Review: Primo, Orlando, Fl

So, kind of bouncing from the review of RM Seafood in Las Vegas, I thought reviewing Primo in Orlando, FL would be appropriate. I think of Orlando as kind of a glitzy place like Las Vegas, where there's a lot of "bigger is better" type of stuff. Surprisingly (to me, at least) there is an amazing restaurant in the JW Marriott in Orlando. It's called Primo.

I found out about Primo by doing online research a few years ago, when I had to go to Orlando for work. I'm not a huge fan of Emeril's or any of the other restaurants at City Walk, etc. I was looking for something local, organic, sustainable, of course. Primo fit the bill perfectly. There are two Primo locations...one in a Victorian house in Maine, and then the one in Orlando. Sounds kind of strange, huh?

Here's a little info on Primo...
"Experience sensible contemporary Italian cuisine at its best! Chef Melissa Kelly creates plates with her "home-grown" concept in mind, emphasizing the freshest local ingredients such as citrus and seafood to create imaginative and dazzling recipes. Vegetables and herbs are grown on-site in the organic garden. Primo offers indoor and outdoor seating.

Guests of Melissa Kelly’s Primo at the JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes, enjoy fresh produce that comes to their plates directly from Primo’s organic garden and local farms. In order to guarantee that all dishes meet the highest standards, only the finest ingredients are used."

I've been to Primo three times I think. Last time was, once again, on a work trip. It's maybe a 20 minute cab ride from the Disney resorts and all that. My luggage, once again, got lost so I was dressed casually...jeans, running shoes, and a black blazer. It's a very upscale looking restaurant, but I did not feel out of place in my "help, I lost my luggage and this is what I was wearing on the plane YESTERDAY outfit."

I did make a reservation, which I would definitely recommend. The reservation was actually a little tough to get, so plan ahead for sure. I think that kids would be okay at Primo if they are well-behaved, although I doubt there's a kids menu.

One of the things that stands out most in my mind (as this is a retrospective review) is how friendly the servers were. I absolutely can't stand snobbery...blah. But these folks are super, and especially last time...we had a young male waiter who was super helpful and very well-informed.

On to the chow. The menu is amazing and I'm sorry that I can't give great detail about what we had, since like I said, this is a retrospective review. There were four of us for dinner, my friend Carol and two of her friends. We had the antipasti, which was excellent. I had a pasta dish, half serving, which was plenty of food...I wasn't incredibly hungry. One person in our party had a lamb dish, which he thought was a little strong. However, I'm sure if he would have talked to the waiter, he could have gotten a different dish. We ordered a bottle of wine, a red recommended by the server, which I remember as being excellent with the dish that I ordered. We split a dessert or two, (aaahhh...it's killing me that I can't remember more specifics) between the four of us and I remember being very satisfied with the meal, not overly full.

Primo is absolutely a can't miss restaurant for me if I'm in Orlando. (BTW, a good friend of mine has taken colleagues there when in Orlando on business and they just absolutely feasted and had a fabulous time...he called me and I was so JEALOUS.) The prices are not on the online menu, but I'd say you could easily pay $50. per person if you have appetizer and/or salad, entree, dessert and wine. It's totally worth it and in fact, I think that most of the other upscale restaurants at City Walk and those types of places would be even more expensive (and not as good). In fact, I ate at Tchoup Chop the night before and paid about three times as much money and was about three times less impressed. Plus, of course, the local, organic, sustainable thing is a big deal...and good quality meat a must. Yeah, so I'll go back to Primo, and I can't wait to give you a detailed review of the amazing food!!!