THOR (The Hotel On Rivington)

[adamru]

I had an early dinner at THOR last night, about which I was cautious after having had a negative experience staying at the hotel in their pre-room service days, but at the very least the dessert presentation in Time Out this past week looked creative and promising and I thought for better or worse it would make a great story to tell.

I know the restaurant opened on Tuesday and at the time opentable had reservations for almost every fifteen minutes throughout the first week but by the time I booked for Saturday, on the day prior, all that was left was 6:30PM and 10:30PM. I opted for 6:30PM, curious to see the type of crowd that poured in as we ate our meal knowing both the neighborhood and that fashion week was in town. My date and I were stuck in traffic and didn't arrive until 6:50PM and so we called to see if they'd hold our reservation knowing the restaurant would soon be filling up. Directory assistance still had no listing for the restaurant but we got through to the hotel which transferred us and we were assured it wouldn't be a problem to hold us a spot.

We arrived, took a right before the elevators and we were at the ground floor restaurant, wallpapered in a black and white almost op-art print which somewhat resembled the tiling in the hotel bathrooms. the seating was low deep beige leather banquettes and black wooden chairs, modern, clean and simple.

Our first encounter was with the hostess who offered the only attitude that we thought we'd find throughout. She made a show of finding our reservation on her monitor and then clicking and dragging our name to an appropriate table and I couldn't help but notice in the process that there weren't that many reservations in the system for the next couple hours. Indeed when we were seated under the skylit dining room the restaurant was nearly empty with staff standing around only having to cater to two or three other tables. We sat two tables away from an elderly couple who didn't seem to fit into this sort of hotel, restaurant or neighborhood and didn't seem to be enjoying it either. But fortunately we couldn't say the same.

The service, in the hands of our waiter Noah was friendly and attentive, although one staffer seemed obsessed with brushing the crumbs off the table every time dishes were removed between courses. The bread basket came with a small dish of olive oil with four olives in it.

The menu was split into cold and hot appetizers, fish and meat entrees, and dessert.

We ordered appetizers, four brought out in two courses, first the hamachi tomato and avacado which offered I believe four or five bites of each laid out in rows. At the same time they brought out the trio of chilled late summer soups which I assume will only be on the menu another week or two. Two green, one red, all very flavorful without being too salty, and so light. The red was sweet and one green was spicier than the other and I'm sorry I don't remember what they all were and there's no menu on menupages to refer. I only remember the difficulty in that course was the presentation. They came as a row of shot glasses inside a wooden base from which one had to pull and sort of unscrew them with some difficulty to remove them.

The next courses were gnocchi with I believe bacon and mushrooms, and ricotta ravioli - only three but it was an appetizer - in a butter sauce that had a touch of mint. The two dishes were in a nice contrast to each other - the ravioli being so light and with a welcome kick, the gnocchi and mushrooms so plentiful.

We paired the courses with four drinks from the cocktail menu which I don't recall as well as it was my girlfriend's domain but the orange fizz was a sweet standout that went well with the pastas.

For dessert we ordered a snickers tart which was a thousand times better than something similar I had at Spice Market when they first opened. The lollipops and malted that were featured in Time Out were the richest dessert, the lollipops are all filled with warm melted chocolate and are meant to be taken off the stick in one bite and let to melt in your mouth. It's a dough not a candy shell. The malted didn't quite fill the glass halfway but it was enough to wash down the pops which I suppose is its point. Also we tried the grape soda float with ginger ice cream. The ice cream already in the glass, someone else came out from the kitchen and sprayed the fresh kool aid-colored soda into the glass. Again they didn't fill it all the way up and in that case I wished they did. The only thing to complement it was homemade fig newton on the side, and if I had the choice I'd have preferred more soda than that.

Before the check they brought out four small warm spongy cookies - maybe they were almond - with a basin center and a sealed tube of chocolate sauce, tasted a bit like nutella, in what looked like an ointment tube. It said Hotel on Rivington on it. The tube stood up in a glass stand and served to fill the cookie basins. It was a nice touch as far as pre-check petit fours go and I hope they continue to offer it.

