Following a short and snowy stroll through Mill Creek, and no
quilts, we headed to the historic Commerce Building in downtown
Y-town for some lunch. The place takes up the entire 5th floor and
is apparently the old Youngstown Club and it is exactly that. It’s
beautiful example of old world craftsmanship and feel, all that’s
missing are wrinkly, rich, white dudes oozing cigar smoke and
condescension. Add the view of the frozen valley and it’s the best
without the worst. |
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At first we thought the they had a no-call/no-show on the floor. There were two wild-eyed servers dashing through the crowded dining room like a homicidal Usain Bolt was chasing them. Turns out, it was just Friday lunch. The haste made for a much less successful service, you almost had to trip someone to get a cup of coffee. Fortunately, much of lunch was more in line with the lush environs.
We started with Edamame, which were stupendous. I would go back just
for a bowl of soybeans. The bowl is enormous and loaded with a
serious pile of pods, each with a visible coating of seasoning and
tuxedo sesame seeds. A good start. Then you scoop a spoon out and
you find the pile is more of an island of beans rising out of a sea
of deeply salty and pungent Asian inspired sauce. It was pretty
addictive; I think another table might have been watching me strip
the beans from one pod after another with enough relish to be either
entertaining or terrifying. Didn’t have time to care…so many
delicious beans. |
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Steph was going to order the Kielbosa Burger, but they were out, so she ended up with the pasta with meatball lunch special. It was the only real disappointment of the day. The tubes of pasta were long overdone, the sauce was dreary, lifeless and included a pool of red water underneath the starch, nothing to recommend. The meatball was soft and seemed to be all protein and little binder but it wasn’t going to rescue the pasta. I detest bologna but took a shot on the Italian version with their fried Mortadella sandwich. Not greasy at all, clear flavor of pistachio, a full burger set (lettuce/tom/etc.) on just toasted bread. So much better than our American version.
Mom had the Reuben, which had a nice mix of lean and fatty slices of
cured cow. The beef had enough depth to be interesting and tasty.
Add kraut, dressing and well grilled rye and you have a nice lunch.
I enjoyed both sandwiches much more than the pasta and both came
with what my Mom calls “fair” fries. Thin, skin-on sticks fried to a
dark brown and well salted. French fries, a little darker, a little
more culture to it too, mmmmmmm, tell ya what.
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I'd Pass On The Pasta |
Nutty Italian Fried Bologna Is Much Better Than Our Standards |
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All Layers Of Reuben Worked |
Come With Ketchup; Don't Need None |
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Mother dear and I rolled our eyes when Steph asked about dessert. Our server wasn’t sure what they had in stock so she checked and came back with some options. Steph ordered the almond cream cake, was told it was a good choice and even though we said we weren’t having any, we were lucky she brought us three forks. Firm but moist cake, a thick layer of lush almond cream and a roof of sweetened toasted nuts. Swirl a butterscotchy caramel sauce all over the top and you have another reason to take the elevator to the 5th floor of the Commerce Building.
It might take a bit, not everything will be extraordinary but there
are some real gems in a beautiful and historical place. |
Just Too Good To Limit To One Bite; I Tried |
Ratings | |||||||
Food |
Service |
Ambiance |
What's Best |
What's Worst |
Overall |
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B+ | D- | A | A | D- | B | ||
Cake, Fries, etc. | Pasta |