My parents were up last weekend for some hang out and dining. Since my mom’s last post went over pretty well, thought we could do a Mom and Me post for our dinner.
Mom: After a bit of discussion with our resident gourmet advisors on Sunday afternoon, it was decided that we would venture over to Primitivo Wine Bistro on Abbot Kinney for an early Sunday supper with Jonah and Suzy. We had plenty to celebrate, including wedding anniversaries, baby-on-the-way, Sunday afternoon and Halloween around-the-corner. We called ahead to reserve a table on the patio at the opening time of 5:30.
Me: The last time I went to Primitivo, it was a spur of the moment dinner after striking out at Cora’s Coffee Shop. Primitivo is consistently crowded and getting in early or with a reservation seems to be the way to go.
Mom: Upon arrival our table was ready and the patio was hopping with a neighborhood family Halloween get together! Wait, it sounds crazier and more intrusive than it was. I am a huge fan of children, just not under foot when I am out for an adult meal. This group of about 30 or so children and adults was corralled in an adjacent part of the patio and was appropriately controlled for the environment. The entire scene was reminiscent of a sort of village bistro where all generations enjoy themselves in close proximity. We sat immediately next to another multi-generational group obviously out to celebrate a family occasion – much like ourselves. It helped that it was a glorious southern California autumn evening. The menu lends itself well to the support of the general ambiance.
Me: The patio was great. The party next to us was passing around a pitcher of sangria and it nearly kept moving to our table. The Halloween party was festive, but not distracting.
Mom: Primitivo’s menu is based on the Italian wine bar/small plates concept with several fantastic choices of smallish entrée- style dishes, as well as hot and cold appetizer and salad selections. I hesitate to use the term “tapas� for these dishes (although they do!) as it conjures up visions of mostly fried or otherwise heavy bar type appetizers that are at most a bite or two in size. The fare on this menu is based on Farmers- market- fresh vegetables, and grains, lean meats and fresh fish with liberal use of various nuts, artisan cheeses and fresh and dried fruit. All are enhanced by innovative preparations and pairings. Actually, 2 dishes make very adequate and delicious meal for one. Taking that route would, however, eliminate the fun of sharing plates and bites around the table.
Me: The entrées are good size, last time we ordered two per person and more than full by the time we left. One way to go is to order everything up front, the kitchen paces things pretty well. The other way to go is to order a few dishes at a time. You can pace yourself that way and decide if you need more dishes, or just more wine!
Mom: We mulled over the menu while munching on authentically chewy, holey Italian bread accompanied by olive tapenade and light aioli mayo. That and our wine selections from the over 100 options of both domestic and old world vintages and one glass of Sangria was a satisfying first taste of what was to come. I was disappointed to discover upon checking the website later, and then my bill, that the Sangria should have come to us at happy hour price and had not. Gracious hospitality dictates that when a special treat is offered, it shouldn’t have to be asked for. It WAS a generous and strongly flavored thirst quencher. The four of us settled on 2 salads and four assorted hot plates to share. The first was a beet salad with micro greens and Roquefort cheese chunks which came out in a stack of finely chopped red and yellow beets, greens so micro we think they may have been omitted and two nice slices of Roquefort.
Me: The other salad was an autumn mix of greens with a pomegranate vinaigrette. The salad was also topped with a generous amount of pomegranate seeds too, I love that. I’m not a big fan of beets, so I concentrated on this salad, but I did steal some of the cheese from the other.
Mom: The main event consisted of four diverse and delectable plates, any of which would have served as a meal in itself. First served out, was a plate of chewy gnocchi in a creamy white cheese sauce tossed with chopped broccolini. The addition of this veggie brightened and somewhat lighten the whole dish. Let me say here that the service was quite efficient, gracious and unobtrusive. It felt as though one was being cared for by professionals who had down the rhythm of providing excellent service. Dishes were served one after the other in perfect intervals to allow for divvying up the dishes onto our plates. Next out was the Pan Roasted Salmon on a bed of a Israeli couscous – a mixture that included pine nuts, dried cranberries and a Citrus Fennel Sauce. The grains alone possessed an amazing chewy, flavorful consistency and are worthy of repetition. A ramekin of fairly straightforward Paella followed with the requisite Chick, Tiger Shrimp, Mussels and Chorizo. Good, solid rendition. Last served was the Roasted chicken on fingerling potatoes and onions. In my book, it is nearly impossible to mess up roasted chicken and Primitivo did not disappoint. It was succulently moist with an abundance of crispy skin. The potatoes had the same characteristics and sat on a bed of sliced, herbed, onion bathed in a buttery sauce.
Me: What can I add? Mom has it covered.
Mom: We found ourselves more than satisfied upon cleaning every morsel from every plate. No room for dessert - this time - although the seasonal Pumpkin Crème Brulee on the list of daily specials was calling our collective names. Walking out into the warm night air we checked off another very satisfying dining experience on the block where we had already enjoyed other such meals at the restaurants immediately each side of Primitivo. Those stories have already been posted!
Me: Great meal, great company…
Primitivo Wine Bistro
1025 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Venice, CA 90291
310-396-5353
By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.
I love mussels. Love them. Ever since I was coaxed into trying them at the restaurant I bussed tables for in High School. It didn’t hurt that a pretty college waitress was the one doing the coaxing. Those were mussels marinara (yes, with the tomato sauce) and not mussels marinare which I like even better.
We headed over to