Here’s the UWS Dish: Community Food and Juice’s Avocado Toast

By Abigael T. Sidi

I’ll be honest: Aside from pizzas, sandwiches, and a few French and Middle-Eastern offerings, many of the dishes I’ve covered for this column were first timers for me, with little to compare them to. But if there ever was one dish I’d be confident I could expertly review, it’d be avocado toast. I’ve been making them for myself since the age of 6 – it was the first entry in my personal cookbook, along with Caesar salad dressing. In the 10 years since, I’ve grown to learn what works and what doesn’t, as well as tricks that take the toast to the next level (smoked instead of hot paprika, flaky rather than regular sea salt, to name a couple).

Always looking to perfect my recipe, I paid attention when my sister (another self-proclaimed avocado-toast expert) hinted I should try the version at Community Food and Juice. Intrigued, I headed to the Columbia campus’ brunch fixture to investigate.

The toast is big: thick cut of sourdough; thick and chunky avocado slab (a whole avocado, no doubt). By contrast, my version uses thin slices delicately laid over an equally thin slice of bread. Also, Community’s version is served with three unusual ingredients: charred lemon (on the side) and crumbled feta and toasted pumpkin seeds (as toppings, which also include a sprinkle of cilantro leaves and red chili flakes).

The first bite is very satisfying, with delicious toasty flavors from the bread and pumpkin seeds coming through, as well as a nice tang from the feta. The avocado’s freshness and meatiness are there but lurking somewhat in the background. Easy fix: salt + pepper. I also grab the charred lemon half and squeeze all of its juices onto the sandwich, adding a drizzle of olive oil in the process.

Second bite: just 10 times better. The toast is now a thing of beauty and each of the following bites deliver on all the flavors. The caramelized lemon reveals itself as a genius condiment for avocado, providing the desired sour pop while neutralizing most of the acidity, as if a lemon syrup (definitely more complex than my own recipe’s squeeze of plain lemon). Not only does it elevate the avocado, but it pairs beautifully with the crunchy pumpkin seeds whose tasty nutty flavors also seem to have been enhanced, if not released, by the added salt, pepper and charred lemon seasoning.

I also notice how seriously good the bread is, with a superb, charred and crispy crust and a deep, yeasty and easily chewable dough that just melts in your mouth along with the avocado. I compliment the staff on the bread, to which they remind me that the owners, Dede Lahman and Neil Kleinberg, also own Clinton Street Bakery Company, from which Community derives the sourdough recipe. Enough said.

By the time I’m finished, I’m fully satiated and hand the menu (which I had kept close by thinking I’d order dessert) back to the server.  I do this with some relief as the prices here are as elevated as the avocado toast’s flavors. The famed pancakes (from a recipe that is also straight out of the Clinton Street cookbook) and the B.E.L.T, for example, both go for a whopping $19, and the omelets start at $21. As for the avocado toast, it clocks in at $15, and is the cheapest item on the menu. How the neighboring student crowd could afford this is beyond me, and I do notice that most patrons on the day of my visit are young professionals and of the professor type, not starving undergrads.

That being said, the farm-to-table vibe and cuisine, together with the Clinton Street Bakery savoir-faire, have helped firmly establish Community as THE brunch spot/place-to-be-seen in Morningside Heights, with a loyal following and the occasional celeb visitors.  The place has a nice open layout, with the iconic large community table in its center, and friendly and professional staff.

Community Food and Juice is open for brunch everyday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and for dinner from 4 p.m. til 9:30 p.m. (10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays), with take-out and delivery available at these times. The restaurant says it “welcomes Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, dietary restrictions.” The line for brunch can be stratospheric on weekends, so consider yourself warned.

The Dish: Avocado Toast ($15)

The Restaurant: Community Food and Juice, 2893 Broadway (between West 112th and 113th streets).

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