New York
Going Back to the Time of the Shakers at Commerce Inn
![Going Back to the Time of the Shakers at Commerce Inn Going Back to the Time of the Shakers at Commerce Inn](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/15rest-commerce1-facebookJumbo.jpg)
An entrepreneur beginning an Eritrean or Tibetan or Surinamese restaurant in New York can, by settling in the suitable neighborhood, rely on a built-in viewers of people that grew up on the meals and presumably will give it not less than one whirl. Not so for anybody establishing a Shaker-inspired restaurant, as Jody Williams and Rita Sodi have executed on Commerce Avenue within the West Village.
Although the 2 have by no means had hassle drawing a crowd, their three-month-old restaurant, Commerce Inn, must get by with out main assist from members of the Shaker religion. Eventually rely, there have been three, all of them residing on the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in Gloucester, Maine. By all accounts, they hardly ever if ever enterprise into Manhattan to take a look across the newest sizzling spots.
On the plus aspect, Ms. Williams and Ms. Sodi in all probability don’t have to fret about offended Shakers mobbing them on social media to inform them they’re doing all of it fallacious.
The lengthy, crooked area they’ve taken over, positioned by the suitable angle that Commerce takes simply previous the Cherry Lane Theatre, appears to maintain going farther again in time with every incarnation. Earlier than the Nineteen Nineties, it was the Blue Mill Tavern, an area hangout with Portuguese and American meals and a eating room that regarded as if it hadn’t been touched for the reason that place opened, in 1941. When it reopened within the early Nineteen Nineties as Grange Corridor it regarded a number of many years older, with an Artwork Deco motif that lasted, in some kind, by means of subsequent modifications of title and possession.
Now the inside has jumped again to an earlier century of Americana. It could possibly be a stage set for “The Crucible.” There are tight little single-seat pews within the bar, recognized in Commerce Inn parlance because the tavern. The eating room has spindle-back chairs, a wraparound deacon’s bench and peg rails to hold coats on. This furnishings, constructed for the restaurant within the undecorated Shaker model, is extra snug than its penitential look suggests.
Nonetheless, the eating room just isn’t a spot that invitations you to linger for hours, as individuals do at Buvette (the warren of Francophilia constructed by Ms. Williams) and By way of Carota (the antique-strewn trattoria she dreamed up with Ms. Sodi). Candles burn within the tavern home windows however not within the eating room, the place flickering shadows would possibly assist dispel the Protestant severity.
However nothing about Commerce Inn was designed for romantic evenings or, for that matter, businesslike Tinder vettings. If that had been the concept, I doubt that the brief menu could be set in a font I final noticed at Colonial Williamsburg, or that proper within the middle of that menu could be, on a line of its personal, a family-size portion of baked beans.
OK, the restaurant calls them Shaker beans. And they’re more likely to be one of the best baked beans you’ll to seek out in New York. They’re gentle however not disintegrating, they’re wealthy with the liquefied fats of pork stomach they usually simmer in sufficient molasses to offer them a coffee-like bittersweetness, however not a lot that they style like dessert.
Nonetheless, while you eat them, you would possibly recall that the Shakers abstained from each intercourse and marriage, and that Shaker women and men ate their meals at separate, elegantly constructed tables earlier than retiring to separate, sparsely furnished sleeping areas.
Solely the beans are particularly recognized as Shaker. Ms. Williams and Ms. Sodi should have studied each Shaker and non-Shaker cookbooks to reach at objects like uncooked oysters dressed with candy, oniony brine meant for bread-and-butter pickles; spoon bread, half pudding and half cake, served from an enormous oval baking dish; and slender chilled leeks turned with cream and grated horseradish.
What we’re actually speaking about right here is pre-Melancholy Northeastern farmhouse cooking that descends, like Shakerism itself, from England, however has been rigorously edited as a result of who, in any case, desires to eat a few of that stuff as of late? There may be actually much less cream than Nice-Grandmother Wells cooked with. And I think about she would have taken one take a look at the crisp, bright-green shaved brussels sprouts that Commerce Inn covers with sizzling bacon French dressing and puzzled why that they had been taken off the warmth earlier than they’d had an opportunity to show grey. Whenever you style them, you’ll know.
However she would have been reassured by the meats, that are very brown and, except for a tricky and awkwardly carved veal rib, excellent. The one one completely on the menu is the roasted rooster, rubbed with herbs and interspersed on the plate with thick fried potatoes that grow to be splendidly soggy with rooster juices.
The others are written every day on chalkboards hung under the peg rails, with costs which might be typically within the 30s. This appears excessive till you see the scale of the platters. In case you are in luck, you might discover a number of bricks of slowly roasted pork seasoned with thyme and served with large, honey-colored items of pores and skin you could chew, slowly and appreciatively. Or a slab of pickled beef tongue, boiled to tenderness after which seared in forged iron till it’s as brown as meatloaf. The patiently roasted veal breast supplied just lately gave a uncommon style of a minimize that has all however disappeared from American tables.
