Spice Market

[slkinsey]

As promised, the posts surrounding Amanda Hesser's review that were not substantially about Spice Market have been split off and will be reappearing shortly in another thread. Stay tuned.

[Fat Guy]

We finally managed to get a reservation at Spice Market. Things didn't start off well: the reservationists I spoke to were uniformly rude, the host who greeted us was in total anti-consumer mode ("You'll have to wait until your whole party is here"..."But we are all here"..."Well, just wait a minute then") not to mention they had misrecorded the number of people in our party, our waiter was totally aloof (moreover I was disappointed we didn't get one of the pretty waitresses with the exposed-back shirts), the explanation of the "family style" (I'm sure I'm not the first person to joke that these tiny dishes could only be called family style during a famine) approach was annoying especially "the dishes come when they're ready" as if they magically cook themselves and the kitchen has no control over sequencing, they were out of the first wine we ordered, and the first dish we had really kind of sucked. It had been described by Amanda Hesser thus:

"Egg rolls stuffed with mushrooms gleam under Mr. Vongerichten's touch. Softened shiitake and oyster mushrooms are loosely swaddled in a wrapper that is fragile and crisp on the outside. A tangy herbal galangal sauce is whipped into a celadon foam. When you dip the egg rolls, the sauce clings in a light, loose layer."

The egg rolls were heavy and super-saturated with grease, probably a sign of the frying oil being too cold or the fryer being too crowded. The mushroom filling was underseasoned and bland. Accompanying the egg rolls were two pathetic sheets of iceberg lettuce, presumably to be used as wrappers. And there was a foamy sauce (celadon doesn't strike me as an accurate description; it was more like a honeydew color) that actually would have been quite good had there been anything good to put it on.

I was all set to hate the place, at which point the rest of the food started to arrive and the meal went in a whole different direction. The other two appetizers we tried were astounding. The "shaved" tuna with tapioca pearls, little Asian pear slices, and chilies in coconut-and-kaffir-lime broth is one of the best tuna-sashimi dishes I've ever tried, and the green papaya salad is the best rendition of that dish I've had since we were in Singapore a few years ago (to use the best Thai place in the city, Sripraphai, for comparison, the Spice Market dish was much better). I couldn't bring myself to try the three-star chicken wings.

The dish of the night was a succulent piece of cod (real cod, not that black cod stuff they serve at most Asian places) served over a thick/chunky chili-garlic-ginger-scallion-Thai-basil (I think) sauce. It had that aromatic kick and barely-able-to-contain-itself flavor balance that real Southeast Asian food in Southeast Asia has and that we so rarely get to taste in New York. Also excellent was a bowl of noodles (well, the noodles were kind of dull) topped with boneless chili-and-onion-crusted braised short ribs. The noodles were better in the side dish (the only portion of the night that I thought wasn't stingy) of grilled shrimp over spicy noodles. The one weak entree was the "BBQ Skate Newton Circus." After making too many jokes about what a Skate Newton would taste like, and after a few more bad jokes about the image of a flea circus but with Fig Newtons instead of fleas, the aloof waiter was able to inform us that Newton Circus is a popular street hawker center in Singapore. I think I was there and never even absorbed that it had a name. Anyway . . . the dish could have been terrific, with its sweet barbecue glaze, but the skate was an inferior specimen and overcooked. The coconut sticky rice we were served should have been called soggy rice -- great flavor, wrong texture.

We only tried a couple of desserts -- the rice pudding and the chocolate-coffee tart -- but they were quite tasty, especially the rice pudding with its brulee top and accompanying passion-fruit shebert.

The place is gorgeous, that's for sure, and I learned this morning when looking over Steve Cuozzo's review that we were seated at a prime table ("Prime tables overlook a lower-level lounge reached by a dramatic center staircase"). I had a prime table in a Vongerichten fantasy. I have arrived.

[Pan]

I had a prime table in a Vongerichten fantasy. I have arrived.

That's funny!

So I'm guessing you'd call the place an excellent two-star? Or perhaps not, because of the reception and service problems?

[Fat Guy]

Assuming Spice Market works out all its service/attitude issues, yes, it's a no-brainer to say it's a very nice, high-concept, casual-clubby two-star restaurant serving a range of cuisine from dishes that would be at home in a two- or three-star environment to ones that are basically just bar snacks.

And I'd emphasize that, if it's possible to use the terminology this way, there were a couple of "three-star dishes" served to us. At the same time, I couldn't help feel bad about the misleading nature of the three-star designation: mixed in among the restaurant's target audience were a few of New-York-Times-demographic types who I imagine were there on the strength of the review. And they seemed absolutely miserable sitting on those couch things in Spice Market's noisy lounge/club environment.

I'm glad I ate there. It's a good restauarant for what it is, and for some people. I doubt I'll be back.