The freshness of ingredients, creativity of the desserts, and presentation of all the food really impressed us. I believe the check was about $120 and well worth it. For the latter part of the meal the chef lingered between the kitchen and the dining room and we had to tell him it was the best meal out we had in weeks - although in fairness we were in florida, and quality's not the same down there - but it was such a welcome return to new york dining and a great unofficial start to trying all the fall's new restaurants.

I honestly hope this restaurant does well which is a lot for me to say for as much as I disliked my stay in the hotel. But I really wonder, since there were no more people there when we left as when we arrived, to where all the reservations disappeared...

[jeunefilleparis]

I had dinner several hours ago at THOR. I had been to the hotel back when it was under construction to check out the rooms, but the entrance way wasnt quite finished yet. You enter in what seems like a white cave, it kinda reminded me of George restaurant on top of the Centre Pompidou in Paris

Anyways, the hostess was very attentive and nice as she took us to our table. The space was very nice, minimalistic, reminiscent of Wallse in a sense. Anyways, our server was one of the most attentive I have ever encountered. I told her that I was a vegetarian and would it be possible to make something up for the main course since the main courses were just fish and meat. She said that it wouldnt be a problem. My friend ordered the foie gras terrine with peaches and I had the ravioli with quark cheese with mint and a hazelnut sauce. My ravioli came in a trio along with some asparagus. I ve always loved quark cheese and the mint and hazelnut complimented it well. Though I didnt eat the foie gras terrine, my friend said that it was very very good.

I decided to have a risotto with olives, black trumpet mushrooms and whatever else the chef decided to add to it. We werent sure if he could do it since its usually done with a chicken stock but in the end, thats what i got. It was rich and creamy and full of great flavorful olives. My friend had a fish dish, i cant remember which one, it came on a bed of creamed spinache, again he enjoyed it very much. We also got the side of root vegetables and the gratin. The gratin was made of turnips which was rathe unique and was also very rich, but nice. The vegetables had a strange acidic taste to them. They were in a butter sauce but something was off about them

For dessert we opted for the lollipops since some of the desserts had gelatin in them which I cant eat and though the avocado, lime sorbet dish sounded interesting, i was more keen on the lollipops that were chocolate hazeletnut. apparently they are coated in butter and fried. The outside to my displeasure was kind of soft and soggy, as though they had been fried and forgotten about,, but once you bit into them, that all becam a foggy memory as the gooey chocolate flooded your mouth. The milkshake was fine, but nothing to write home about.

After that we got little madelines that came with a tube of chocolate "frosting" as the server called it. The chocolate was great and I brought half a tube back with me!

All in all the service was great and the space is lovely, but I prefer the food at Wallse.

[oakapple]

THOR is short for The Hotel on Rivington (107 Rivington St, between Essex & Ludlow). I don't know what possessed somebody to put a 21-story hotel at that location, although it is surprisingly easy to reach (just 2 blocks from the F train's Delancey St stop). Who could be staying there? You get no immediate idea of the hotel clientele when you visit, because the entire ground floor seems to be occupied by the vast lounge and restaurant. Indeed, you wouldn't even know that it is a hotel, except for the name. There is no check-in counter, bellhop, or concierge to give it away.

The host that greets you seems oh-so-annoyed to have landed in the maelstrom of a successful restaurant. You get the sense that he'd be happiner in a far less hectic profession. Just beyond his station, a capacious lounge area awaits, filled with beautiful young bodies sipping their drinks. Loud music thumps in the background. "This is very Lower East Side," my friend remarked.

The seating area is just beyond the lounge, and it is not far enough. I have not seen a serious restaurant that goes to a more sustained effort to ensure that your ears will be battered and assaulted during your meal. THOR's 21-foot ceiling offers plenty of hard surfaces for the sound to bounce off of, and the sound happily obliges. Your eardrums may need a medical checkup after the meal is over. The large tables (apparently the same ones you find at BLT Steak) offer plenty of room for the food, but to communicate you'll have to shout.

