"Risotto," whispered my dining companion in his fine European accent. He said the word as if he were speaking of deity, his eyes half-closed, his face lifted toward heaven. "Here it is the best you will ever taste. It is extraordinary."
I was dubious. I had yet to taste "extraordinary" risotto in the Rockies. Most local chefs have abandoned it in favor of polenta, and those who attempt it achieve merely sticky rice with seasoning. Still, my dining companion was an international connoisseur and hailed from a Croatian village near that of Primo chef Bart Skalabrin. I decided to take heart in his recommendation and consented to this order.It was presented fragrant and steaming, beautifully arranged on the plate rather than slopped in a bowl. It was rife with portobello mushrooms, garlic, scallions, a piquant hint of lemon gliding through. To taste it was indeed to experience a tender bit of culinary heaven. I turned my face kit-chen-ward and gave thanks.
I was to repeat this gesture many times during my meal at Primo, which features very traditional European food without nods to the trendy contrivances of the '90s. Their portions are generous, their textures delightfully discernible. Their flavors leave an impact. The morning after you will relive your meal with precise memory and relish.
Strange that it should be located in yet another strip mall, on 7000 South, just a few steps from the Pomodoro. The area has become an oddly placed bastion of Italian-influenced dining, although these two restaurants are nothing alike. Primo is the more traditional of the two, with fresh flower arrangements, fine table linens and subtle, mostly impressionistic paintings on the walls. Pleasant classical music plays just loudly enough to soften and conceal the voices of other diners in the intimate room. The servers are European gentlemen who, for the majority of their lives, have obviously been working with fine foods and discerning patrons. There is even a very attentive Bosnian busboy. Both menu and service have Old World regality.
The menu is not overstated but includes pasta, veal, chicken, beef and seafood, all with carefully prepared, classic sauces. The Marsala wine sauce is especially smooth and flavorful, served over the veal, for $13.50. The garlic mushroom sauce that accompanied the chicken stuffed with spinach and pine nuts, also for $13.50, is exceptional as well.
And the numerous nightly specials greatly enhance the conservative menu. In fact, you'll want to call ahead to see if their miraculously prepared lobster is available, an event that occurs once a week, often on Fridays. They slice the ruddy beast in two, clean the shell, then restuff it with lobster, shrimp and mushrooms in a delicate bechemel laced with sherry. Depending on the size of the lobster, the price would be approximately $19.95. Incidentally, the portobello risotto is not on the daily menu either, so you'll want to call ahead for that as well.
The wilted spinach salad, $5.50 for two, is a constant on the menu, and not be neglected. The bold, house-prepared dressing with onions, bacon, dijon, balsamic vinegar and worcestershire is vivid and memorable. The Caesar is also crisp and good but could use the livening authenticity of anchovies. Most Utah diners have an aversion to anchovies, and I'm sure the chef is deferring to this. But in a restaurant where everything else is so deliciously authentic, I was surprised by the omission of the briny little fish.
Your experience at Primo would be lacking if you didn't indulge in desserts at the end. They offer a variety, but the masterpiece would be the light and creamy zabaglion with strawberries, which tastes like the smoothest, most luxurious satin feels. The plump fruits bask in a liquid custard flavored with Marsala and Sauvignon Blanc. Many other restaurants in town attempt this, but none comes this close to perfection.
Primo has a full state liquor license and a wine list that grows continuously. They also serve a variety of apres-meal coffees. All encourage guests to linger, from the appetizer through the apertif, in the very civilized continental style void of the gobbling and wolfing that so often characterize American dining. If you haven't been to Europe lately, Primo will take you back, or perhaps help you experience for the first time the gracious refinement of a foreign land.
Rating: * * * *
Primo, 2340 E. 7000 South, Salt Lake City, 947-0025. Open 5-10 p.m., seven nights a week. Checks and credit cards are accepted, as are reservations, which are becoming necessary on weekends. Call ahead to check on the specials of the evening.