I love spicy food. It might not love me back, but I enjoy eating spicy food all year round. One of my standard dinner spots is Spice. They are located in just about every neighborhood in the city and provide an affordable meal in a slightly-trendy setting. While all of the locations varry in size and location, the one I frequented the most was while was living on the upper east side. Definitely able to seat a large group of people but also small enough to remain intimate. Their biggest location in just south of Union Square on 13th Street, but be forwarned there is likely going to be a wait thanks to all those NYU kids.Spice also has some fantastic drinks. A lychee martini is around $5 and worth every penny, unless of course you don't like lychee. Spice is also good for a group where one person might not like thai but is willing to try it, as the menu is pretty expansive.
WHAT TO BITE? Crispy Calamari Salad, $6 and Drunk Man Noodle, $11
I was first introduced to Dim Sum after my last final of law school, and since then, I was hooked. While there are numerous places to go in Chinatown, and all probably of similar caliber, when you know which lady pushes the good cart of dumplings, you just go with what you know. The Golden Unicorn became that place for me.
They don't take reservations, so on the weekend a large party can have a wait of about 20 minutes, but trust me, it's worth it. The more people that go, the more dishes they cart out of the kitchen. While the three floor restaurant is open until 11pm, dim sum only goes until 3pm on the weekdays, 4pm on the weekends. The earlier the better though because, unless you have a hankering for chicken feet, the dishes fly off the cart quicker than they can stamp your card. Also, you don't want to take a picky eater here, as the women pushing the carts generally cannot give you a description of what the food is. You just eat it, and 99% of the time, it's delicious.
I would recommend going here with a larger group of people so as to try more dishes, but mazel to the couple who goes alone on a Sunday morning (and yes, that has been me). They have everything from pan fried dumplings, to steamed dumplings, to steamed or baked buns, to taro cakes and spring rolls. You can even get some steamed vegetables, a duck pancake made tableside or fried rice. Golden Unicorn also has a fantastic traditional Chinese menu, which you can order from if you don't stuff yourself with dim sum first (but, you will).
WHAT TO BITE? Try the shrimp and spinach dumpling, 3 for $3.25 or the baked pork bun, 3 for $2.95.
After checking out the Hester Street Fair one Sunday afternoon, a friend and I were walking back to my apartment when it looked like the skies were about to open Noah's Ark style. We ducked into a cute looking Asian restaurant with some of the lowest prices I've seen outside of Chinatown and decided to have lunch. As the rain beat down for the next hour, we dined on a delicious meal of flavorful meats and noodles, and have both been back numerous times since.
Cafetasia has two locations in Manhattan. I've been to both (the other near Washington Square Park) but this review is going to be for a birthday dinner I had at the East Village location recently.
I hate birthday dinners for to most part because there are too many people (and often time too many 'new' friends) to object to splitting the bill evenly. It's not that I'm a cheap person when it comes to my food. I think I've made it abundantly clear that I like going out to dinner, but I don't think it's appropriate for the person who ordered the dancing shrimp appetizer, the prime rib and downed an entire bottle of wine to pay the same as me with my mesclun salad with toasted walnuts and goat cheese. I didn't order the salad because I'm senor cheapo, I wasn't terribly hungry. I didn't refrain from drinking because I'm a penny pincher, I just need to go home and function after this dinner. And then comes paying for the birthday girl. This isn't Applebees and we're not in high school anymore. Though I understand it's easier to divide by 15, it's just as easy to pass the check around, split the alcohol bill by the number of people who actually drank and divide tax and tip evenly. We're adults. Math isn't that hard.
Moving on to Cafetasia. As usual, some members of the group arrived upwards of 45 minutes late, but they were very accommodating and let us sit at the table, filling our water glasses and waiting patiently until the banquet sized table was ready to order. For the most part, they did a great job with getting out this massive order (one appetizer was served late with the rest of our meal) and the prex fixe $13 dinner included: soup, salad, two fried spring rolls, three dumplings and dipping sauces, an entree, and a dessert. I also brought cupcakes, which they were nice enough to keep in the fridge and serve at the end of the meal, complete with dimmed lights, a candle, and accompanied by a disco/techno blend of "Happy Birthday". No, we did not have a private room for this, but I'm pretty sure the rest of the diners enjoyed the show.
The restaurant itself is in an industrial space with mirrors on one side, and a large metal bar on the other and the tables can be pushed together to fit anywhere from 2-50 people. All in all, it's a great place to have a birthday dinner where your diners won't walk away $90 poorer and resenting the day your mother brought you to this earth.
WHAT TO BITE? Chicken Basil Udon, $9.
SIDENOTE: The other Cafetasia is on 8th Street (btwn University Pl. and Greene St.) and has a different vibe (and a shorter happy hour). The tables are more communal, a little difficult to get into if you're wearing a dress, and there are gothic candelabras around the room. It's darker, more romantic and less industrial (although the bathrooms are unisex and strange) but still has the same great value and attentive service.
