Spice Market

Last Thursday we celebrated Erica's birthday - 30, Flirty, and Fun!  Yes, that's a quote from "13 Going on 30", but it also became our theme for the evening.  I may have been the only single gal, but the other four married/engaged girls were flirty enough to make our waiter blush and after several cucumber martinis and ginger margaritas, we were all fun.

Spice Market hit it's peak just before I moved to the city, but even though the lines have died down, it took me five years to try it.  It is the quintessential Meatpacking restaurant, and by that I mean theme-y.  It is the Disney World version of Southeast Asia with pagodas, jewel tones, and kurta-clad waiters.  It was a tad overly dramatic, but drama is the reason you go to the Meatpacking District in the first place.

We ordered chicken skewers and edamame for the table - two items I expected to be overpriced, generic versions of every Asian restaurant's menu staples.  However, I was pleased to find (as the name would imply) they really knew their way around a spice cabinet.  Instead of simple coarse salt, the edamame was tossed with several spices I could not place.  Whatever it was made it far more addictive.

For my entree, I ordered two appetizers.  Unfortunately, after the waiter talked up the tuna ribbons with chili tapioca and Asian pear, he informed me they had sold out.  At that point the rest of the meal had been brought to the table and I didn't want to hold everyone up so I stuck with just app #2: spicy Thai slaw with Asian pear and crispy shallots.  It was larger than I expected and had a much stronger kick than I anticipated.  It was very good, but I needed to cool my palate every few bites with the vegetable rice we ordered as a side dish for the table.  Once again, the rice was filled with a delicious spice mixture I could not identify but absolutely loved.  I didn't expect it, but it was my favorite dish of the evening.

It's been a long time since I've visited Disney World, but I don't remember eating like this while I was there.  The decor may have been a little over the top, but a 30th birthday is not worth celebrating if it's not an over the top affair.