Community Food & Juice — Restaurant in New York

Community, for those who didn’t already know, is the sister restaurant to the famous Clinton Street Baking Co. whose pancakes continually topped the charts in the NYC. So naturally, the brunch menu is pretty bulletproof (especially the pancakes). I tried their brunch twice, and dinner menu twice, and all the time the food is good. Not as memorable as some of the iconic brunch restaurants but you got your money’s worth.

Focus on the most recent dinner here:

Appetizer: Bowl of Beets The name suggests simplicity, yet the flavors it delivered were more complicated and in depth. These are fresh beets with whipped goat cheese, toasted pistachios, and topped with balsamic vinegar reductions. I asked the reduction to be on the side as I am a dipper (like to dip things) who adjust my own sauciness. The ingredients were fresh, and it happened to be the beet season so the beets were naturally sweeter. The goat cheese is creamy and accompanied well with the beets and the nutty aroma of crunchy pistachios. The balsamic reduction is tangy and that acidity balances the dish.

Entrees: Pan-seared salmon Crispy skin with tender interior. The portion is great (the fish is bigger than I imagined). I changed the sides from mashed potato to green beans. The green beans are a little undercooked, and both the beans and the spinach are on the saltier side. I asked to have the glaze on the side because i want to taste the salmon and I don’t like overly sweetened fish. The glaze is a bit less ginger forward than I wanted, tastes more sweet than savory.

Maryland Crab cakes Two fist-sized crab cakes with a ton of crab meat paired with GBD waffle fries and herby mayo underneath. This is the perfect bowl of comfort food if you are craving warmth. The crab cakes can be a bit stuffy due to crab meat density, but this is not a complaint as who doesn’t want more crabs in their crab cake. The fries are crispy and tantalizing on the tongue, perfect with mayonnaise sauce they provided. The lemon aids to counterbalance the flavor, and to offsets any possible greasiness.

Our server did a great job to accommodate my requests, which I do appreciate. Yet the service isn’t the best. The water initially took forever to come and the check took a little while too. Overall, the food, the value, and the proximity (near Columbia campus) deserve neighborhood...

The food was good but the waiter that served me was notably bad in his service. I sat on the outside patio for a late afternoon meal and wanted to work on my laptop while I continue ordering food along the night. The waiter passive aggressively nudged me to leave multiple times when I paid the money to have multiple dishes and drink while doing some work on my laptop.

In the most unusual and outrageous of situations, the waiter walked up to me as I was sitting with the laptop and trying to pay for something on a website. The waiter grabbed my debit card that I was trying to make a payment on the laptop with (without asking me if I was paying) and proceeded to attempt to cash me out.

All this happened without me initiating payment nor giving permission for him to take my card for payment. I asked the waiter if he was in a hurry for something. He tells me that there is one table open and I ordered something so I am fine. Basically insinuating that I am taking too long to finish my then half-eaten chickpea bowl. Before this I have also ordered a veggie sandwich and a cappucino.

In all my time visiting any restaurants and cafes, I have never been treated with so much disrespect and passive aggressiveness. The fact that he took my debit card without asking for permission is highly unusual. His tone and mannerism was hostile and passive aggressive. I was never served for any water refill the entire time. Towards the end when I cashed out, I decided not to make a scene because I would have complained to management about his behavior. I gave him a small tip (I should have given him none) and he walked away rudely without saying a word.

I was deeply humiliated by his behavior towards me in front of other patrons. I felt like I did not belong there and that I was deemed unworthy of sitting there as a paying customer. As I have done many times, I have sat at a nice cafe and was allowed to work on my laptop while ordering food continuously with no problem or pressure from the server. This incident stood out very much amongst my experience as an extreme outlier. I expected to be able to relax and work on my laptop instead of being treated like a lowlife.

I hope management will treat this incident seriously and take steps to train their staff properly to ensure a respectful and enjoyable experience for their well...

Let me start by saying that the ambience inside of this establishment is quite nice; albeit they still look like they are under construction, as one side has obvious plaster done and in need of a paint job by the kitchen. Seating is cozy and some of the rest of the space is an "open concept". They also have generous outdoor seating, might I add.

My friend and I ordered dinner. We both had burgers; I had the "NATURAL GRASS FED BEEF BURGER", which had Vermont Cabot white cheddar & caramelized onions, with hand cut fries. I clearly told the waitstaff that I wanted my burger medium/well done with no pink showing and no blood. When my burger arrives, it was room temperature, and the inside looked slightly raw. Not too mention, the fries weren't crispy.

We also ordered the MAC-N-CHEESE BOWL, which consisted of White Cabot cheddar sauce (they must be getting a deal on this cheese because it's on everything in this damn restaurant). I have never had a more bland Mac & cheese in my life. It tasted like sawdust and styrofoam baked at 375 degrees. Come to think of it; it didn't even smell like any Mac & cheese that I have had as of late. Whomever added that dish to the menu needs to be written up.

My friend got the GRILLED SALMON BURGER, made in house with wild organic salmon, served with avocado, arugula, wasabi mayo, and a side of dressed local greens and noticed while they gave him avocado, there was no tomato or red onion. Since when do these vegetable come a la carte?!? I can't with the shenanigans.

While I enjoyed the ambience, it definitely could've been better. I don't think this restaurant is a place known for the seasoning of its food; the presentation is cool but the flavor just isn't there. For a moment, I thought I caught COVID because I couldn’t taste anything. The waitstaff are pleasant individuals, though. But I would eat a bowl of water with a fork before ever eating...