Though the restaurant has been in enterprise since December, it gives the look that it’s nonetheless groping its manner towards flavors that, in lots of circumstances, should be surmised from cookbooks. Once I return to Commerce Inn, it will likely be as a result of I’m curious how spring and summer season greens are woven into the menu alongside these main-course blackboard specials.
I’m much less more likely to return for the temporary common menu, which has an inordinate variety of disappointments. The chowder wanted extra potatoes, and lobster meat that hadn’t been overcooked. The so-called rarebit was extra like melted and congealed Cheddar on toast. And whereas the cod desserts had been very fluffy, they didn’t maintain numerous cod. A serving of two desserts prices $25 — an costly strategy to eat fish-flavored mashed potatoes. I’d stick as a substitute to the fluke sautéed in browned butter and thyme, with a aspect of shoestring potatoes that appear misplaced however are so good no one is more likely to complain.
If the ginger cake and the pear-date pudding are being supplied, leap. Each are so near their English origins that they’d little question drive on the left aspect of the highway. They regarded manner too dense and wealthy in any case that meat. In fact, they turned out to be simply what I and everyone else on the desk wished.
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New York
Senator Menendez’s Resignation Letter
![Senator Menendez’s Resignation Letter Senator Menendez’s Resignation Letter](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/07/23/doc-4ddf28bf-7055-4adb-bc76-b-promo/doc-4ddf28bf-7055-4adb-bc76-b-promo-facebookJumbo.png)
ROBERT MENENDEZ
NEW JERSEY
COMMITTEES:
BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN
AFFAIRS
FINANCE
FOREIGN RELATIONS
The Honorable Phil Murphy
Governor of New Jersey
Office of the Governor
Trenton, N.J. 08625
Dear Governor Murphy,
United States Senate
WASHINGTON, DC 20510-3005
July 23, 2024
528 SENATE HART OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON, DC 20510
(202) 224-4744
210 HUDSON STREET
HARBORSIDE 3, SUITE #1000
JERSEY CITY, NJ 07311
(973) 645-3030
208 WHITE HORSE PIKE
SUITE 18-19
BARRINGTON, NJ 08007
(856) 757-5353
This is to advise you that I will be resigning from my office as the United States Senator from
New Jersey, effective on the close of business on August 20, 2024.
This will give time for my staff to transition to other possibilities, transfer constituent files that
are pending, allow for an orderly process to choose an interim replacement, and for me to close
out my Senate affairs.
While I fully intend to appeal the jury’s verdict, all the way and including to the Supreme Court,
I do not want the Senate to be involved in a lengthy process that will detract from its important
work. Furthermore, I cannot preserve my rights upon a successful appeal, because factual matters
before the ethics committee are not privileged. This is evidenced by the Committee’s Staff
Director and Chief Counsel being called to testify at my trial.
I am proud of the many accomplishments I’ve had on behalf of New Jersey, such as leading the
federal effort for Superstorm Sandy recovery, preserving and funding Gateway and leading the
federal efforts to help save our hospitals, State and municipalities, as well as New Jersey families
through a once in a century COVID pandemic. These successes led you, Governor, to call me the
“Indispensable Senator.”
I thank the citizens of New Jersey for the extraordinary privilege of representing them in the
United States Senate.
Sincerely,
Pabet Menang.
Robert Menendez
United States Senator
New Jersey
cc: The Honorable Kamala Harris, President of the Senate
The Honorable Ann Berry, Secretary of the Senate
New York
How Well Do You Know Literary Brooklyn?
![How Well Do You Know Literary Brooklyn? How Well Do You Know Literary Brooklyn?](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/07/22/books/review/22Quiz-Brooklyn/22Quiz-Brooklyn-facebookJumbo.jpg)
A strong sense of place can deeply influence a story, and in some cases, the setting can even feel like a character itself. This week’s literary geography quiz celebrates Brooklyn and novels set around the bustling borough. To play, just make your selection in the multiple-choice list and the correct answer will be revealed. Links to the books will be listed at the end of the quiz if you’d like to do further reading.
New York
See How Your Subway Service May Suffer Without Congestion Pricing
![See How Your Subway Service May Suffer Without Congestion Pricing See How Your Subway Service May Suffer Without Congestion Pricing](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/07/10/multimedia/2024-06-28-subway-projects-index/2024-06-28-subway-projects-index-facebookJumbo-v4.png)
After Gov. Kathy Hochul halted New York City’s congestion pricing program last month, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority cut $16.5 billion worth of planned upgrades to the city’s vast transit network, mostly to account for the loss of funding that was tied to revenue from the toll.
Source: Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Notes: The chart shows the $28.5 billion in uncommitted funds in the M.T.A.’s 2020-24 capital program; an additional $27 billion had already been committed.
The impact of the congestion pricing suspension on the M.T.A.’s funds for capital projects
Projects were cut from each part of New York City’s transit system, which is the largest in North America and is used by millions of people every day. The projects included elevator and ramp installations that would make subway stations accessible for people with disabilities, structural repairs to aging infrastructure and upgrades to 1930s-era signals that regularly cause delays.
