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Otom (was: Moto 2.0?)

Otom (was: Moto 2.0?)
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  • Otom (was: Moto 2.0?)

    - July 24th, 2007, 9:24 pm
    - July 24th, 2007, 9:24 pm Post #1 - July 24th, 2007, 9:24 pm
    So true to my word, I sampled a few courses at Otom tonight. I came away feeling very meh about the place. It has the potential to be good but as of now borders on unremarkable.

    First of all, this was my first visit to the area. All I can say is wow. It's like a 21st century Meatpacking District that never quite gentrified. Surroundings aside, Otom is not an unattractive restaurant. Sure it takes advantage of some of the most overused trends in restaurant interior design, but it's certainly a step up (for those who know, there IS pun intended there) from the outside.

    As wide as the cocktail list is, the menu is narrow. I believe there are six app choices and maybe seven-ish mains. These apps include such culinary modern marvels like bacon Caesar salad with black pepper, grilled cheese, sliders, and soup of the day. Mains include mac-and-cheese, chicken pot pie, apricot-glazed ribs, breaded cod, and things like that. I have no problem with comfort food, but the modern touches promised on earlier preview menus were completely absent. Besides the name and location, there is effectively nothing that links the two restaurants. Those expecting Moto-lite will be severely disappointed, and those like myself expecting American comfort food with a bit of modern technique will be duly let down.

    I sampled the brasiola, arugula, and apple salad. I usually never order salad, but this was honestly the most interesting of the starters. It was fine but nothing special. Pine nuts and the thinly sliced meat gave the salad a bit of warmth and depth. I also had the mac-and-cheese, served in a cute Staub-like crock. This had andouille and fennel and was quite tasty if a bit runny. The cheese bechamel was more thin sauce than rich and creamy binder. The flavors were on, however. To finish, I had the banana split, the most creative dish of the night. Here were three caramelized pieces of banana encased in a crisp chocolate shell, topped with nuts and classic split accompaniments. One banana skewer was topped with pineapple, one with caramel, and the last with minced marashino cherry. While quite sweet, I enjoyed this dish; it's actually evocative of David Burke's cheesecake lollipop tree.

    Service on the whole was extremely solicitous, sometimes to a fault. I have no problem if multiple staff members ask me how I'm doing, how I'm enjoying my food, how I enjoyed my food, if I enjoyed myself. That part was fine. The fact that the waitstaff seemed eager to fire everything at once was a bit overkill. The restaurant, not even counting the empty front bar/lounge, was not even half full, yet my salad was out in about three minutes and my mac-and-cheese placed in front of me by the same server who was at the same moment using his other hand to clear my salad bowl. The mac-and-cheese was too hot to eat anyway, so a few minutes of intermission time would not have been a problem. My dessert followed about two to three minutes after I ordered. I was almost shocked the cooks could physically assemble the dishes so quickly. I'm all about efficiency, especially as a solo diner, but this was a bit much.

    For a restaurant that's been open for a week, I can see this place surviving. I do think, however, the menu, if it remains this simple, needs to be expanded. Or better yet, follow the course of the banana split dessert and infuse a bit of whimsy and creativity into classic dishes for a more unique value prop.

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