For all the props Alex Stupak receives as the chef behind New York’s Empellón mini-empire , the city can still be a tough environment for him. After opening the nominally “new American” Mischa in April 2023, he had to close the restaurant less than a year later—despite (or perhaps because of) the hubbub surrounding the $29 hot dog. Mischa’s quick shutdown hasn’t scared away Stupak, though: He just debuted two spots at the newly opened Manner hotel in Soho.
The Otter is his take on a neighborhood seafood restaurant, while Slone’s upstairs is an elegant cocktail bar. Both concepts may seem played out in N.Y.
C., but Stupak’s eclectic take on the classics makes them stand out. At the Otter, Stupak has drawn on his New England roots to develop a seafood-heavy all-day menu.
You can expect his version of oysters on the half shell, fried fish with tartar sauce, and the quintessential lobster roll. A dressed seafood platter shows off oysters, razor clams, tuna and sea urchin, trout roe and smoked salmon, and octopus. Salt-roasted head-on prawns come accompanied by black pepper dipping sauce, while steak is replaced by swordfish in an au poivre preparation.
Even landlubbers can chow down at the Otter: Stupak offers a double cheeseburger with remoulade and a New York strip with crawfish béarnaise. Journey to the second floor for the cocktail-forward Sloane’s, with a drinks program dreamt up by Jenny Willing. Extravagance is key, so you can indulge in the ocean’s .