[Bux]

(real cod, not that black cod stuff they serve at most Asian places)

Could you go into depth on this, here or in another thread? My understanding is that black cod is what's known as sable at Russ and Daughters and other places of that ilk. I rarely eat at Asian restaurants, but would be tempted to order black cod over cod if I saw both on the menu. My most distinct run in with black cod was in a Hunan restaurant in Victoria, BC, of all places. It was the fish, and perhaps the fish dish of a trip that included Seattle and Vancouver. Are we talking about the same fish, or is there some inferior cod that's called black cod in NY Asian restaurants? I've rarely had cod in NY that's the equal of the cod I've had in Spain.

[Fat Guy]

I'll comment here and if the discussion spins out we can start a different thread.

I mean no disrespect to my pal the sablefish, which is also called black cod and which is often erroneously called just "cod." It can be quite delicious. Nobu's miso-marinated black cod is about as good a dish as exists. I was mostly railing against the nomenclature problem. Nonetheless, I personally think real cod is just about the greatest fish in the world when you get a really nice piece of it properly prepared.

In terms of NY v. Spanish cod, as far as I know we're talking about the same fish, which lives mostly in a band of the Atlantic ocean stretching from New England to the west coast of Europe. If the cod you've had in Spain is better than what you've had here, that probably has to do with handling and selection. I've never had cod in Spain, but the cod I've had from Chatham here in the US has been awesome and much better than standard restaurant stuff. You can get it at Bouley, for example, and the Spice Market product had that flavor and texture as well. It was a really good, albeit minuscule, piece of cod.

[Jinmyo]

I notice that Steve did not mention Gray Kunz at all in his report.

[Bux]

To be fair, I rarely order cod and I have had a few exceptional examples in NY. I still can't imagine the reason for mislabeling black cod.

[schaem]

Sablefish (Black Cod) is much oilier than Atlantic Cod and cannot really be served in the same way (if we were to run low on Cod, for example, we would replace it with Halibut before Sable). I'm pretty sure Black Cod comes from Pacific waters, mainly Alaska.

A lot of Atlantic Cod is mishandled; the boats are out for too long, or it's thrown around. The Chatham stuff from Maine that comes into New York restaurants can often be "rigor mortis" quality, ie fresh enough to be as stiff as a board. When Atlantic Cod is of this quality it can really be one of the finest fishes available; big flakes, moist, a lot of flavor. Unfortunately Cod has a bad name because the highest quality fish is rarely served. You'll probably never find it retail.

This is the "Cod" thread, right...? Oops.

[Fat Guy]

I notice that Steve did not mention Gray Kunz at all in his report.

Is he somehow involved in Spice Market?

[Bond Girl]

Went to the Spice Market tonight at the request of a friend. My fourth time there. This time the place succeeded in pissing me off big time. As I was 10 minutes late, we were seated very quickly. We barely even sat down when the server came by and asked if we knew what we wanted. I told him that we needed a few minutes to browse the menu and he begrudingly went away (okay, I can understand this kind of attitude from some actor wannabe server. Afterall he needs to get home early to work on his lines. But, this is a guy with a mid 70's salad bowl haircut for god sakes. I wanted to tell him to get over himself.) He returned two more times in the space of five minutes to check if we had decided what we wanted. On the third time, we ordered a few appetizers just to get rid of him. He proceeded to rush us through the ordering, and then disappeared and you practically have to beg to get a glass of water.

The spring rolls were the first to arrive. The rolls themselves were deep fried to a crisp, and meant to be eaten with bibb lettuce and mint, so I picked up a piece of bibb lettuce, but wait.... where's the mint?!! All there was on the plate was a few straggily pieces of cilantro. Okay, so we do without the mint, but that sort of defeats the purpose of the dish, doesn't it?

Next to arrive was the shaved tuna and the lobster roll. Am I the only person in New York, who doesn't like that tuna? Today I finally figured out what did and did not like about it. I love the idea of Asian pears with tuna. It provided a very interesting texture and a fresh taste. I hate the sauce the tuna was sitting in. Anyone who knows a thing or two about Thai cooking knows that the right balance of Kaffir lime and thai basil can make a dish taste absolutely beautiful while too much kaffir lime can make a dish taste soapy. The sauce of the shaved tuna tasted just that-soapy. I didn't like it the first time around, and I didn't like it this time either.

In contrast, the lobster roll was very nice and simple. A good twist on the classic vietnamese summer rolls.

The squid salad was next. This used to be one of my favorite dishes during my three previous visits. I liked the contrast of the crunchy squid against the softness of the tomatoes and pineapples. No such luck this time. The squids were soggy and greasy, and the dish was overall inedible.

