Spice Market Restaurant   

Jean-Georges Vongerichten plans on taking over the world. Maybe not all by himself, not all at once, but it will happen. The world-renowned, wildly inventive chef is like one of those avalanche snowballs rolling downhill: It gains speed, gets bigger and you know that there's a big bang coming. That hill is New York City and the "big bang" is his new Asian-cuisine hot spot, Spice Market. Simmering in a sprawling, 12,000-foot, century-old warehouse in the Meatpacking District, Spice Market plays up the elements that have made his global Vong a hit: essence of the Orient in light spices, dozens of herbs, fruit scents and vegetable broths. And even though he's blanketed the city (his other ventures include Jean Georges, 66 and JoJo) with haute French and Asian flavor, he still needs the help of Gray Kunz and Phil Suarez to secure Chelsea's heart. But don't worry: Although Kunz, formerly of Lespinasse, is Swiss, he grew up in Southeast Asia. And along with Vong's sidekick Stanley Wong, they know their way around a bouillabaisse.