The 60 Thompson hotel is back, but it’s changed its address to 58 Thompson and its name to The Manner. Also, in lieu of an impossible-to-get-into scene, The Manner is coming into the neighborhood, gathering space. Its restaurant, The Otter, is run by Alex Stupak of Empellon fame, but doesn’t continue in the Mexican food vertical. This is a first look at The Otter and whether it should be on your list.

Atmosphere

I’ve been coming to 60 Thompson in what has been every rendition it’s had, since it opened over twenty years ago. When it first opened, you could barely squeeze into a table in the restaurant, and you braved the bouncer at the upper floor private bar. Although it was trendy and too cool for school then, with its modern-forward design, today, as The Manner, it’s never looked better. They spent a lot of money on the re-design of the restaurant space. The result is a highly polished — literally and figuratively — dining space.

I’ve said this before, but it’s always refreshing when a restaurant goes out of the Roman & Williams standard design box. Inside, it kind of felt like the sleek interior of a boat, with light wood flooring and ceiling. To make it interesting, they have a unique Roman/Greek-inspired mural that brings in a blue color palette. I like the uniqueness of the chairs in the dining room, but the low back was less comfortable. But overall, the dining room has never looked better.

A Neighborhood Joint

In lieu of going all Corner Store on us (which is nearby), The Otter is more of a neighborhood place where you can drop in. The bar Sloane, which you pass through on the way into the restaurant, is the perfect place for a first date. The dining room wasn’t overly crowded on the Thursday we came in, but it was full enough. As it currently stands, The Otter is a place where you come to spend time with your dining companions. You can have a civilized conversation and there is just enough scene to make it interesting. However, don’t expect it be like The Corner Store where you’ll run into Gigi and Taylor.

Food + Beverage

In a word, uneven. There were components of our meal that were very good. However, there were parts where respectfully, they need to go back to the drawing board. First, the good (actually very good). We started with the scallop crudo, which is presented with separate red chili and green chili renditions. The green was fresh and light, and the red was was more tangy and savory. In hindsight, I could have had this starter on my own, but saved room to try what we could on the menu.

We moved onto the dressed seafood platter — that’s where things started to get uneven. The trout roe and smoked salmon was my favorite, and I would order that component again. The rest of it was anti-climactic and not very flavorful. I normally love razor clams but their version had bland mushrooms on top and didn’t shine. The octopus also lacked flavor, though it didn’t surprise me, as it was the least dressed on the plate. Moving onto the oyster, with what I think was a cold creamy cucumber sauce, and the tuna with capers; if blindfolded, it all tasted indecipherable.

The Main Courses

We went onto the clams and shells, and after a few bites I wanted the food to stop. For a dish that had so much flavor potential and came out steaming hot, the sauce had no flavor whatsoever. I never waste seafood, but the clams were mostly uneaten as those didn’t taste that fresh either. The other dish we ordered was the parsley root crab agnolotti with Ritz crackers on top, which I was also poised to love. But like the rest of the food, there was something missing in the seasoning. Both these dishes should be revised on their formulation and seasoning. In concept, they sounded delicious but fell short on execution. We had the pistachio tiramisu to end, and once again, it all sounded great but wasn’t anything I would order again.

To end on a high note though, the cocktails, on the other hand, were creative and perfectly executed. They had their own riffs on everything, from a classic martini to Pisco sour — and this is where they shined. I would come back in a heartbeat for drinks in the bar and the scallops.

Service

The service at The Otter was friendly from start to finish, with a slight elevation above a regular neighborhood restaurant. Everything came out as it should, and the servers were attentive. This isn’t the kind of place where they’re going to passionately describe the provenance of the dishes or the cow that was milked for the sauce. However, that’s not what you’re at The Otter for. I don’t know if service as it stands is going to cultivate regulars, but time will tell.

Overall: 7.2/10

The Otter is a good standby if you’re in the neighborhood or in a pinch for a reservation for a large group.

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FAQs

Q: What is the address of The Otter NYC?

A: The address of The Otter NYC is 58 Thompson Street, New York, New York. The Otter NYC is located inside The Manner Hotel on the ground floor.

Q: What are the hours of operation of The Otter NYC? :

A: The hours of operation of The Otter NYC are as follows:

Q: Do you need reservations for The Otter NYC?

A: The Otter NYC is relatively new, and so far, you can walk into the bar or dining room with relative ease. You can make reservations though on Resy.