well, it’s just outside their purview.
Is it crowded? Yes. Will it stay crowded? Probably. Is this Tryst South? No. It’s a restaurant, one that does a great job making meals affordable while slinging coffee and smoothies on the side. They’ve got a solid happy hour, with a long list of sub-$5 appetizers, $3 drafts and $4.50 cocktails. They also offer $10 lunch specials and a $2 salad with any dinner entree. The Chimichurri Steak and the Tamarind Salmon (both $16) are the most expensive items on the dinner menu, where most barely hit double digits.
The food isn’t terrible, especially for the price point, but the 70+ item suffers from a TGI Fridays something-for-everyone approach that results in a parade of dumbed-down, soulless preparations. Generally speaking, I found the simple, all-American dishes more reliable than the ethnic or multi-ingredient affairs. Those sorts of generalizations must be made when considering such a massive menu.
The Fish & Chips ($13) was thinly-battered and under-seasoned. Combined with a cup of institutional tartar sauce, this version fell well short of any of the popular fish and chips in town. The Quesadilla ($7.50) is an economy model, four grilled tortilla wedges stuffed with diced chicken and Mexican cheese blend, flanked by melon scoops of sour cream, guac and salsa… and don’t bother asking for jalapenos, as the kitchen doesn’t stock them. If you’re not in the mood for the ubiquitous fries with your meal, forgo the bland corn and bean salad in favor of mixed greens. Oh, and speaking of those shoestring fries that come with everything, they’d be so much better if the kitchen twice-fried them — try the fries at any of Jeff Black’s restaurants if you don’t believe me.
Still, the Burger ($8) was tasty, with a sweet, substantial bun, though the $.75 upcharge for bacon, avocado or cheese puts the costs closer to $10. I remain devoted to the Stoney Burger, but would happily get another burger from Commissary. The vegetarian options are myriad, with the eggplant- and red pepper-heavy Grilled Vegetable Salad ($8.50) getting high marks.
Another reason to return is the Chicken Salad BLT, a novel (to me) sandwich that delivered on the promise, with hunks of creamy chicken salad and a few thick strips of bacon between two slices of grilled (not toasted) white bread.
Though the kitchen suffered from execution problems, I’ll give them a few more weeks before I bitch about their inability to melt the cheese on my quesadilla or the medium rare burger that they served still breathing.
Like the kitchen, the service has been hit or miss — when it was packed on a Thursday night, the wait staff hustled but kept all their balls in the air. Later that week, servers disappeared during two lunches, once forcing me to wander inside to secure a check. They did manage to stay on top of the Clydes-style carafe of filtered water provided to each table, something that could border on a godsend during a recuperative weekend brunch.
Unlike the rest of the menu, the bar at Commissary doesn’t seem to undercut the competition on price. Their four drafts (Yuengling, Victory Pils, Sam Summer (for now) and Brooklyn Lager) range from $4-$6, and the bottles start at $3.50 for Bud Light, inch up to $4.75 for Red Hook IPA and top out at $6 for the Old Plowshare Stout. The drafts are a step up from the standard macrobrews, though four taps is pretty meager with Churchkey moving in, and their 12 bottles show a good mix between craft beers, organics and macrobrews. According to one slurring patron, the Wild Blue Blueberry Lager ($4.75) “tastes like ass” and shouldn’t be drunk by anyone, save those who enjoy “drinking ass”, but your mileage may vary. I stuck with the Brooklyn.
Though the decor is stilted, the menu is a jumble and they seem to have power problems at their workspaces, Commissary is still a good addition to the neighborhood, a place P St needed, and a welcome change from Merkado. I just wish they’d been able to do it better.
I’m really happy that Commissary is open. I used to work at 14th and P, and I’m sad it wasn’t there back then.
I think it does fit that “Third Place” niche. As you mention it’s great for happy hour (in that area, there are few other offerings). There is Playbill, which I still haven’t been to… and Stoney’s, but I hate Stoney’s.
The service at the bar can be a little slow, even when it isn’t very busy. Perhaps growing pains, I don’t know. We’ll have to see. I hope it’s successful, just to have another option in the neighborhood.
September 25, 2008 at 1:01 pm