Primo

Primo obviously doesn't need my review, it's spectacular and everyone knows it, but some people do sort to see most recent, so this is for them.

If you haven't been yet and are wondering if it's worth it, stop wondering and make a reservation already. The food is ridiculously good and the cocktails are just perfect.

As one member of our party said, we were supremely early, and Benjamin took great care of us. It was pretty busy and we know he had to juggle, so we really appreciated his accommodating us.

Sarah H. was our server and she was so wonderful. Her suggestions were perfect and we had such a great time chatting with her.

Always a great evening. Do yourself a favor and head up to the bar for a bit, it's lively and not to be missed.

Enjoyed our 17th anniversary dinner here.

Eddie was our server and he was excellent
navigating us through the menu.

We started with house bread and the Chef's lobster bisque that was delicious and filling.

We then ordered the charcuterie that had every taste of the property. Amazing.

Server Eddie said that the saltimbocca was a favorite of Primo which I had to try. My wife had the Rigatoni cacio Pepe which is basically American version of Mac and cheese.

Both entrees were delicious and we ended our dinner with Zeppole.

We had a app, 4 drinks and two entrees for 165 that was outstanding.

We were lucky enough to get a reservation on the second day they were open for the season and wow -- it sure does live up to the hype.

They have a number of hand crafted cocktails. We tried the You're My Boy, Blue and Zenzero. Both were unique and enjoyable. Zenzero was very ginger-y if that's your vibe.

We were pleasantly surprised by the amuse bouche from the chef - a very tasty winter squash soup. The spring tonic soup was very refreshing, as was the farm salad with green goddess dressing.

The menu was a quintessential farm-to-table menu. You can tell lots of thought went into each dish. I'm usually the type of person to modify my order to my liking, but not here -- I wanted to enjoy everything the way the chef intended.

I have never seen "skate wing" on a menu (had to google it). I was apprehensive about eating stingray, but our server Jeffrey assured me it was delicious. And boy, was he right! It reminded me of a crossover between a flaky white fish and scallops. We also got the Branzino (filleted at the table) and two pasta dishes. Everything was incredible.

The NY cheesecake dessert comes with carrot cake (gluten free) -- this was perfect to round off our meal. The whole experience was outstanding from start to finish!

Had an early reservation on a Wednesday in June 2023 at Primo. Amazing experience and one of our top 5-10 in the last 20 years. Started with two excellent cocktails. I had the Year of the Pig and my wife had the Rubh-y Slipper, both excellent. To start had the excellent bread service, more than worth the price and the amuse bouche (lobster bisque), followed by the fresher than fresh farm salad, croutons were amazing, and the scallop special with sea beans and crispy seaweed on top of a purée. It was my favorite dish of the night!

For entrees, I had the New York Strip and my wife had the bluefin which she said was excellent. Steak was perfectly cooked and mushrooms on the dish were amazing and I enjoyed it with a great Primitivo recommended by our waiter. We also split a special risotto with fiddleheads and fava beans, which was a very close second as favorite of the night.

Finished with the profiterole special and a couple of coffee cocktails.

Service was excellent and always appeared just at the right time.

Primo is one of the best restaurants in Maine! I love that the food is always local and fresh. Great cocktails and desserts here as well. Primo takes food allergies seriously and offers plenty of gluten free options.

By far the best food I've had in decades. Every single course from the cocktail to dessert was fabulous. Perfectly prepared and unbelievably tasty. Service also was outstanding and even though the parking lot was completely full, it felt comfortably intimate inside. Perfect ambiance. Nothing lost about this kitchen, and it's aptly called Primo!

This is one of our favorite anniversary or birthday dinner restaurants. It's always a tough reservation to secure and for us it is a bit of a drive but it is so worth it. Food here is farm to table, they grow most of the veggies, make all the breads and the pork chop I had came from their stock. The restaurant is in an old house so there are several ambiance's from small rooms to the 2nd floor bar area. We like the bar area as they have some tables near the bar. Cozy, candlelight, inviting. Servers are always friendly and very knowledgeable about the dishes, ingredients and preparation. We had the bread service which is pricey at $3 pp but the onion bread is a must do for me. My pork chop was delicious but the star was the sweet potato. Small, whole roasted sweet potatoes. Dessert was a bread pudding, delicious. Parking is the only downside for me. Small lots, tight parking, always a bit of a hassle to find and get into a space. If you have a car and a truck, bring the car not the truck!

