Prima

I brought my wife here to celebrate her birthday. The ambiance and look of the restaurant was perfect. The lights above our heads which were a work of art were just stunning!

Now let's get into the food and service.

Appetizers: Smoked Pork Belly

So delicious. The sweetness of the grilled pear and saltiness of the pork belly are a match made in heaven. It was my wife's birthday and she tried to get a little more than half.... she got half, not an inch more! It was that good!

My Entree: Butter Roasted Filet Mignon

They cooked it to a perfect medium rare. The steak was full of flavor and it was so tender, no knife was needed. The mashed potatoes with roasted mushrooms and parm almost stole the show. I couldn't get enough.

Wife's Entree: The Boss

The boss that night was a 16oz ribeye steak. The steak is smoked to right under rare and then prepared the way you like it, which was medium rare. Be warned that due to the smoking, the steak will have a tough outer layer and the ends will be well done. The "gold" is in the middle. I loved the flavor of the steak. It was sweet and smokey. I would order it again. She wouldn't because the tough/well done outer layer threw her off a bit.

Dessert: The Verrine

This dessert was very light and airy. You get everything you need without feeling full. I love butterscotch so I was all over this dessert!

Service:

The hosted was great and checked in on us all night. Our waiter was good, but he came off as dry and gave minimal eye contact. We were spoiled by the hostesses warm/personable personality that she might have out shined him a bit.

Should you go to Prima? Why is that even a question? Yes! Go now!!

Fantastic dinner at the chefs table.
Ambiance- 5 stars
Decor - 5 stars
Service- 5 stars
Dinner - 5 stars
Area - 5 stars
Bar scene - 5 stars
Lobster
Fois Gras
Caesar salad
Swordfish
Ribeye
Red kale salad
Desserts-
We ordered one of everything & ate every last bite.
Exceptional wine list

My initial review is below. So I came back during dinner because I promised I would and because I will not judge a place by their brunch. The service was outstanding again. I haven't been here in at least a month and the floor manager said welcome back, remembered where I sat, and remembered what I ordered. She honestly made me my day and made me smile. Also major props to my server David. He was extremely well spoken and well versed on the menu. He did a great job. The food was phenomenal and the atmosphere beautiful in the evening. The chandelier is gorgeous. Overall I upgraded this place to 5 stars.

(Old/Original review) This is a very nice restaurant. The overall atmosphere is sheik, swanky, and sophisticated but with a modern flair. If you like modern architecture then you'll enjoy the interior. A really cool point is they have a private / separate chef's table room that you can reserve. The customer service is top notch. I came during brunch which was my own fault. I really am not a fan of anyone's brunch because you always miss out on the main menu's items. Anyways, needless to say the food was phenomenal. I had two bowls of posole soup / stew because I enjoyed it so much. I wish I had ordered the steak and eggs because when it went by it looked amazing. Overall this place is pretty great. I look forward to trying it during dinner hours.

We had a party of 4 that luckily snagged reservations on their first night. I absolutely love the interior. It's gorgeous, modern, and left me feeling like I was in a NY or Vegas restaurant (the light fixtures..omg). Plus, I am SO glad they aren't doing the farm to table thing and there wasn't a flannel shirt in sight. Yes!

We had a very tough time deciding on what to order, but started small with the cocktail list. I had the honey and thyme with gin and it was absolutely delicious. The jimberly and southern belle were hits at the table as well. However, be prepared that they are $13.00 each, but also very well made.

Our server was sure to tell us about the appetizers and sold us on what he called "an appetizer platter" (whatever you do, DON'T order this, but more later) which included short ribs, quail, octopus, and sausage. I also had to try the spicy lobster gnocchi. The appetizers were all good minus the octopus. No one liked it; it was cold and rubbery and we didn't even finish it all. But the quail...wow. Probably my favorite from the appetizers.

They were out of the mushrooms and trout for the evening, so we all ended up ordering red meat; steak and the lamb osso bucco. All of them were great, but the sides were really outstanding. The crispy sweet potatoes I couldn't stop eating and I didn't even order them! But I can speak highly of the foie gras home fries with garlic mayo and grilled brussels were extremely good as well. All around a spectacular meal.

With one big problem:

Remember that appetizer platter that was sold to us at the beginning of the meal? They charged us for each individual item, and the sausage alone was $25. That's right. the cost of an entree. The grand total for our appetizer platter of 4 items (one of which we didn't eat) SEVENTY dollars. You read that correctly $70.00! OUCH. We felt completely duped. In fact, we didn't stop talking about it the rest of the evening. We talked to our waiter and he apologized but then made the fantastic comment: "We were told not to say the price." Baffled, we asked for the octopus to be taken off. He took them off without any push back, so that was nice, but we still were in shock about our bill. Ridiculous.

