THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Spice Market

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Spice Market Restaurant Review:

The soothing and lavish interior of this bi-level Meatpacking space---with its elaborate wood-carved pagodas, ornate tapestries, silk lanterns and monk-outfitted waitstaff---will make chaotic New York City seem continents away. The genius of the spot is how this high style combines with something as seemingly low-concept as Southeast Asian street food, easy-to-eat treats commonly sold in marketplace stalls. Yet Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Gray Kunz's collaborative menu is anything but ordinary, and some dishes are just as transforming as the space. One can instantly imagine enjoying the sweet mango salad with cherry tomatoes and crystallized tamarind during a hot Vietnamese summer, or letting the flavors of the mussels steamed with lemon grass, Thai basil, dried chili and coconut juice take you away somewhere unexpected. These vibrant flavors, however, highlight the lack of heat in the onion-and-chile-crusted short ribs. The Market rebounds with steamed red snapper and sautéed corn served with an aromatic sauce of ginger, scallion and tarragon, proving that the off-kilter moments aren't the rule and, prevailingly, escapist flavors are.