If you survive the aural onslaught, you'll be treated to some of the best and most creative food in New York. Of restaurants I'm familiar with, only nearby WD-50 offers a comparable exercise in culinary experimentation on this level. Practically every dish on THOR's menu offers surprising combinations from superstar chef Kurt Gutenbrunner.

I had my doubts about THOR, because Gutenbruner is now on his fourth restaurant (with Wallsé, Café Sabarsky, and Blaue Gans also in his stable). Perhaps, like many a celebrity chef, he's taken his eye off the ball. But Gutenbrunner is obviously as good a manager as he is a chef. THOR's kitchen staff turns out his creations expertly, and the service (despite the din) is nearly perfect.

Gutenbrunner told Frank Bruni that "he considered Thor the culinary equivalent of a chance to move from orchestral music to rock 'n' roll." You can see what he means. At his flagship Wallsé, the Austrian cuisine is excellent, but largely traditional. At THOR, he lets his wildest urges run wild, with spectacular results.

The menu is needlessly confusing. My friend, who hadn't researched the restaurant in advance (and one shouldn't have to), was initially baffled. In a preface, Gutenbrunner explains that there are plates of various sizes, allowing you to construct a tasting menu of your own design. But there is no indication of which plates are small, and which are large. Instead, the menu is in sections labeled "Cold Plates to Start," "Warm Plates in the Middle," "From the Market on the Side," "Hot Plates" (a fish list and a meat list) and "Sweet to Finish." Since when did the traditional captions — "Appetizers," "Entrées," "Side Dishes," and "Desserts" — need to be replaced?

Anyhow, after all that my friend and I each ordered a "Warm Plate," a side dish, a meat course, and a dessert. And we were transported. To start, my friend ordered the "Grilled shrimp skewers with green tomatoes, peppers and quark powder" ($14), and I the "Ravioli with farmers cheese, mint and hazelnut butter" ($13). My dish came with three ravioli, and they were wonderful; the ingredients worked marvelously together.

The side dishes are all $7. Many of them are traditional vegetable sides, but a terrific mushroom risotto is offered, which my friend and I both ordered. This is one of THOR's better bargains, given the intensive labor required to make a risotto. It could have been an appetizer in itself, but it came out with the main courses.

I hardly ever order calves liver; indeed, I can remember ordering it only once before in my life. It wasn't a bad experience, but calves liver is simply one of those dishes that you don't want every day. "Glazed calves liver with apples and scallions" ($24) seemed too intriguing to pass up, and my willingness to take a chance paid off. If all calves liver dishes were this good, nobody would be ordering foie gras.

My friend had "Roasted rack of lamb with broccoli puree and 14K golden nugget potatoes" ($28), which offered two hefty chops, which she said were spectacular.

For dessert, I tried the pumpkin cheesecake with maple syrup ice cream ($9), which Frank Bruni had described as "a happy nose dive into the heart of autumn." My friend ordered the petits-fours ($5), which come with what looks like a tube of toothpaste, but it actually contains hazelnut chocolate, which you squeeze into a small basin in the center of each cookie. WD-50's Wylie Dufresne and Sam Mason would be kicking themselves, and wondering, "Why didn't we think of that?"

The wine list is organized by region, but there is also a section labeled "Sommelier's Discoveries," featuring growers and/or regions that don't get a lot of publicity. The friendly sommelier came over unbidden and made a wonderful suggestion from that section. It was a 2003 Blaufrankisch by Feiler-Artinger, from Burgenland, a region of eastern Austria. Better yet, I had requested a wine between $35-45, and it was $39. Sommeliers who don't try to gouge every last dollar earn my everlasting respect. The restaurant uses stemless wine glasses from the Austrian firm Riedel. Somehow, you feel strange drinking wine from a stemless glass, although the Riedel catalog is in fact highly regarded, and pricey.