So. Prima is great, but whatever you do, don't order the appetizer "platter" and make sure you know the price before ordering!

I wish I could give Prima higher marks, but that would not be fair. The food was great, but Pacing issues and kitchen mistakes significantly detracted from our experience. Given the price of our meal, I expected MUCH better.

We had a long lag between our starters and entrees (which I welcomed), but we waited incredibly long between our entrees and desserts. So long that everyone at the table had finished their cappuccino before the desserts were presented. That is just not ok at this price point considering they are all made pre-shift. I'll explain more about the other kitchen mistakes below.

The chips were fine. No issues there. I wanted more vinegar. The dipping sauce was great.

The fried oysters were also good, but nothing to make them stand out.

The lump crabmeat salad was fresh and clean. The crab was certainly highlighted. The dish would benefit from some acid.

The smoked carrots were also very good. This was my favorite starter. The smoke complemented the sweetness of the carrots well. The dill and aioli were nice accompaniments providing herbaceous notes and balance.

The panzanella salad was ok. The croutons were crispy, the mozzarella was fine, and the tomatoes provided good acidity. The dish as a whole was just not that exciting.

We ordered the duck, which was perfectly cooked and well seasoned. But the kitchen completely forgot to include the chanterelle mushrooms in the dish. How do you forget the second most important component on the plate?! Our server graciously took the entree off of our bill.

The 55 day dry aged bear creek farms ribeye was excellent. It was well cooked and perfectly seasoned. It was served with a delicious potato au gratin and grilled zucchini (which was ok).

Then we ordered dessert and coffee. We received our cappuccino and then about 20 minutes later, after we had finished our coffee, the desserts arrived.

We ordered the peach ice cream, but the kitchen sent us sweet corn ice cream instead. When I mentioned that there was no peach flavor, our server quickly went back to the kitchen and apologized for the mistake while delivering the peach ice cream. Both ice creams were ok. The peach ice cream was not taken off of the bill. Nor did the manager come to apologize for the mistakes.

The peach and blueberry tart was good. The rocky road dessert was very good.

I would have serious reservations about returning. While the food is good, having components left out dishes and being sent the wrong desserts (after waiting 20min) is unacceptable at this price point.

Sometimes, there's a restaurant, and this is this the restaurant for it's time and place (smack in the middle of the Gulch's food scene).. It fits right in there. (Lebowski somewhat of a quote FYI)

Prima makes you feel special just by eating there. The atmosphere is dramatic and beautiful and the food tries it's best to match. You walk in and the eye is immediately drawn to the Bruce Munro lighting installations and the amazing textures and lines all around you. It's a stunning restaurant, really.

The service matches the restaurant's sophisticated, modern, light-filled personality. The waiters are there when you even think you need something predicting your every need. They're also tempting everyone with the pastry cart during brunch and it's a heck of a pastry cart. Service was incredible!

My only slight disappointment here was my wife's chilaquiles. It was a little too heavy on the cheese and lacking on the flavor. Everything else was tasty. The food was good, substantial, and reasonably priced for the level of restaurant Prima is. I got the breakfast pizza which has some quality chorizo, guacamole, and fried egg amongst the toppings. My favorite taste here was the cortado, though, made with Crema coffee. Her chocolate croissant was also impressive and worth the splurge.

Pros:
Pastry cart, service, setting

Cons:
Food was good, not over-the-top amazing though. In that way, it didn't quite live up to the pitch and tenor of the restaurant. Solid food and a good value for brunch, though!

Overall:
Stunning restaurant and an impressive atmosphere makes everything feel right to start your Sunday. I did brunch here, not dinner, and came away impressed.

My wife and I had reservations at Prima on a Tuesday at 5:15. We got there a little early and were able to go right in. The waitress was very helpful, attentive and friendly from the time we sat down. We asked for foie gras home fries, which they didn't have, but they did offer to make foie gras fingerling potatoes which were absolutely fantastic and I'm sure just as good.

Our entrée's came out in a timely manner and were plated really nicely. My wife got the salmon and I chose the rabbit. Both were very flavorful, and seemed to be cooked just right. My only complaint about the rabbit was that it was not boneless, which is my personal preference.

We didn't get a dessert, but they brought out a couple Chocolate Peanut Butter Macarons which were the perfect end to a fantastic meal. Overall, I would recommend Prima. The food was great, the wait staff personable and knowledgeable, and the prices were good for what you get.