Here are some of the subway projects the authority says it has shelved:
The cuts announced by the M.T.A. — the state agency that runs the subway, bus and commuter rail lines — will also affect transit outside the subway system. The authority has postponed the purchase of more than 250 electric buses and charging infrastructure at bus depots, as well as upgrades to regional rails and a ramp reconstruction on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
The $12 billion remaining in the M.T.A.’s capital funds will be spent on projects the authority considers the most urgent, like track replacements and repairs to power substations. It will also replace some of the “least reliable” subway and railway cars, the authority said in a report.
All told, there are 92 subway stations that will not get planned improvements, including 22 stations that will not get new elevators or ramps; 10 that will not get upgrades like structural repairs, platform replacements and new barriers between platforms and tracks; and 71 that will not get upgrades to their public announcement systems.
Below is a list of the subway stations where upgrades have been put on hold, based on what the M.T.A. has detailed so far:
Projects on hold at 41 stations in Brooklyn:
Union St R
- upgrade to public announcement system
4 Av-9 St R
- upgrade to public announcement system
36 St D N R
- upgrade to public announcement system
59 St N R
- upgrade to public announcement system
Bergen St F G
- upgrade to public announcement system
15 St-Prospect Park F G
- upgrade to public announcement system
Church Av F G
- upgrade to public announcement system
Avenue X F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Neptune Av F
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
- platform or waiting area replacement
Jay St-MetroTech A C F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts A C G
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
Franklin Av C
- upgrade to public announcement system
Nostrand Av A C
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
Utica Av A C
- upgrade to public announcement system
Euclid Av A C
- upgrade to public announcement system
7 Av B Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Kings Hwy B Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Avenue U Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Neck Rd Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Sheepshead Bay B Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Brighton Beach B Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Ocean Pkwy Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
W 8 St-NY Aquarium F Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
Jefferson St L
- elevator or ramp installation
Nevins St 2 3 4 5
- platform or waiting area replacement
Crescent St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Norwood Av J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Cleveland St J
- upgrade to public announcement system
Van Siclen Av J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Alabama Av J
- upgrade to public announcement system
Chauncey St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Halsey St J
- upgrade to public announcement system
Gates Av J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Kosciuszko St J
- upgrade to public announcement system
Myrtle Av J M Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Flushing Av J M
- upgrade to public announcement system
Lorimer St J M
- upgrade to public announcement system
Hewes St J M
- upgrade to public announcement system
Marcy Av J M Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Kings Hwy N
- elevator or ramp installation
18 Av D
- elevator or ramp installation
Projects on hold at 9 stations in the Bronx:
Norwood-205 St D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Bedford Park Blvd B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Kingsbridge Rd B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Fordham Rd B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Tremont Av B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
161 St-Yankee Stadium B D
- upgrade to public announcement system
Wakefield-241 St 2
- elevator or ramp installation
Brook Av 6
- elevator or ramp installation
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
3 Av-138 St 6
- elevator or ramp installation
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
Projects on hold at 27 stations in Manhattan:
Roosevelt Island F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Lexington Av/63 St F Q
- upgrade to public announcement system
47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Ctr B D F M
- upgrade to public announcement system
42 St-Bryant Pk B D F M
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
34 St-Herald Sq B D F M
- upgrade to public announcement system
Broadway-Lafayette St B D F M
- upgrade to public announcement system
2 Av F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Delancey St-Essex St F
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
East Broadway F
- upgrade to public announcement system
190 St A
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
145 St A C B D
- elevator or ramp installation
W 4 St-Wash Sq A C E
- upgrade to public announcement system
Canal St A C E
- upgrade to public announcement system
Chambers St A C
- upgrade to public announcement system
World Trade Center E
- upgrade to public announcement system
Lexington Av/59 St N R W
- elevator or ramp installation
168 St 1
- elevator or ramp installation
3 Av L
- new fencing between platform and track
5 Av 7
- elevator or ramp installation
Times Sq-42 St 7
- new fencing between platform and track
Delancey St-Essex St J M Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
- elevator or ramp installation
Canal St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Chambers St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
Broad St J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
110 St 6
- elevator or ramp installation
59 St 4 5 6
- elevator or ramp installation
7 Av B D E
- elevator or ramp installation
Projects on hold at 14 stations in Queens:
21 St-Queensbridge F
- upgrade to public announcement system
111 St J
- upgrade to public announcement system
75 St-Elderts Ln J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd A
- upgrade to public announcement system
Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer E J Z
- upgrade to public announcement system
Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport E J Z
- new fencing between platform and track
Jamaica-Van Wyck E
- upgrade to public announcement system
Parsons Blvd F
- elevator or ramp installation
Sutphin Blvd F
- upgrade to public announcement system
Briarwood E F
- elevator or ramp installation
- repairs for structural or aesthetic issues
Howard Beach-JFK Airport A
- upgrade to public announcement system
Broad Channel A S
- upgrade to public announcement system
Far Rockaway-Mott Av A
- upgrade to public announcement system
Rockaway Park-Beach 116 St A S
- upgrade to public announcement system
Projects on hold at 1 station in Staten Island:
Clifton SIR
- elevator or ramp installation
-
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