Primo Restaurant is a chef-owned place by Melissa Kelly who was the 2013 James Beard Foundation Award winner of the American Express Best Chef, Northeast.  She also won this award in 1999 making her the first 2 time winner of the same award.  It started as a small venture with one greenhouse and one acre of gardens to 2 greenhouses, 60 staff and 3 acres of gardens as well as chickens and pigs. It is a huge place with a 2 story house being the main eating area with a roaming parking lot to the side that goes up by other buildings and gardens.  It was dark and rainy the night we went so it was hard to tell what was what.  There were tables on the porch around the large house but the weather did not allow these to be seated.  Some rooms had white tablecloths and others bare wood.  We were seated in a small room upstairs with old wood floors and bench seating around the walls and small tables.  Art for sale was on the walls and I saw 2 bars upstairs.  The server told us the place was named for the chef’s grandfather when he had a brief moment to chat.  The menu changes daily and yet specials were verbally delivered by the server.  The food was good, the ambiance a bit hectic and my overall impression was once was enough.

Set-up

 

Food

We enjoyed a Charred Orange Negroni as we looked over the menu.  It was made with a wood oven charred orange, gin, Campari and Sweet Vermouth.  It was good but the charring turned it a brownish color.  They served an amuse bouche of watermelon gazpacho with a skewer of sweet soft yellow watermelon across the cup of tasty soup.  It was cool and refreshing.

 

The Pizza of the Day was Arrabbiata with farm fresh and pickled peppers, fresh mozzarella and basil.  It was a bit spicy, as it should be.  The mozzarella was dabbed onto the top and parmesan cheese made up the bottom layer.  It had a lovely puffed edge and cooked throughout but could have used more sauce.  It was good, not great.

 

Pork Chop was a nightly special.  It was brined then grilled and served with Anson Mills grits, collard greens with housemade bacon and topped with onion rings.  it was cooked a more medium than medium rare but was still nicely juicy and tender.  The greens were well cooked and the grits lovely – a real southern plate.  The onion rings were okay.

 

Grilled La Belle Farms Duck breast was grilled, sliced and served with fresh local plums, black rice, melon and olive oil sauce and a fennel and arugula salad with Elderberry jus.  The duck was cooked medium rare as requested and the plums were mixed into the salad.  The black rice had lots of texture while the duck had a good skin with most of the fat layer rendered.  Both mains were good plates but neither had intense flavor however the pork was more succulent than the duck.

 

I found “Zeppole” or made-to-order donuts on the dessert menu and so had to give them a try.  They were coated with cinnamon sugar and came in an order of 4 or 8.   We took the half order and they were hot with a crisp exterior.  The interior was a mix of dough and air but somehow they were not as good as many beignets I’ve had in New Orleans.  Maybe the exterior didn’t get the interesting crisp-to-soft interior right or maybe they needed more cinnamon sugar.  Again, they were good, but not great.

 

With the bill came a last treat of chocolate truffle.  It was small but extremely flavorful and good.