Approaching the corner of Bowery and 2nd Street on a lazy Tuesday night, I hoped for déjá vu. My best friend and I met for my belated birthday celebration at Bar Primi, which is housed in the shell of an old favorite, Peels, home to successful birthday meals' past. The ever-bustling Peels shuttered abruptly in January, evidence that this town may not be big enough for so much fried chicken, even if it tastes really good. Repurposing the familiar space with Chef Andrew Carmellini at the helm, Bar Primi would have every opportunity to build off the good will of diners like us who, despite the turn from casual comfort to casual pasta, would still expect food that tastes really good, if only for the familiarity and comfort with our surroundings.
Our surroundings felt recognizable, indeed, but that feel-good warmth of enjoying a thoughtfully executed meal felt lost. A far departure from the colorful illustrations on the restaurant's website, the execution of our first course selections were phoned-in, at best. Eggplant bruschetta arrived one skinny slice of toast to an order, topped with an ungenerous puree of nondescript eggplant and a thin slick of goat yogurt. Stuffed meatballs confused, as we could not determine what the three ping-pong balls wading in a lake of red sauce were supposed to be stuffed with—cheese, perhaps? Straightforward by design, the Brooklyn arugula salad tossed with lemon and shaved grana cheese could have been pleasing, if not forced to carry the weight of our other appetizers. In such instance, it was just a plate of greens.
Pasta improved upon our smaller bites, but not to the extent that birthday pasta should. A seasonal option, spinach cavatelli, proved to be the most satisfying, by tossing chewy noodles with soft veal bianco and melting piave cheese. Spaghetti with clams casino took a literal approach, dousing the pasta and several briny steamers with a buttered, bread-crumbed, garlicked, and peppered mixture that I involuntarily tasted for hours.
Feeling uninspired, we skipped dessert.
Sharing a quiet birthday meal with my main squeeze will never be disappointing. Familiarity is hard to come by in this city, and after twenty-some-odd years of friendship, our experiences together are old and will never grow old, all at the same time. But despite our hopes for Bar Primi, any familiarity from the old in this new place is gone.
Feeling uninspired, we skipped dessert.
Sharing a quiet birthday meal with my main squeeze will never be disappointing. Familiarity is hard to come by in this city, and after twenty-some-odd years of friendship, our experiences together are old and will never grow old, all at the same time. But despite our hopes for Bar Primi, any familiarity from the old in this new place is gone.
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