Montrachet

Mini-Montrachet Munches Former Speakeasy

Bustling Commerce: The back room is packed with a clientele of all ages and walks of life.
James Hamilton
Bustling Commerce: The back room is packed with a clientele of all ages and walks of life.

Commerce Street, a secret, twisting couple of blocks in the West Village, is so quiet you can hear your footsteps echo on the pavement. But the white building that has stood at the corner of Commerce and Barrow Streets for nearly a century has had anything but a quiet past. During Prohibition, it was a speakeasy. For 50 years it was the Blue Mill Tavern, and then for over a decade, Grange Hall, a much-beloved Village hangout serving blue-plate specials such as succotash and broiled steak.  read more »