Halloween at Prima by Nick Horton

It's the last day of October. Which means three things: wind, rain, and hilarious costumes. Prima's staff always makes the most of Halloween. Pictured in the photo above are an '80s rocker (a.k.a. Max the busser), a dignified pirate (Terry Jackson, server/manager extraordinaire), and Magnum P.I. (Christian, our wonderfully-mustachioed server/bartender).

Way to go, boys. You look fabulous!

november news

FIRST OFF...thanks so much to all of you who voted in the King 5 Best of Western Washington Contest...we won 1st place in the French category...how cool is that!  We really, really appreciate the love!  Really.
http://best.king5.com/winners/best-of-western-washington/4749/great-meals/french

HALLOWEEN:  Come in costume on Halloween night for a free dessert!  Or at the very least come just because Christian will be wearing his short shorts a la Magnum P.I. - you do not want to miss that.  Or Devin dressed as Sieb for the night...replete with authentic mustard cords, burgundy old navy shirt, chain wallet and birkenstocks. 

ADDITION TO OUR MUSICAL LINE UP...every 1st Sunday (think this Sunday...November 1st), we'll be featuring the musical duo, Rendezvous  from 4:00-6:00... http://www.myspace.com/rendezvoustwo
We continue with our regular Thursday night music as well...Danny Ward 1st and 3rd Thursdays, Yours Truly 2nd Thursdays, and James & Levi, 4th (and if there is a 5th) Thursdays.

NOVEMBER LANGLEY GETS LIVELY AND FRIDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS...we will be featuring Italian wines this go around...November 6th...4:00-6:30.  Venues include Prima, The Edgecliff, and the Chef's Pantry, ticket cost is $20 and includes a small bite and taste of wine at each spot.  Then on Saturday be sure to swing by Chef's Pantry between 1-3 pm where Donna will help you get a head start with Simple Ideas for Holiday Entertaining – they'll be sampling lots of the new products. 

NOVEMBER 8th, Pinot wine dinner (sold out)...we will be closed for dinner next Sunday, November 8th for our sold out pinot wine dinner.  You can still call and get on the waitlist...you never know who might call in sick, especially this year!

LANGLEY CHEF'S DINNER...tickets for the 3rd of our seasonal collaborative chef dinners will be sold beginning at 10:00 a.m. on November 16th at Prima (come up the back stairs...front door will be locked since we don't open until 11:30).  Sieb has partnered up with Matt Costello of the Inn at Langley, Jess Dowdell of Mukilteo Coffee Roasters, Donna Leahy of the Chef's Pantry, and Des Rock of Useless Bay Coffee Company in creating these quarterly charity dinners...this one will benefit WAIF.  We are also VERY pleased to announce that Dave and Dawn Noble of Fireseed Catering will be joining the fun so this time around will be a 6 course wine paired dinner...ticket cost remains $75/person.  The dinner itself will be MONDAY, DECEMBER 14th at 6:00...at Prima. 

NEW AND IMPROVED HAPPY HOUR!!!  Starting Wednesday, November 4th, from 3:00-600 we will be offering some expanded happy hour deals as we've decided to stay open all day every day (except for the 1st Tuesday of every month when we have our staff meeting).  We really see this as an opportunity to thank our awesome local, regular customers.  Along with our regular drink specials of 1/2 off well drinks, $1 off draft beer and glass pour wine, and a $4 glass pour red & white, we will be offering $5 food items from our appetizer and small plate menu.  The jury is still out on which items we will be offering at $5...but we know they will include a half portion of our burrata, the calamari, the chicken liver mousse, the pork belly, the escargot and a few more.  Come up and keep us company during those in-between hours through the winter...we want to keep that open sign on all day, every day!
 

NEW YEAR'S EVE...it's crazy but the holidays really are just right around the corner...so we want to make sure you start planning on spending New Year's with us...James and Levi will be playing this year and I just put in an order for the Tuzzie Muzzie hats again...this year the proceeds of the sales of the hats will be going to the South Whidbey Children's Center.

As always, thank you everyone for you continued patronage and support.  We hope to see you very soon!

Jenn and Sieb

BEST OF WESTERN WASHINGTON!!!

Our most sincere thanks to all of you who voted for us in the King 5 Best of Western Washington contest...we are truly honored to have won...thanks for the love!

David Price exhibit

We are pleased to announce our latest exhibit...acrylic paintings by Langley's own David Price.  Come see his work...it is really amazing.  He can be contacted at dflat@flatrockproductions.com

Artist's statement:  A man working in a field…A lone, abandoned farmhouse set high in a field…A woman in a café, waiting for someone….A street sweeper leaning against a worn and peeling wall, centuries old…An old family portrait from the early 1900’s, their faces stern and familiar, the dress formal, the characters posed…the sun setting between two distant hills, a cluster of very familiar farm buildings in the foreground. What is the common thread? Buildings that belong. People that belong. They belong in their surroundings. They are so entwined with their landscape that it is sometimes difficult to separate one from the other.

 To create my paintings, I assemble images in my mind…a man sitting in a café in Paris, the rolling hills of farmland, a dozen shades of yellow, a glass of wine on a café table, the wall of an abandoned farmhouse, weathered and peeling, the layers of color telling a story of the passage of time and the hands that created that surface. I am also inspired by architecture. Not only architecture with a big A”, the cathedrals, monuments, opera houses and the like, often associated with great architecture; but especially architecture with a small a”; the simple, comfortable, common structures. It is a combination of these things that are the building blocks for my paintings. Sometimes I work literally and paint portrait style, sometimes color and texture are enough to evoke the spirit, essence, and history of a place.

