RTNs: Spice Market, NYC

Had heard lots of good things about this place in the lower west side. Finally went there this evening with a few friends. Nice settings (we got one of the private alcoves in the basement with sofas/pillows/etc), but wow was this a letdown.

Wasn't particularly impressed by the drinks menu, which didn't have much of note - generally very high markups, and very few wines that seemed of interest or possibly good combinations with the food (which is mostly Asian).

Onto the food - we ordered a bunch of appetizers and a couple of entrees between us. Most of the apps were boring but serviceable at best. I liked the samosas with spiced minced chicken, but the pork satay and other skewers were quite salty rather than being flavourful, and the spring rolls and dumplings were pretty generic and bland. The Shanghai soup noodles with silken tofu were cooked nicely, but again not particularly flavourful for what I expect.

Mains were disappointing: skipped the seafood laksa, the strip steak was nicely grilled but the seasonings of sesame and coriander didn't do much for it, and the Vietnamese chicken curry was too sweet for my liking - tasted like heavy coconut milk essence with the other flavours drowned out.

I thought most of the dishes were pretty weak imitations of the actual items (as compared to what I've eaten both in Asia and in Asian restaurants in the US) at pretty ridiculous prices. A lot of items were either too mildly flavoured or over salted, and in terms of quality (forgetting price) it was very, very average. As a club/bar it's not bad, but for food it's absurd, and I'm quite amazed at the praise Jean-Georges Vongerichten gets for this.

I'll take Szechuan Gourmet in NYC or Mei Tzu in Windsor CT over this crap any day.

[Jenise]

"for food its absurd"

Pretty interesting condemnation: inconsistently underseasoned unless its oversalted would seem to be your generalization. Not what you'd expect from a J-G restaurant. Not of caliber squandered there.

I'm not sure what JG is going for with this as a lot of the Asian dishes don't taste authentic, but there's nothing about it that suggests fusion - just tasted like watered down pan-Asian dishes without the standard depth of flavour and spice you'd normally get.

Lunch today at Szechuan Gourmet was miles, miles better though (and far less pricey ). Pork dumplings... mmm.

I've never heard much in the way of compliments for this restaurant. I remember back when I went to Steve's board regularly no one was impressed and the was general pooh-poohing of the favorable NY Times review.

[David M. Bueker]

Mei Tzu is in East Windsor, not Windsor (other side of the river).

Whoops. Regardless, it beats the hell out of the Spice Market (and a lot of other SE Asian places I've dined at in the US).