The individual dishes on the menu are all reasonably priced, but if you heed Gutenbrunner's advice to construct a "tasting menu," the bill can mount in a hurry. Our meal of an appetizer, side dish, main course, and dessert apiece, plus wine, was $192.56 (including tax and gratuity). Had we ordered more tasting plates or a different wine, it could easily have been a lot more. For cooking this good, we considered it money well spent.

THOR is full of contradictions. Kurt Gutenbrunner's serious cuisine finds itself in a clubland setting designed for twenty-somethings who probably don't realize how special it is. Many of those who would appreciate it are no doubt put off by the location, the clientele, or the noise. (We are in our forties, and seemed to be among the oldest people there.) But if you can put up with the racket, you'll find that THOR is serving some of the finest food in the city.

Edited January 8, 2006 by oakapple (log)

[Sneakeater]

For whatever reason, I eat at THOR A LOT, and I completely agree with everything you say.

But the reason I'm writing this post is to note that I ate at Hearth Friday night, and the sommelier recommended the exact same wine (we needed something that would go with both a fish course and a beef course). Given its relative obscurity, that seems like a fairly odd coincidence. Do you think it's part of the sommelier zeitgeist or something?

Edited January 8, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[lizard]

For whatever reason, I eat at THOR A LOT, and I completely agree with everything you say.

But the reason I'm writing this post is to note that I ate at Hearth Friday night, and the sommelier recommended the exact same wine (we needed something that would go with both a fish course and a beef course).  Given its relative obscurity, that seems like a fairly odd coincidence.  Do you think it's part of the sommelier zeitgeist or something?

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Either that, or just a savvy wine distributor with a great pitch...

[Sneakeater]

Either that, or just a savvy wine distributor with a great pitch...

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I think that might be what I meant by "zeitgeist".

[Sneakeater]

Back to THOR, it's interesting that Oakapple compared it to WD-50. I never really thought of THOR as "Gutenbruner goes experimental" as much as "Gutenbruner goes fun." The aptest comparison I could come up with for the way I saw it was David Burke -- food that is obviously well-thought-out and well-prepared, but kind of, you know, antic.

The dessert menu at THOR certainly is like that. Such as my (now departed) favorite, the concord grape/ginger float. (Not to mention those little squeeze tubes of chocolate.)

Anyway, however you look at it, THOR's a REALLY ENJOYABLE place, IMO.

[lizard]

Either that, or just a savvy wine distributor with a great pitch...

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I think that might be what I meant by "zeitgeist".

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Sorry. I imagined a "zeitgeist" would be formed out of many opinions permeating the culture, or a series of fantastic reviews from reliable sources--not the product of a single salesperson's pitch. Guess we have a different interpretation.

Edited January 10, 2006 by lizard (log)

[Sneakeater]

Those guys get around.

[Nathan]

closer to a Weltanschauung

[oakapple]

In today's critic's notebook, Frank Bruni talks about the subtle ways that restaurants pad the final bill. He makes a point about THOR that had struck me when I dined there:

Thor points diners toward two courses prior to the entree, dividing what other restaurants might label appetizers into distinct categories called "Cold Plates to Start" and "Warm Plates in the Middle." Thor has yet another category called "From the Market on the Side," which is where items like roasted or puréed potatoes lurk, entailing surcharges of $6 each.

Thor's chef, Kurt Gutenbrunner, said in a telephone interview that despite the semantic cues "to start" and "in the middle," the menu is not some culinary bait-and-bait designed to fatten checks....

I am not sure what Gutenbrunner could be thinking. If "to start" and "in the middle" do not mean starter and middle courses, then what do they mean? A comment from Gutenbrunner at the top of THOR's menu says that the idea is to encourage patrons to construct their own tasting menu, clearly implying a meal of more than just the traditional three courses of appetizer, entrée, and dessert.

