Yes, OTOM! Did you notice that the first letters of each word in [Or…Truth On Monday] gave the whole thing away? And even worse, the sentence fragment “More to follow (or what you have become…)” was a furiously lazy and misleading cryptic crossword-style clue: “More to follow” anagrams to “OTOM follower,” which is what you, the reader, have become by way of paying attention to these posts (consider yourself released from bondage). We hope you’re not too mad at us for jerking you around like that, but at least we’ve enjoyed it. But cut us some slack - OTOM is itself a wordplay on moto, its sibling restaurant.
Anyway, the restaurant. There’s been buzz about OTOM for a while now, certainly as far back as early June, when The Food Chain posted its preliminary menu. Since then, the chef changed (from Chris Jones to Daryl Nash, moto’s former sous chef), and so have the offerings. Obviously you already know about the brasiola salad, the antipasto and the burger trio, but those are only the appetizers! The entrées are of the globe-trotting variety, ranging from Merguez with peppers and onions (Morocco) to lasagna with ricotta, parmesan and taleggio (Italy) to grilled sirloin with chimichurri potatoes (Argentina) to mussels with Thai red curry (duh) to apricot baby back ribs with sherry slaw and pickles (the good old U.S. of A).
The restaurant’s philosophy - not impossible to discern from the menu options - is upscale comfort food. Compared to moto, where molgas and edible menus reign supreme, OTOM’s offerings are familiar and accessible, and decidedly upscale. For example, dessert might consist of a peach cobbler with brownie and ice cream, but it will be “cut and plated totally different than what you’re used to.” What we think the PR means is, it will taste like a peach cobbler with brownie and ice cream, but it sure won’t look like one.
At any rate, we have high expectation for OTOM, given its provenance (and how much we built it up). It opens today; go visit and let us know what you think.
