Spice | New York City

My childhood BFF, Leena, came over for a sleepover.  She left her husband and kids behind for the first time in 3 years which was a pretty big deal, so we planned a fun-filled weekend in New York City. 

Our weekend started off on Friday at my Mom's home where we hung out with my family and nieces.   It was so much fun talking and catching up with her.  Saturday we headed to New York City for shopping around Soho.  We were pretty drained after 2 hours and went to Starbucks for some refreshing Iced Coffee.  Within minutes we were recharged and shopped some more.  We walked towards Union Square on a gorgeous Saturday night... it must have been no more than 75 degrees in Manhattan.  The weather was breezy and beautiful!  We met up with my husband at Spice, a chic Thai restaurant.  Leena felt so guilty having fun and leaving her husband behind with the kids, I guess there is a first time for everything.  🙂  Every mom deserves a break at some point, right?

LOCATION
39 E 13th Street
New York, NY 10003
212.982.3758
(Union Square)

AMBIENCE
The ambience at Spice is trendy and stylish.  

As you walk in there is a waiting area off to the right, towards the left is a seating area and full bar.  

There is a lot more seating upstairs.

The decor in the restaurant is primarily in black and red with ethnic decor on the walls and the occasional Buddha accent.  Each table has a votive candle burning which gives the entire restaurant a nice romantic glow.  

RECOMMENDED TO
Bar Scene, Casual Dining, Couples, Groups, Romantic Dining. 

CUISINE
Thai

MENU - $$
Spice Menu.  Spice offers some affordable options.  The entrees here range from $9 to $16.  The drinks here are approximately $12 each and the desserts run about $6 each.  The portions are pretty decent and very filling.  I would love to try this place for lunch which comes with an appetizer and an entree between $7 to $9... BARGAIN!
Dinner for 3 people:
3 drinks + 3 entrees + 1 dessert = $96 (including 20% tip)

RECOMMENDED HEALTHY EATS... choices below are based on my knowledge of food and nutrition.  Avoid coconut based curries, avoid anything fried, avoid fried rice, and avoid noodles.  Choose brown rice over white rice.  Choose anything sauteed or stir-fried in a light sauce.  There is no online nutritional information available for Spice. Please use your own discretion when making a decision.

HEALTHY EATS
APPETIZERS
Sa-Tae Chicken
Nabon Steamed Dumplings
Emerald Vegetable Dumplings
Warm Duck Lettuce Wrap
SOUP
Lemongrass Tom Yum (Chicken, Shrimp, Tofu)
House Soup (Chicken, Tofu)
SALADS
Papaya Salad w/dressing on side
Asian Ginger Shrimp w/dressing on side
Grilled Chicken Breast Salad w/dressing on side
SAUTEED (Chicken, Shrimp, Vegetable, Tofu-not fried)
Bangkok Garlic and Vegetables
Hot Sweet Basil
Hawaiian Ginger and Pineapple
SPECIALTIES
Lemongrass Chicken Breast
Thai Volcanic Chicken
Green Lime Snapper
Grilled Salmon
Roasted Crush Salmon
Teriyaki Salmon
SIDE ORDER
Choose Brown Rice over Jasmine/Sticky Rice
Steamed Seasonal Vegetables

MY REVIEW
Although I was in no mood to drink, my husband and friend wanted to drink, so I decided to order one.  I went for the Lychee Martini which was simply perfection in every sip... not too strong, not too mild, and very smooth with a lychee at the bottom of the martini.  YUM!  The lychee at the bottom helped illuminate the martini.  Isn't the color of the martini soooo pretty?  I love pink!

My husband got the Mojito which was perfect.  Again, it wasn't too strong, it wasn't too mild, it was smooth and hit the spot.  

Leena got some type of a Strawberry Guava Martini, I can't exactly recall.  In my opinion, her drink was good, however it wasn't as good as it sounded.  Regardless, Leena enjoyed it and that's all that matters.  

For my entree I ordered Shrimp with Hot Sweet Basil sauce.  This is one of the healthier options for Thai food.  I was served about 8 to 10 pieces of medium sized shrimp.  This dish wasn't too spicy for me and consisted of just the right amount of sweetness.  I requested Brown Rice instead of the Jasmine Rice which came at an extra charge of $1.

My husband ordered his favorite, chicken fried rice, or rather the 6 O'Clock Train Spicy Fried Rice with Chicken.  He orders the same dish at every Asian place and it's funny because 99% of the time I can predict what he will order.  I thought his dish was good, but I've had better chicken fried rice.  Nonetheless, he really enjoyed his dish.

Leena ordered a similar dish as mine, however she ordered Tofu, instead of Shrimp, in a Hot Sweet Basil sauce.  She really enjoyed her dish as well.  Leena also ordered a side of the Brown Rice.

I was pretty stuffed, however Leena wanted dessert, some Creme Brulee.  She loves Creme Brulee so we ended up ordering one between the two of us.  It was really good, carmelized on the top and velvety smooth custard at the bottom... we missed you Prith (Leena's hubby loves Creme Bruelee).  It was the perfect ending to a great meal.

VERDICT - 4 / 5
Spice is a keeper!  Overall, this place has really good service, in addition, we only waited about 15 minutes before we were seated.  The drinks here were exceptional.  The entrees were very good, however I wasn't too impressed with my husband's dish, the 6 O'Clock Train Spice Fried Rice.  We were served our meals shortly after receiving our drinks which was great.  The waiter checked on us a couple times.  

And now the negatives... this restaurant is so dark that you can barely see what you are eating.  I literally had to hold a candle up to my dish to see what I was about to eat.  Lastly, this restaurant gets really loud and the music is inaudible with all the noise, this makes it very difficult to have a conversation with the person next to you, and perhaps not the best option for a first date.  🙂