Prior to this year's visit, would have given 5 stars. Prior 3-4 times, the experience was excellent, especially last year when they quickly and graciously accommodated a last minute change from 4 to 6. Have had the melt-in-your-mouth pork chop in the past, pre covid, and was jonesing for it this year as the only place I trust to eat a rare pork chop, so expectations were high and disappointment was great when it came out overcooked. Service could have been better this year too--it wasn't bad by any stretch, but just not as warm and friendly as years past. It did not help that the table next to us was having a bad experience and complaining that 6 of their 8 dishes were inedible. The staff did not seem to be interested in the feedback.

All that said, we still had a nice meal, just a slight notch down from the excellence of prior years.

Living across the water from the lovely owner, I will try to restrain my acerbity and be positive. Primo is a pretty place. Having read the remarks below, yes it can be totally uncomfortable to be placed in the downstairs room in an alcove with nothing to look at, or in the bar, which is dark and uncomfortable (strange bump I had to sit on, tried using the pillow so it wouldn't hurt so much) and not at all up to the prices you pay.
As someone else stated about the temperature, we had to wrap scarves around our arms and on lap to try and keep warm, even after telling the waitress how cold we were. They turned the air conditioning (On Jan 1) off for about 8 minutes than back on again. Maybe this is why so many men keep their baseball hats on???

We didn't make the 5 min drive to Primo all summer/fall so we went twice on Dec 30 and Jan 1 for brunch. The Friday night visit was in the dark bar where we had a waitress who I think would've been happier hitting me rather than serving me. We do not like to pay for bread so we waited our 40 min wait with nothing on the table, no lagniappe even though it was the night before Christmas Eve. (I have friends who will no longer go to Primo because they think charging $2 for bread when you are paying $37 for a plate of pasta or $59 for a steak is egregiously greedy. Which it is.)
The food was somewhat delicious. The skate cooked perfectly and my pasta with seafood incredibly tasty although there was hardly any seafood in it. (and I can make skate like this at home for much less $)

Not being able to find a decent place on New Years Day we returned for brunch. A wonderful waitress this time (new I think which was why she's so friendly?) served us downstairs where it's so cold you could hear the other tables complaining. We ordered several things and they were sort of good. Grilled Lamb lollipops with tired bits of a supposed Greek salad, $$. One quail $$$ served on a too little plate with more tired salad. Lentil soup, pretty good but not hot. Burrata salad that said grilled eggplant but only had a swish of eggplant puree barely enough to see, (kept looking for the eggplant because that's why I ordered it) some red peppers and a small bit of arugula, another high price for such a small dish. And then there was that octopus carpaccio which the waitress gushed over saying it was the most beautiful thing she ever saw. It was beautiful, very thinly sliced octopus in a gelee that made it look like a shiny puzzle. Some strange black stuff underneath, which turned out to be charred onion (we had to ask). Beautiful but completely tasteless. We remarked on the way home, if you closed your eyes and tasted it you would have no idea what it was.

Primo will always be popular but I'd suggest M.K. visit Greek Islands in Ft. Lauderdale to see what simple grilled octopus should taste like (incredibly delicious!!!) or lamb lollipops can be. Or what Greek salad means. And how they give you fresh bread with great olive oil AND a tahini dip for FREE at much lower prices. Funny thing is Home Kitchen's chef turns out tastier food than Primo, but with much less fanfare. Then again, that freshly made pasta is delicious! (note to self: learn to make that 2023)

Happy New Year!

What an amazing dinner we had at Primo. Very delicious! Service excellent, atmosphere terrific.
On the pricey side but I think fair for the quality of
The food and the experience. And we knew that going in. Had a lovely evening!