Over the past 16 years, I have developed a unique technique to express these ideas using acrylic paints on a gypsum surface. I incise, scratch, run, and work the surface, layering colors to create a sense of age. Like sketching with a pen, each mark in the surface will always be there, a step in the process, a mark in time. This technique allos me to work quickly and spontaneously. I make few,
if any, preparatory sketches, instead allowing the images to flow onto the surface, to take on a life of their own, to have an unpretentious grace, an ease and certain comfort.

CLOSED OCTOBER 12TH AND 13TH

Apologies for any inconvenience but we will be closed Monday and Tuesday, October 12th and 13th for staff bonding time and restaurant renovations.  THANKS FOR UNDERSTANDING!

EAT AND LOUNGE by Terry Davis Smith

One of our great customers submitted this blog post...I love it when someone else does the work for me!  They have an amazing rental place right here in Langley...within walking distance of Prima!  Check it out!

“Eat!” This is my absolute favorite quote from the delightful new foodie film, Julie & Julia. It’s the simple response that Julia Child (portrayed by Meryl Streep) gave her husband when asked, “What is it you REALLY like to do?” I’ve never related so much to a character as I did in that moment of the film. Fortunately, Julia was able to incorporate that passion with her love and aptitude for cooking, to create not only a legendary career, but also a sort of cooking revolution. Unfortunately, my passion stops at eating. Okay, I admit, I also like to vacation (or, more precisely, to lounge), which is exactly what I do when I visit Langley—eat and lounge.

 

I’ll start with eating—hallelujah for Prima Bistro! Luckily, during one of my sojourns to Langley, I stumbled upon what I consider to be the best restaurant in Langley. On that first visit, a perfectly seared ahi-tuna curry salad and a raspberry martini were enough to leave me wanting more. I sipped my delicious cocktail at the inviting bar while I listened to Food Network purring in the background. What more could a girl want? I couldn’t wait to come back and try another menu item, or maybe two!

Well, this girl returns to Prima Bistro every time she’s in Langley—EVERY TIME, and that’s no joke! I’ve enjoyed most menu items—from the agreeable cheese plate to the delectable bistro burger. (Who knew a burger could be so good?) Whether I dine at the restaurant or take out to enjoy in the comfort of my vacation rental, I have never been disappointed. And speaking of my vacation rental, here is a shameless plug for my fabulous vacation home rental. Next time you are in Langley, please consider staying at: The Barn at Langley (The Barn) (http://www.thebarnatlangley.com/). My husband and I renovated an old A-frame barn that was previously used as the location for the Whidbey Children’s Theater. When we first purchased the old barn, we found wonderful props and costumes, which were being stored there. Now, the barn is completely renewed as a comfortable and stylish vacation home. We feature my husband’s art (www.derinsmith.com) at The Barn, and you can even find a mini-barn sculpture made out of cardboard that was the impetus for creating The Barn.

I don’t know if I’m going to create a legendary career or ignite a revolution with my passions, but perhaps I can simply produce a stir with my revelation—a revelation that staying in Langley and eating scrumptious food is oh, so satisfying. I invite you to eat and lounge in Langley. I believe Julia would concur.

LANGLEY CHEFS DINNER #2

Last Sunday we held the 2nd ever Langley Chef's Dinner which benefitted Good Cheer's community garden, hosted at Mukilteo Coffee by their chef Jess Dowdell.  The 5 chefs include Sieb from Prima, Donna Leahy of the Chef's Pantry, Jess Dowdell of Mukilteo Coffee Roasters, Des Rock of Useless Bay Coffee Company and Matt Costello of the Inn at Langley.  We serve 5 wine paired courses that feature fresh, local and seasonal ingredients.  Each chef brings their own personal flair and style in their offerings.  This is a fun, collaborative and community spirited event that we are very proud to be a part of.

Here's what they did this time around:

1st Course...Matt Costello...sauteed oyster with soft chive eggs and caviar ...Argyle Brut sparkling

2nd course...Sieb Jurriaans...prosciutto di parma with a salad of mixed spicy greens from willowood farms, balsamic cherries, shaved pecorino toscano and almond-truffle vinaigrette (and strangely as seen in this pic, a garnish of Jess's head)...pio cesare 2008 arneis

3rd course...Donna Leahy... paupiette of halibut with lardons and a red wine reduction...

 Abonna Dolcetto

4

4th course...Des Rock...Useless Bay Coffee Company...

DiamondKnot Stout Braised Short Ribs w/ Barley and Chantrelle Risotto...Whidbey Island Dolcetto

5th course...Jess Dowdell...Mukilteo Coffee Company...pumpkin and squash tart and Whidbey Island Porto (sorry I don't have a picture of that...we all ate it too fast!)

We will be selling tickets to the next Langley Chef's Dinner on November 16th at 10:00 a.m. - the dinner itself will be here at Prima, on MONDAY, DECEMBER 14TH.  The charity of this dinner is TBA.  AND, I've already been receiving attempts at bribery...it's not gonna work people...you have to purchase your tickets IN PERSON on November 16th...I can't  hold tickets for anyone!!!  Tickets for last Sundays dinner sold out in one hour, so I'm anticipating a crowd of anxious ticket buyers...I haven't asked yet, but I bet the Feltons would allow overnight camping in the parking lot just this once!  just kidding Gene.       

PHOTO CREDITS: ROBERT LEAHY