New York City Affordable Places

When a friend told me about Green Tea Spa, I thought “Is that an organic food store?” A little googling and citysearch led me to their website, where I discovered that Green Tea was not only a really popular name for a massage spas nationwide (who knew?), but also Murray Hill’s answer to the cheap Chinatown massages…but nicer.

Green Tea Spa is named after green tea, which they provide after every service. The green tea is said to speed post massage blood circulation while circulating toxins and uric acid in the joints, which will later elimate through sweat or urine. Basically, it cleanses you and gets out all your nastiness. Who couldn’t use that? Green Tea Spa provides back, foot and full body massages for men and women as well as foot reflexology, accupuncture and spa facials. The full body massages are their forte and for the mere price of $48, a true New York City bargain.

Unlike the cheap massages of Chinatown, they don’t bring you into a dark room with questionably sketchy sheets. The rooms are nice and smell like aromatherapy, and the staff are kind and soothing. The regular full body massage is the perfect amount of pressure on back, arms and legs and leaves you feeling peaceful and relaxed days after. Just specify your aches and pains and the therapists will customize your massage with a combo of Swedish, Shiatsu and Deep Tissue. (Word of caution, Deep Tissue really gets in there. It’s not for pain-phobes!) Make sure you note sports injuries/pains, headaches, sinus issues, etc. There masseuses specialize in tailoring each massage to your needs.

For $35 you can also get a hot stone facial. My friend splurged and indulged in one raving about how it helped her headaches and sinus issues. I’m not going to lie, I was jealous. Next time.

Green Tea Spa  240 East 28th Street between 2nd and 3rd 212.683.4048 Open daily 10:30-10 p.m.

Revved for a good dinner but low on cash surprisingly led me to one of New York’s most delicious neighborhoods, the West Village, where I met two beautiful friends at Fatty Crab.  Fatty Crab is pretty much a New York City institution – for those who know about it – and the hands down best Malaysian-style crab outside of, um.. Malaysia? Not that I would actually know. But I do know quite a bit about Fatty Crab! So I’ve sifted through my wealth of New York City restaurant knowledge and pulled out three things you should know before you go.

1) It’s called Fatty Crab because you should order the crab.

2) They call it a “joint” as opposed to a restaurant.

3) Chef Zak Pelaccio’s been doin’ Asian since, well, I don’t really know when actually. But he def worked at the now defunct Chickenbone Cafe in the BK before working at 5 Ninth, which I almost all together ignore not because I can find anything wrong with their Cuban sandy but because I don’t so much do those Meatpacking places. But we heart him because he then opened Fatty Crab, which as since expanded to Fatty Crab UWS. Not that I’ll visit the latter locale any time soon. You know how I feel about dining above 23rd Street. (With Per Se and Tao as obvious exceptions. And stop snickering, Tao has the best desserts ever.)

      
Onto the food. My friend outright scolds Pelaccio for having thus far failed to bottle and sell the BBQesque sauce that smothers the crab. It is literally so good I can’t even find the words to describe it – tangy, thick but light and succulent. The sauce tastes delicious with the coconut rice. The beef/pork sliders surprisingly do not taste like your average slider and come with a pickle, lettuce and sweet yummy bun. The mango salad is spicy, peanuty shredded greatness, if a little standard. I also recommend the pork buns, which are moist with the perfect amount of pork/bun ratio. Our food bill came to around $80 total for three ladies, and we had more than enough food. If you are really watching your dollas, order PBR. Our alcohol total was $90 – more than our food!, but we had champagne because, like I said, we’re ladies.
The atmosphere is key. Everyone is lively, patient and there for the food. No reservations in the village location, so have a cocktail to start and then beer with your meal. They serve Rogue Fatty Crab Sidestepper Ale on draft, and it’s perfect with the crab.