Then came the monk fish with the coconut and tamarind sauce. This was good but not extraordinary. It was an interesting way to prepare monkfish, but at the end of the day, it was simply fried fish with tamarind sauce. What made the dish more interesting is the garnish that came with it-a salad of of Asian pears and basil, and that really shined against the darkness of the tamarind sauce.

Of course, the minute that the last dish was cleared away, the server with the salad bowl haircut jumped on us to order dessert with suggestion of the Ovaltine Kulfi. I told him that I had tried and did not like the Kulfi (too single noted, no depth and gets really boring after a while). Nonetheless, an order of Kulfi arrived at the table with the rice pudding and the thai jewels.

We sent the kulfi back, telling the busboy that we did not order it. The thai jewels has definitely went downhill in quality. The last time I ordered it, I remember the dish as a fresh delightful drink with Asian Jelly candy in it, kind of like those bubble teas on a hot summer day. This time the drink tasted heavy handed, and after a few spoonful my friend and I gave it up.

The rice pudding was like a rice pudding creme boulee with passion fruit sorbet. The tartness of the passion fruit sorbet contrasted well with the creaminess of the rice pudding. As far as dessert goes, this was well executed.

The meal was definitely uneven and neither Jean George or Gray Kunz was anywheres to be seen. Stanley Wong graced the dining room a few time. I've noticed that as with 66, the quality of a JG restaurant always seemed to go downhill when JG stopped being there.

Despite all the issues, everything that happened in the Spice Market tonight didn't really piss me off. It was when I got home and found out that we had been charged for the kulfi, which we didn't order or eat, that really annoyed me.

[SobaAddict70]

Ack!

I'm so sorry, Ya-Roo.

Based on yours and El Gordo's reports, I won't be going. Pity.

Soba

[Bond Girl]

Actually, here is a more interesting question: Being that this is the second time I got charged at the Spice Market for things that I did not order, should an establishment like the Spice Market be allowed to get away with errors like this? Even though, in the grand scheme of things, an $8 menu item is really negligible when it comes to a three digit sized check.

[Fat Guy]

They shouldn't be allowed to get away with it, but there's really only one way to make sure that happens: review your bill carefully before you pay it. Especially at an a la carte, mini plates, high turnover, inexperienced waitstaff place like Spice Market, the potential for error is quite high. This on-the-spot audit is an inconvenience that intrudes on the hospitality experience, but I estimate that more than 10% of the restaurant checks I get have errors on them, either overcharges or undercharges. In general, I try to correct those errors either way, unless there was a clear statement that, for example, an extra dessert was a comp.

[docsconz]

An $8 item may not be much to an individual check, but they can add up fast. I have to agree with Soba, based on what I have read here and my own recent experience at Jean-George, I am not too excited about visiting any of his restaurants right now.

[alanamoana]

not to mention the fact that you probably tipped on the total amount which included the added $8...if you are like many people who tip the "accepted" amount regardless of service given, then you are getting ripped off on more than one count. it is really frustrating to receive bad service and then somehow being guilted into tipping a standard amount!

[Bond Girl]

I agree with FG and normally would have reviewed the bill before giving them the credit card. But, try doing that in the dimly lit corner that we were seated were damn nearly impossible. In fact, I had to hold the bill up to the little table candle to see what where I sign my name.

Today, my many attempts to call the manager at the Spice Market were met with futile resuts. The manager was either doing lunch service or was unavilable or was preparing for dinner service. I asked if she would call me, and was told that they do not know if she returns calls.

[Jason Perlow]

I notice that Steve did not mention Gray Kunz at all in his report.

Is he somehow involved in Spice Market?

ha ha har hardy har har.

[Pan]

That really sucks, Ya-Roo.

[Bond Girl]

As an aspiring restauranteur, I firmly subscribe to Danny Meyer's philosophy that you can prevent mistakes from happening, it's what you do to fix it< However, I'm afraid to say that the Spice Market isn't doing a whole lot to fix this problem.

[Jason Perlow]

The Village Voice says we're Snarky.

[tan319]

well, so be it.

I thought the Gothamist "interview", weak, the Eurotrash "review" of the review, brilliant.

Interesting V.V. article though, thanks, Jason.

[Fat Guy]

Score one for the Jean-Georges sycophants. Hal Rubenstein weighs in with an over-the-top Spice Market rave in New York Magazine, complete with swipes at Ducasse and "snappish foodies":

http://nymetro.com/nymetro/food/reviews/re...167//index.html

[Jinmyo]

Wow. That's pretty... excessive, especially given the list of dishes he disliked.

At least he mentioned Kunz. And Stanley Wong too.

[dccd]

I notice that Steve did not mention Gray Kunz at all in his report.

Is he somehow involved in Spice Market?

ha ha har hardy har har.

yes, he is involved...as a matter of fact, I met him when I ate there...apparently, he is very close friends with Jean-Georges and has collaborated, in some part, on many of Jean-Georges projects...

Dccd