What is it about the meatpacking district of New York City that draws in so
many entrepreneurs to set up restaurants - and why is that so many of these
meatpacking-district-based restaurants become top crowd-drawers that gain
widespread recognition from the culinary and gastronomic worlds? Spice
Market is yet another of these restaurants that we described, considered
among the 25 leading restaurants of the city. It is considered a moderately-
to expensively-priced restaurant, with food prices ranging from $15 to $30
for one meal alone. But chances are the prices are not the first thing you
will notice about Spice Market - the first thing that will strike you upon
entering is that this is one BIG restaurant (estimated to be as large as a
bus depot actually.) Then you will notice that the food is predominantly of
Southeast Asian influence - Southeast Asian street food that is.
Somehow, one does not usually make the connection between the meatpacking district of New York City, and a restaurant which is considered one of the top 25 restaurants in the city. How did that happen? Well, for one thing, the owner of the restaurant (Florent Morellet) has been dubbed the patron saint of this predominantly blue-collar and perhaps even downright seedy neighborhood. Morellet has garnered recognition for his efforts at uplifting the conditions of the members of the community - from the HIV and AIDS victims who are often left out in the cold, to the gays (lesbians and homosexuals alike) who are equally rejected by mainstream society. It is perhaps just good karma that his restaurant Florent is also one very good eating place that serves very good food, thus recognition from the gastronomic community also follows.
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