Restaurant Review: Primo

Restaurant Review: Primo

Coming Soon: Michelin Guide, Maine

I sat on this review for a couple of days to collect my thoughts after eating one of the best meals of my life. I keep flipping through the incognito pictures I snapped throughout the dinner, except the one where my flash went off as I panicked and pocketed my phone while glancing around the dining room to see how many diners I pissed off with my embarrassing mistake—I don’t think anyone cared. I’m not faced with the same dilemma I was faced with after eating my birthday dinner at Le Bernadin: how do I write a review of something that is as close to perfect as I have experienced thus far in my life? I scrapped my review of Le Bernadin because I didn’t think I could do it justice… I kept getting stuck on the first paragraph where I tried to justify why some restaurants should get a fourth Michelin star. I think I have more to say about Primo. Primo isn’t quite the dining juggernaut that Le Bernadin is; it’s unassuming, casual, hidden, and every bit as good as Le Bernadin, but for completely different reasons. More so, I feel like everything has been said about Le Bernadin; We all know they’re leaders in the world of sustainability, boast a menu of the best fish dishes you’ll experience in your life, and we all know the accolades of Eric Ripert, and even his fish prep chef à la an episode of No Reservations. Everyone knows Le Bernadin is amazing, and I insist you eat there if you appreciate food and haven’t yet, but not everyone knows about Primo. I may still be able to introduce a few to some amazing things happening in a cozy converted Victorian getaway.

For those of you who saw my recent Instagram, I was in Maine with my girlfriend this past weekend celebrating our one year anniversary. Primo is located in Rockland, Maine, about an hour and a half drive along the coast from Portland. It’s a hike; my first trip to Maine was totally formulated around a meal at Primo. Saying it’s worth it is a complete understatement. Primo deserves all the accolades they’ve received and more. Melissa Kelly is a genius, admirable for her approach to farm-to-table cooking, and I don’t hesitate to say that Primo is the best restaurant in Maine—possibly the best restaurant in the Northeastern United States excluding New York City. I don’t think I’m just taking a leap for the purpose of this review, I really mean it. Let me get into things and see if I can do that statement justice:

We arrived at Primo on a brisk and starry Maine night. We were craving Pemaquid oysters to death and went in search of a restaurant to have a few before going to our dinner reservation, but not being able to find one, we arrived about a half an hour early. We were seen by the host and whisked upstairs to what I thought was just a bar—this was not just a bar; it was the fully functioning second head of Primo offering its own seating and wonderful looking bar menu including homemade antipasti and dollar oysters on Thursdays and Sundays... I’ll be going back solely for that. We each had cocktails: The Upper Manhattan included bourbon  sweet vermouth, and the precious Amarena cherries imported from Italy… easily the best Manhattan I’ve ever had. My girlfriend got an appertivo with prosecco, honey liquer, and the same said cherries—also fantastic. We stood at a side bar and watch a busy dining room function around us; I often think of waiters and waitresses moving around a crowded dining room as a ballet, the way they flow by with drunken patrons passing on their way to the restroom, trays full of food being delivered and bussed away. This dining room was particularly functional and even hid sullied dishes out of plain sight for bus boys to cart away at a later time. We weren’t left waiting long and were soon taken to our table for the night.

To my great surprise, the chef shucked us a dozen Pemaquid oysters… that won me over from the very beginning—I was so happy I could have started crying. Before the oysters, we ordered a very hearty meal including two appetizers, a pasta dish to share, and two entrees. Our waiter did attempt to steer us away from this ambitious menu, but we kindly declined. After a backyard chicken liver mouse amuse (Yes, even the chickens come from right outside), we began our meal. As I said, the Pemaquids, my second favorite oyster and hailing from right down the street where we were staying, were just pristine. After that we has the seared foie gras with pan perdu (that’s French toast) with Serrano ham, honeyed French pears, Marcona almonds, and a honey drizzle. The dish was an amazing play on foie gras on toast and pulled inspiration from France, Spain, and America yielding a truly awe inspiring first few bites of food. Salty, sweet, crunchy, and meaty all balanced perfectly… you can tell some real thought went into this dish.

This was after we destroyed the beautiful plating

Our pasta dish was a half serving of the seared scallop with wild mushroom on a Burgundy truffle and porcini tagliatelli. The scallops were perfect, the homemade pasta was to die for, and the dish was as elegant as a pasta can get. This would normally be the time for a break, another beer (mine was the Oxbow Saison from Newcastle, Maine… a new favorite), or to loosen up the belt. We sat and chatted about the restaurant’s décor, the friendly waiter, where the staff goes when the restaurant closes down for the winter. It was the perfect amount of time for us to regain our appetites and move on with our entrees. 

Also post-destruction of plating

Grilled strip steak with gnocchi, local mushrooms, fried and soubise onions with Asian greens was amazing. It was cooked perfectly and could stand up to any prime steakhouse meal in the world. However, the pork was the winner through the whole night.

Pork saltimbocca with garlic mash, garden spinach, procuitto, mushroom, and a Madeira jus. I was hoping beyond hope that they still had this on the menu. The flavor that is boasted in this meal could make any foodie rethink what it really means to go out to a four-star restaurant. It’s plated the way it should be—like your mother made it. It tastes unlike anything I have ever had in my life. It’s not that the wheel is being invented with this dish; pork saltimbocca is a very common Italian recipe meaning jump in the mouth. Yes, that is accurate. The balance of acid, umami, and fattiness of the dish are perfect. The sauce is ridiculous. I could eat a whole plate of the mashed potatoes. Even the spinach tastes like it came from a dream! I will try to replicate this dish many times this winter, and I’m sure I’ll fail over and over again… this is just one of those dishes you need to get from Primo to understand what I’m getting at.

I wish my camera phone did this better justice...

We settled our meal with Affogato,  an Italian dessert involving ice cream with espresso poured on top… they decided to go with a chocolate ice cream along with homemade zeppoles, and it worked wonderfully. I don’t often talk about the bill at the end of a meal, but this one needs to be commented on. I believe a great meal should come at any cost, whether it’s 50 or 500 dollars. We finished our meal with five drinks and five courses, basically turning Primo’s à la carte menu into a tasting menu, and both expected to pay New York City prices—easily around 500 dollars. Our bill, less tip, came to just over 200 dollars. I was in shock and actually had to add up the bill to see if our waiter accidentally left something off; he made no mistakes. While I would have happily paid top money to have the meal I just did, maybe it sat a little better at half the price I thought it would be.

As of today, October 10^th, 2013, the Michelin guide only rates American restaurants in New York City, California, and Chicago. There have been musings about Michelin expanding to Portland, Boston, Washington D.C., Las Vegas, and other cities. Before any other restaurant in America gets a star, I want to see Primo on that list. It deserves to sit along-side all other restaurants in America and could easily start with one, possibly even two stars… If Primo existed in New York City or Napa, it would already have them. It’s time for Michelin to expand, and Primo is the sole purpose for that. There is truly unbelievable food to be eaten out there, astounding and creative things being done—talent needs to be recognized, and this is the best way I can see that happening. For those of you who read this and wonder, what lies outside the Michelin guide and its stars? The answer is Primo—Proof that Michelin stars don’t mean everything and that every now and again, Michelin just plain gets it wrong. 

- Adam from Tipped Mixology