The chef tells Bruni, "When people are going out, they know exactly how much they're going to spend the minute they walk out the door, and they're not going to spend more. And if you somehow make them, you've lost a long-term customer."

That is a dubious proposition. I don't know exactly how much I'll be spending for dinner when I walk out the door. Obviously I have a general range in mind, but people impulse-buy all the time, and clever restaurants find ways to increase the likelihood that those impulses will be exercised. Having said that, I don't necessarily blame the restaurant, as long as they aren't obnoxious or pushy about it. If prices are clearly disclosed—as they are at THOR—it's my own fault if I get caught in the heat of the moment, and spend more than I'd budgeted.

Edited January 11, 2006 by oakapple (log)

[rich]

The chef tells Bruni, "When people are going out, they know exactly how much they're going to spend the minute they walk out the door, and they're not going to spend more. And if you somehow make them, you've lost a long-term customer."

That is a dubious proposition. I don't know exactly how much I'll be spending for dinner when I walk out the door. Obviously I have a general range in mind, but people impulse-buy all the time, and clever restaurants find ways to increase the likelihood that those impulses will be exercised. Having said that, I don't necessarily blame the restaurant, as long as they aren't obnoxious or pushy about it. If prices are clearly disclosed—as they are at THOR—it's my own fault if I get caught in the heat of the moment, and spend more than I'd budgeted.

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I agree. It's silly a comment to say people know how much they're going to spend. Impulse buying is an economy unto itself.

I thought the article was on point, espcially with the water. I've come to believe restaurants make more money selling bottled water than any other single item.

As far as paying that much money for a glass of wine, I would blame the patron more than the restaurant. And that's true with bottles as well. If a restaurant's wine list is grossly overpriced, drink water (not bottled). The restaurant will eventually get the message.

It's no secret why Landmarc sells more wine per capita than any other restaurant in the city. And in the long run, they probably make more gross profit on wine as well.

[oakapple]

As far as paying that much money for a glass of wine, I would blame the patron more than the restaurant. And that's true with bottles as well. If a restaurant's wine list is grossly overpriced, drink water (not bottled).

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There's a middle ground, where you're paying more than you planned, but it's not so much that you're prepared to make do with water.

[Nathan]

Had a superb meal at Thor on Friday...

btw..the "middle courses" are almost entree sized and a great value.

shared the beet terrine...although fine...this was my least favorite course.

potato gnocchi were quite good and very filling (middle course).

spaetzle with sweetbreads was excellent (middle course)...but ordering this with the gnocchi was overkill...highly recommend this dish though.

venison in a parsley crust with brussel sprouts was extremely good. best game dish I've had since Charlie Trotters.

ordered a couple of unnecessary sides (although they were quite good..the red cabbage paired wonderfully with the venison).

despite the vibe...there is some excellent cooking in this kitchen...very reasonable as well....

[Eatmywords]

Had a superb meal at Thor on Friday...

btw..the "middle courses" are almost entree sized and a great value.

shared the beet terrine...although fine...this was my least favorite course.

potato gnocchi were quite good and very filling (middle course).

spaetzle with sweetbreads was excellent (middle course)...but ordering this with the gnocchi was overkill...highly recommend this dish though.

venison in a parsley crust with brussel sprouts was extremely good.  best game dish I've had since Charlie Trotters.

ordered a couple of unnecessary sides (although they were quite good..the red cabbage paired wonderfully with the venison).

despite the vibe...there is some excellent cooking in this kitchen...very reasonable as well....

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I was also very impressed with Thor last wknd.

The place was mobbed but we were sat right away in the lounge area. (I'll confess, we had a connection so we were spared what looked like an insane wait in the dining room with or w/out a res).

We expected to wait a long time for our food. Our terrine arrived w/in 4 min of ordering and mid courses just long enough after. The food was on a level of Walse and as creative as say Bar Room at the Moderne (w/prices significantly lower esp if you stick to mid courses). Really enjoyed every dish and our waitress was a sweetheart not to mention pretty hot.