The Fatty Crab  W. Village 634 Hudson between Horatio and Gansevoort  UWS 2170 Broadway between 72nd and 73rd  212.496.2722

Wow have I been deprived of romantic wining and dining, and consequently wining about it to anyone in earshot. This economy has Romeo and I restrained to my cooking, although obviously delectable hence the food review gig, or pizza. Well I couldn’t bear another night of it and racked my brain for an affordable alternative. ‘Inoteca’s chattiness falls short of the quixotic atmosphere I yearned for (yes, yearned), but what it lacks in fantasy it makes up for with amour and of course, vino.

The comprehensive list of over 600 Italian wines bears something for every wallet size. If overwhelming length mutes the romance, skip the list and describe to your server the kind of wine you like. The waitstaff will gracefully steer you in an appropriate direction.  The Italian words tend to run together, so have your waiter write the wine you order. Had someone told us that, I could recommend our choice. Next time.

We started with the grilled calamari salad with fennel, capers, roma tomatoes and gremolata, followed by the creamy ricotta bruschette. I was jonesing for the polenta, and although said beau had reservations, he was pleased with the outcome. Crispy on the outside and a tad bit grainy, the polenta is currently served with a poached egg, pancetta, parmesan and charred ramps, which resemble elongated spinach crossed with chard.  This is my favorite dish. Our fish (halibut? bass?) served grilled with baby artichokes, new potatoes and tomatoes though very good was outshone by the polenta.

I swore off sweet things for the month of May but couldn’t resist a Nutella panini the server recommended to finish our vino. Around that time I think I said “I love you,” for the staff are ‘Inoteca. Sure they’re required to know the extensive wine list and Italian translation, but are they also required to be so freakin’ nice? When the bill came it was a mere 86 bones, 41 of which purchased the vino. Our dinner was just $45? Now that is what I like to call affordable romance.

98 Rivington @ Ludlow  Open Daily  212.614.0473

Browsing through this weeks random free and almost free publications, I noticed a variety of Mother’s Day spa specials. Doggie moms are moms too, right? And since my pooch don’t got no daddy, I treated myself to an early Mother’s Day present and booked a day of services Friday.

For $89 plus tip, I was promised a papaya mango body polish, a 30 minute massage and a mani/pedi. When I arrived at the spa, I was immediately turned off by the late 70’s style chairs they have at the manicure stands. My brain reminded my mind not to judge a book by the cover, and I moved swiftly past said chairs to check in. The staff were courteous and contained only a little of the New York edge I usually encounter at these spa special joints. I was offered a choice between a Deep Tissue, Swedish or Craniosacral Massage, which I thought sounded like only a doctor should perform. I chose door #1, then took my robed and slippers to change.

The body scrub was okay. This may sound petty, but I get weirded out when I don’t know the brand of products used. I’m fine going to Elizabeth Arden, Bliss or Aveda, but feel skeevy when random “papaya” lotion is lathered on my naked body. The woman scrubbed me all right. She damn near scrubbed this doggie mama raw; but afterward, I felt five pounds lighter and my skin soft like a baby’s. My deep tissue massage made me scream in pain. I request three times not sooooo deep, and eventually she lightened up. Word of warning: if you can’t take the heat, don’t go in the Deep Tissue Massage’s kitchen. Choose #2 or #3.

The mani/pedi concluded my treatment and was pretty standard with a little more scrubbing and massaging on my now nothing-but-bone calves. It was the same caliber you would get at a Bloomie’s but with uglier chairs. My overall rating for this service is a low B. I would probably give it a C if it weren’t so cheap and might even give it a low A if I knew the products used.

Is it worth it? If you need smoother skin and a massage, yes. But like everything these days, it depends on you budget. Should you give a Vada Spa for a gift for your mother? Probably not. But it is totally fine to get a friend or your brother’s wife. No, really.

Vada Spa 387 6th Avenue between Greenwich and Waverly Open 9a.m. to 10p.m. 7 days a week. 212-206-1572