First in love, still in love

BY CARLA WALDEMAR

Prima
5325 Lyndale Avenue S.
612-827-7376

Prima is the lovechild of a love match—Chef Eliot King and his wife, Jennifer. The foodies met while working in a San Francisco restaurant, but Jennifer—the masochist? The fool?—wanted to come home to Minnesota. (Don’t blame Eliot; he’s from New York.) They spotted a house in South Minneapolis, snapped it up, and then—another impulse purchase—signed papers for a little restaurant on Lyndale Avenue nearby. What were they thinking?

Whatever it was, the mindset’s still going strong. A dozen years later, pretty little Prima—which served 400 back on that opening night, from a kitchen smaller than your average closet—has been going strong, fueled by, and fueling, a warm spirit of neighborhood camaraderie.

While the easygoing Cal/Ital menu has undergone seasonal inspirations and transformations, but signature dishes remain (“or I’d be dodging bullets,” asserts Eliot), including the notable Rotini con Pollo: pert pasta corkscrews tossed with bits of roasted chicken, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, Parmesan and cream (pastas $10-16, including bread basket). I actually prefer a similar staple, just as rich (no, richer)—the Penne con Pollo alla Gorgonzola—penne pasta tubes cast with grilled chicken, wild mushrooms, roasted sweet peppers and toasted walnuts, the entire collection massaged with a cream sauce born of the savory aristocrat of blue cheeses, Gorgonzola, creating a see-saw of savory and sweet on your tongue.

My choice last night was the Vegetariano, featuring more of those perky penne tossed with half-moons of roasted, slightly bitter Brussels sprouts (a first when it comes to pasta toppings for me, and not a wildly successful path to follow), sweet caramelized onions, gentle piquillo peppers and wild mushrooms in a subtle cream sauce visited by sage and lemon.

My friend’s penne chummed up with lusty homemade (house-made ???) Italian sausage rich with fennel, more wild mushrooms, and a dusting of oregano in a roasted sweet pepper cream, and pulled together in a more satisfying fashion than my own selection. Another pal summoned the Fettucine Puttanesca, fabricated of delicate wisps of homemade noodles joined by too much of a good thing, or too many. Beyond the Puttanesca’s customary tomato/hot pepper/-caper topping, this kitchen tried for More Is More by adding olives and bits of beef. To make matters more baroque, a red wine sauce completely masked the olive oil that usually carries this dish, and for a good reason. Basta!

Beef starred in another wintry comfort dish, as a filling for ravioli pillows, along with roasted root vegetables moistened with Chianti; it’s served with a sweet little salad of roasted tomatoes, arugula and Pecorino cheese. The pappardelle-wider ribbons of house-made pasta also serenaded the season, robust with grilled pork, sauteed speck (like ham), butternut squash and white beans, further embellished with (more Mores Is More) pistachios, raisins and shavings of Manchego cheese. Other, less complicated, dishes include a simple toss of angel hair with fresh basil, tomatoes, garlic and Parmesan.

And those are just the primi. Unlike authentic Italian menus, Prima doesn’t encourage diners to order first a pasta starter, then a secondo (entrée), which would be overkill of food and money here. (Where’s a tasting menu when you need it?) So, unfortunately, you must choose. Well, we did split the Tuscan pot roast, too: overcooked but meaty chunks of beef simmered with pearl onions, savory bacon and gutsy Swiss chard, all served over mashed potatoes with a topknot (unnecessary: Please!) of crisp-fried parsnip tendrils. The duck was sold out, saving us from lusting after a combo of grilled breast upon a nest of wild rice, dried cherries, pecans and green onions, served aside duck confit with Port wine and pomegranate glaze. (Secondi $16-19).

Starters? Plenty of options, and most are plenty filling, ranging from roasted butternut squash soup to cornmeal-crusted calamari steak, from crab cakes to eggplant roulade ($5-8). We opted (wisely) for salads ($6) instead: a classic Caprese built of tomato slices, fresh mozzarella and basil leaves, all glistening with good olive oil. The roasted pear number proved another winner. Joining the fruit were spiced pumpkin seeds, cranberries and hazelnuts on a bed of baby spinach, all drizzled with cider vinegar and savory Pecorino Romano cheese. Or go with Prima’s classic Caesar.

The menu also offers grilled panini, served with salad ($12). Kids’ menu, too. And dessert, of course.

Sorry, just couldn’t do it. We sipped the last of our house red, bade the staff addio—BFF by now—and set out smiling into the South Minneapolis snowdrifts. Prima’s still primo, indeed.