It's definitely a scene but sans cliques. No one segment was overly represented by age, nationality or neighborhood which is very nice.

But if you're looking for a quiet dinner this is not the place. Thor is a well executed party.

[Noodlebot]

Glad to hear Thor is still going strong. I haven't been since October or so but definitely need to make a return trip soon.

[Noodlebot]

I first went to Thor in October soon after the restaurant opened, and I LOVED it. I just went tonight and the good news is that the food remains fabulous. The bad news is that prices have escalated drastically from my first visit and service has deteriorated to the same measure. The punch line: despite the great food, I won't be back.

First, to be fair, the food: my boyfriend and I shared a delicious spatzle and sweetbreads dish. I had the trout for my main. The fish was wonderful, although the "creamed spinach" that it came with was more like a sauce than a side. It was also a bit salty. My boyfriend was also very happy with his lamb (although a little underwhelmed by the accompanying broccoli puree). Only the banana and pineapple mousse dessert was subpar.

So, on to the meat of the review. We had reservations at 9:30. We weren't seated until 10:30. When we were seated, it was without any sort of apology whatsoever for the wait. I was annoyed, needless to say, but I know that Thor is sceney, so I tried to make do. Things got worse when I looked at the menu. Prices have gone up significantly since my first visit, but I had no inkling because the Thor website doesn't list prices and the menupages listing still has the same prices as I had on my first visit. So, for example, the brook trout went from $18 on my first visit (per menupages) to $25 on this visit. My boyfriend's lamb was now $28, up from $23. Even dessert prices were inflated, now $9, instead of $7. Unfortunately, this increase in prices was not met by the level of service, which was perfunctory at very best. We waited almost 20 minutes from the time we sat down (an hour past reservations!) to order. Our waitress was friendly, but obviously overworked and overstressed. She simply didn't have time to do anything but take our orders.

Overall, my visit to Thor made me very sad. I would love to go back for the food, but with prices as high as they currently are, I expect a little bit of a relaxed atmosphere and good service. Instead, Thor is loud, cramped, and fast-paced (after we ordered it was literally 45 minutes later when we paid our check). I regret to say that I won't be back. The food just isn't worth the hassle.

[jg488]

I was at Thor on Saturday night and I agree completely with Noodlebot's assessment. It was way too hectic and loud to enjoy the food. I'll add that the wine service wasn't up to par. I asked to speak with the wine director to help us choose a bottle. The woman who came over didn't know much about the bottles I asked about and seemed in a big rush. Our evening was quite a disappointment and I won't be going back.

[Noodlebot]

Funny you should mention the wine service. My boyfriend and I ordered a glass of wine each. The bottle our server brought for my boyfriend only had 2 drops in it (apparently she didn't notice it was incredibly light), so she had to go back to the bar, uncork another bottle, and then come back to fill the glass. Weird.

[iheartoffal]

I went recently and was completely underwhelmed. The much vaunted spaetzle and sweetbread dish was oversalted with no contrast in flavor or texture from any of the components. The foie gras terrine wasn't half bad, but then again, it's hard to ruin foie (for me, anyway). Everything else was inoffensive at best. I probably won't go back either, unless of course someone else is paying.

[Pan]

I'm going to a party at THOR tomorrow. Sounds like I should get drinks only and eat somewhere else? What do you think?

[Nathan]

It was very good the last time I was there -- which was before the chef change. Who knows? Maybe it's still good.

[Pan]

What should I order?

[Nathan]

If it's still the old menu -- I think the apps and "midcourses" were better than the entrees. The quark was amazing.

I think I have a review up this thread.

[Luckylies]

if the menu is still the same try the beet/goat cheese terrine and the gnocchi with mushroom sauce. I know the gnocchi is still on the menu, as the new chef told me the other day.

I'm sorry to say this but the service in THE ENTIRE hotel is horrible, bordering on criminal. Forgotten things, general rudeness and unprofessionality, bad lighting, inaccomidation etc. it's a shame as the food was really good the times I was there.