Restaurant Preview
The first details surrounding the enigmatic construction adjacent to Exeter’s esteemed Inn by the Bandstand have just been released. Lee Frank, the executive chef and acting general manager of the Anneke Jans in Kittery, Maine, has just announced his proprietorship of the upcoming Otis restaurant, housed next to the Inn. Agostinho Nunes and Jaime Lopez, the neighboring innkeepers and partners of Frank, have been actively renovating both the interior space and lavish outdoor terrace for several months.
“We definitely are looking to… bring something new to the town of Exeter. For the residents, students and visiting parents, [to] give them another option in town.” Frank announced in a phone interview this Monday. Though the restaurant is new, its name has great historic meaning. Frank wished to preserve part of the building’s history by naming it after Otis Sleeper, who had originally built the site as a jewelry store in 1910.
Otis will be a full service restaurant seating 28 indoors and many more in its backdoor terrace, which it shares with the Inn. It will even have full-liquor license bar seating 10 people, and a chef’s counter seating 4.
The restaurant’s chief aim is to offer “casual fine dining” in an assortment of modern American cuisine dishes. Otis will accommodate anyone’s schedule and intentions. According to Frank, “[Otis will be] an everyday place,” catering to anyone ranging from “someone looking for a quick bite to eat before they see a movie or go out [to] someone who wants to spend their entire night out at the restaurant.” A five-course chef’s tasting menu will be included in the regular menu. To keep options fresh and interesting, Frank declared that the “menu will be constantly evolving,” with new items introduced every week. The restaurant will also have strong ties to local farms, which will supply most of the establishment’s ingredients.
The restaurant is projected to officially open in early August this summer, barring any major construction setbacks, and will definitely be open and available for Exonians’ use when school resumes next fall.