New York - September 07, 2005

What Are You Waiting Thor?

Thor Restaurant Opens

We were sharpening our Viking metaphors. Had thunderbolts, Norse gods, Wagner, and runes at the ready.

Then we asked chef Kurt Gutenbrunner why he decided to name his new venue Thor.

“The Hotel on Rivington: THOR,” he answered (politely omitting the “duh, DailyCandy”).

Oh.

But that may be the only buzz kill about the newest LES bar/lounge/restaurant. (Yeah, yeah, another one. We’ll pause while you bemoan the fate of your beloved neighborhood.)

Not surprisingly, the place is on design overdrive. Lounge seating is arranged for maximum people-watching and clique-enforcing. Walls are lined with lace-patterned paper in silver, black, and white. The ceiling soars up and up. (Look how pretty: tenements on the horizon.)

The menu is more crowd-friendly than it is at Wallsé, Gutenbrunner’s Austrian temple. It’s also visually interesting (white tomato mousse with heirloom tomatoes) and delightfully whimsical (the chocolate sauce that accompanies the coconut doughnuts comes in a paint-like tube, and you’re  welcome to squeeze it wherever you want).

And so lightning has struck these tiny streets again. The myth lives on for now.

Thor, 107 Rivington Street, between Essex and Ludlow Streets (212-796-8040).