The service and food quality is excellent here. My fiancé took me here for my birthday and it was a great time. The interior is architecturally stimulating, but rather dark and quiet. A view of their wine room is fantastic and their list quiet extensive.

In summary, if you want to impress an oenophile, then the location, food, and menu will not let you down.

We met a group of friends here for brunch on a Sunday morning at 10:30am. Prima is only open for brunch on Sunday. They don't have a dinner service for Sunday at present. We parked in the parking garage attached to the building that Prima resides in. Parking is validated after your meal at the hostess stand. They won't let you validate parking beforehand, maybe they're worried that you'll leave & get free parking.

Prima is a beautiful place. Entering, you feel that it's an upscale place, but it doesn't feel like it's trying too hard as such. They used to have white table cloths on the tables, but they've removed them to try to let people know that they've a great place for a nice meal, but so formal you need a jacket and tie. We had a reservation for 6 & we're lucky enough to get the 'Chef's Table' which is located in a room away from the rest of the dining area. I saw lucky, because the music they had playing in the main area was so loud it would've been hard to have a simple conversation with the person next to you. I also liked the chefs table because it was a large, circular table that allowed for easy conversations with all in the group.

I skimmed over the brunch menu & picked the omelet. It was either between that & the chiliquiles, which in hindsight I should've ordered. The omelet consisted of oyster mushrooms, potato, scallions, arugula, lemon for $12. The pasty cart made a visit to the room & we decided to get one of each for the table. I'm not a huge chocolate fan, so I only tried the black currant danish & the lemon gateaux voyages, both were great. Each of us nibbled on pieces of the different items, with some still left in the middle. Our server removed our small plates & then brought back new silverware. I'd wished she'd left the plates longer so we could've ate more.

My omelet arrived at the table & I thought how pretty it was. It was all looks. The potatoes in the omelet were the unsung hero. Everything else in it just didn't have much flavor. You can tell how fancy a place is if they don't have salt or pepper on the table. I've got a little of a phobia to ask for either because I was rudely told I didn't need it at a place in Louisville a long time ago. If someone wants to salt something, let them. Anyway, I ate most of the omelet but was disappointed with it. The server came around & cleared the plates, she asked if we wanted to take home like 3 bites of the omelet, I thought was odd, we declined. She then removed both pastry plates with more than half of each of the pastries still there. I guess we sat a precedent that we didn't want to take anything home.

We received the check for all six of us, since it was 3 couples we decided to spilt the check 3 ways. Since we were a large party of six, 20% gratuity was already included. The server picked up the check & noticed the 3 cards & understood we were doing it 3 ways. After leaving, I noticed that my card was ran if it was going to be split 2 ways, then charged the 3 ways. The server made no mention of the error. I know everyone makes mistakes, but if I ran an erroneous charge of over $100 on someone's debit card, I'd probably let them know. I called the restaurant that day & spoke with the manager who cleared up what I'd thought had happened. She said that the change would reverse the next day (Monday). It reserved 4 days later (Thursday). I'm glad I had the money in my account. Prima probably doesn't get people riding low in the account department though.

I wasn't impressed with the Sunday brunch experience here. I would like to come back & try something else out though. Maybe next time I'll bring cash.

It's a beautiful large, formal steakhouse type environment in the Gulch. Service was very friendly and the food was surprisingly large portions but also had a pretty decent price tag. The wine list is large and very nice, if on the expensive side at what appeared to generally be a 4-5x markup. Glass pours however were not all that exciting to me, though one member of my party who often drinks bigger, U.S. wines was very happy with it. When I did ultimately order a half bottle I was also disappointed that they eventually came back to report that they didn't have it. At that point our dinners were partially done and none of the other Pinots by the half bottle were interesting to me so it was back to cocktails.

All of our dinners were large portions - probably too large but I know that's pretty much the American way. The chicken ended being half a bird and the pork chop was large and generally tasty but unfortunately a bit overcooked. I got the "Boss" plate which was fine but not terribly impressive - a trio of lamb with chorizo, tenderloin, and roulade served with a side of home fries with a half cup of truffled mayo on top. The lamb dish had portions that were under-seasoned while the potatoes were plenty salty and good once you scraped all that stupid mayo to the side. And the "chocolate cake" for dessert was pretty amazing - but the bland description on the menu totally undersells this excellent creation by the pastry chef.

Admittedly, steak houses are not necessarily my thing - especially when I'm paying as opposed to the company - but based on many factors I can't say this is a bad restaurant, just didn't live up to the expectations in a number of areas. Maybe we should have gotten the tasting menus, but we weren't remotely hungry enough for 6 courses so I would have hoped it was possible to get a great a la carte meal but just didn't end up being the case.