Primo bills itself as “A world-class restaurant inside a restored Victorian home in coastal Maine…the freshest possible ingredients put to imaginative use in dazzling recipes…a kitchen producing rustic favorites and back-to-basics treasures.” I’ll definitely have to take their word on that. I have this dilemma—a memory card full of beautiful photos and almost no recollection of the night at all. I had been to a gallery opening my sister and her husband were putting on and I had a few too many glasses of prosecco before we even made it to Primo.

I’ll just recall what details I can and head right into the food shots. Primo is a dining establishment that could go head-to-head with any big city restaurant. I failed to notice when entering due to the setting sun, but the estate touts its own garden and greenhouse, providing them with the freshest of herbs year round.

I have this habit, which is most likely rude, of asking wait staff to make choices for me or recommend their favorite dish. This seems to overwhelm some people. I take on full responsibility for the results when I put the choice in their hands, but it seems to be a little too much for some people. Our server that night was unflappable, giving suggestions, recommending her favorites, talking about all of the ingredients with such detail that she actually told us where the items were procured. She handled my drunken antics quite well also.

We had a large party and the kitchen treated us to several complimentary appetizers. First was an amuse bouche. To be honest I can’t remember what it was other then saying it was a shot glass full of a creamy soup. It was tasty, not quite of the mind blowing food orgasm level, but not a bad start. They followed that up with cod balls. Yup, cod balls. That’s how the server introduced them. They were sodium rich, paired well with two different sauces. I can’t think of too many fried foods that I have not enjoyed. Next up was beef carpaccio and the only appetizer we actually ordered—oysters. The oysters were two local varieties; both were very briny but utterly delectable.

For the entrée, I had the special: halibut in a green sauce with shrimp, featuring my new favorite, fiddlehead ferns. The other featured entrée (in the off-kilter photo above) was, I believe, salmon with polenta fries and mixed greens. For dessert, we asked that they surprise us, and our server happily complied.

Primo may be a bit off the beaten track, but it’s well worth the trip, and the surrounding area in Maine is beautiful as well.

June 10th, 2007 by John (Cho-Tabetai)