Metrograph Commissary

Metrograph Commissary Restaurant Review:

Alexander Olch’s Metrograph takes dinner and a movie to a whole new level. Its on-site restaurant, the Metrograph Commissary, draws its inspiration from restaurants on old Hollywood studio lots, and there’s plenty of Hollywood glamor, high design and Lower East Side chic in one spot. The Commissary is helmed by restaurateur Henry Rich and chef Dennis Spina, and the space is a visual feast of terrazzo floors, brass walnut tables and black Chesterfield sofas, plus windows galore and a serious skylight. The menu focuses on simple, old-school dishes, like spaghetti pomodoro, Caesar salad with egg and anchovy, and steak frites with chimichurri and french fries. Fluke crudo with braised olives and fennel is sweet and fresh; and burrata is luxuriously creamy and studded with toasted walnuts and tangy green tomato salsa verde. Brunch offers anchovy-topped avocado toast and mascarpone and wild mushroom eggs and gets wildly busy. Cocktails are Hollywood-influenced, too, like a vodka, horchata and coffee and coca bitters concoction called The Zhivago. There’s a lovely, if pricey, selection of cheese and wine. The banana split, with a generous glug of dulce de leche and walnuts, is a total treat.