Commerson

"If you’ve braved the subway construction around La Brea and Wilshire recently, you might have noticed a place called Commerson. But with its generic black-and-white storefront and objectively boring logo, you’d have no reason to know what it is. A chain coffee shop? A dentist’s office? Your aunt’s favorite scarf boutique from Scottsdale? Nope. Commerson is a seafood restaurant that’s one of the most underrated places to eat around Mid-Wilshire. Located at the bottom of a giant mixed-user, Commerson was going to feel suburban whether they wanted it to or not. But given the details of the space, it seems like they’re leaning into that feeling - light bulbs hanging from the ceiling, flat-screens behind the bar if you want to catch the game, and parking validation for up to two hours. The very modern space is certainly nice enough, and we’ll take a validated parking ticket when we can get it, but there’s nothing about this place that truly makes you want to sit down and eat. That is, until the food starts arriving. photo credit: Jakob Layman Commerson’s menu is mostly comprised of seafood-leaning comfort food, and most of it is both delicious and far from generic. The deviled eggs comes with pimiento cheese and pickled mustard seeds on top, and the poke comes out as a tower of fresh salmon in yuzu, instead of the basic bowl of chopped fish you’ve become accustomed to. You’re also going to want the sweet potato agnolotti with cranberries, pistachios, pecorino, and brown butter, which tastes less like pasta and more like the entire season of fall on one plate. And then there’s the shrimp and chorizo burger, which sounds like something you drunk-order at an Islands after a kickball game, but is actually our favorite thing on the menu. It’s sweet and spicy and savory and the last thing you’d expect to find from this place if you just saw it from the street. If you pass by Commerson, you won’t have a lot of reasons to think much about it. Poke your head in, and you might think you’ve found yourself in a mall somewhere far from Los Angeles. But actually sit down and eat a meal here, and you’ll discover a restaurant that deserves your attention. Even your aunt with the scarves will agree with that. Food Rundown photo credit: Jakob Layman Deviled Eggs Welcome to the latest installment of Pimiento Cheese Makes Everything Better. $5 might seem like a lot for just one egg, but trust us when we say this is worth it. photo credit: Jakob Layman Salmon Poke We’re just as tired of poke as you are, but this is not your usual poke. It’s a tower of fresh salmon and avocado in a yuzu bath, and you need it. photo credit: Jakob Layman Chicken Liver Mousse We weren’t mad about this dish, and you won’t be either. That said, there are other dishes we would concentrate on first. photo credit: Jakob Layman Sweet Potato Agnolotti Topped with cranberries, pistachios, pecorino, and brown butter, this sweet and savory and a must-order. photo credit: Jakob Layman Shrimp And Chorizo Burger This thing sounds like a bad choice you make at 11pm at a sports bar, but at Commerson, it’s very right. The shrimp and chorizo patty itself is fantastic, and the pepper jack and spicy sauce on top give it a nice kick. This is our favorite dish on the menu. photo credit: Jakob Layman Blackberry Cassis Tart Despite it arriving to the table looking like some sort of flying contraption for demonic field mice, this dish ultimately just tastes ok. There’s a bit too much going on flavor-wise and the homemade fruit roll-up thing on top only seems to be for visual effect." - Brant Cox

"Chef Sal Garcia is taking a different route at Commerson in Mid-Wilshire, where he’ll recreate some of his greatest hits from his tenure with Wolfgang Puck Catering. The Oscars will play in the background while Garcia serves six courses for $65 starting at 5 p.m." - Mona Holmes

"Before staring all day at art that you don’t quite understand, you need to put some brunch in your stomach. Skip the long lines at the bigger-name spots in the area and head to Commerson, the seafood-heavy restaurant on La Brea with a brunch you probably don’t already know about. Grab a seat on their front patio, get a little toasty on some bellinis, and order two of their bagel sandwiches. One for now, one for later." - Jess Basser Sanders, Amy Clark, Brant Cox