Along a vibrant shopping street at the edge of the 15th arrondissement, le Café du Commerce shows that Parisian tradition is alive and well, as flirtatious, black-vested waiters serve classics of French cuisine at tables arranged on three stories of mosaic tiled floors surrounding an airy, impressive atrium.
Despite its name, Café du Commerce is actually much more of a brasserie, boasting the all-day service, airy interior, and honest fare this style of restaurant is known for. In addition to the à la carte menu, a 19.50 two-course lunchtime prix fixe (main, dessert, and coffee) is on offer, as well as a selection of dishes of the day. Among them you’ll find approachable classics like egg-mayo (6.50), French onion soup (9), or steak tartare (18) as well as some more esoteric yet equally delicious comfort foods like cured pork snout with vinaigrette (7) or veal kidneys with mustard cream sauce (18.5).
On a recent visit, my dining companion and I split the difference: She ordered the formule; I went à la carte. Neither of us was disappointed.
Seeing as we forewent an apéritif (we’re both French, but apparently not French enough for a glass of sparkling with lunch, the way our neighbors were), we didn’t get to take advantage of the complimentary tapenade and saucisson. Instead, I dug straight into the house terrine (8), which was richly savory and wonderfully textured, both creamy and chunky portions present and accounted for. It came with a pile of perfectly dressed mesclun and three halved cornichons, not to mention a basket of excellent baguette de tradition.
(A word to the wise: While I’m as big a mustard head as the next person, if the charcuterie is house-made, it’s an insult to ask for it. I didn’t, and I didn’t miss it. Much.)
For my main, I went for another classic: veal blanquette (19), which was the dish of the day. Chunks of spoon-tender veal were blanketed in a thick, rich gravy studded with a handful of mushrooms and pearl onions and barley enough carrot to warrant mentioning.
The side of rice was the only unfortunate part of the meal: dry and singed in places, it returned to the kitchen nearly untouched.
A lack of attention also unfortunately plagued the fries accompanying the pièce du boucher (15.50), which, despite being advertised as house-made, had an air of the frozen about them. They were nevertheless crispy and golden, and particularly tasty when dragged through the signature sauce, a peppery au jus that married wonderfully with the steak.
For dessert, my friend opted for the café gourmand (9.20), the trio of mini-desserts accompanying a coffee. A café gourmand is forever my favorite finishing touch at a café or brasserie, seeing as you get way more variety and the element of surprise. Here, the offerings included a chunk of brownie, a verrine of baba au rhum, and a scoop of delicious coconut ice cream.
I mean while couldn’t resist the riz au lait (6.80), which was a total comfort food mush of vanilla-scented rice topped generously with salted caramel sauce.
Café du Commerce isn’t groundbreaking, but that’s kind of why I love it. Delivering honest Parisian fare and a gorgeous environment at prices that are wholly reasonable, it’s the kind of place you could once depend on that has since become rather thin on the ground, and for that, I’m very glad it’s still kicking.
Le Café du Commerce – 51, rue du Commerce, 75015