Greetings from Prima and Saltwater!  Here we go another time around the calendar, with so much fun stuff coming up in Langley.  The next big event is Mystery Weekend, February 24th and 25th.  This one is "A Whale of a Tail" and it's bound to be a blast...seriously it's fun for all ages...our kids love doing it with their grandparents.  Town is filled with an eclectic group of locals, actors, and visitors from literally around the world all trying to solve the mystery.  Next up are Bunny Daze, then Welcome the Whales and whale watching events and then somehow it's going to be patio dining time again!  For up to the minute event info visit Langley's facebook page or the website www.visitlangley.com

 

Valentines Day is right around the corner...literally.  Have you made your plans yet?  At both locations we will be offering dinner and drink specials, and Danny Ward will be playing at Prima for a cozy and romantic evening.  We are taking reservations for both locations and they are filling fast!  For a reservation at Prima please call 360 221 4060 and for Saltwater please send an email request (specify this is for Saltwater) for the number of people and time to primabistro@whidbey.com

PRIMA INFO

Happy Hour at Prima is daily from 3:00-6:00.  We offer a whole bunch of great deals on our small plates and appetizers as well as $1 off well drinks, draft beers and wines by the glass. We also always have rotating happy hour cocktails and glass pour wines.

Our current Plats du Jour are as follows:

Sunday - Coq Au Vin

Monday - Bouillabaisse

Tuesday - Choucroute Garni

Wednesday - Moulard Duck Breast a l'Orange

Thursday - Berkshire Pork Chop 

 


Glassy Baby Roadshow has asked us again if we'd like to host an event and of course we said yes.  Prima will be filled with a huge selection of beautiful candles and 10% of the sales goes to the non-profit of our choosing...this time it wil benefit Mother Mentors of Whidbey Island.    Mother Mentors is a non-profit "seeking to nurture mothers and other caregivers of young children through practical and emotional support."  The event will be on Sunday, March 18th at 2:00.  Buy an early mother's day gift your mom will love and support other mother's of South Whidbey!  Or even better...buy yourself one!

Stay tuned for info on expanding bakery offerings, upcoming wine dinner, major spring menu changes and more!

 
SALTWATER INFO

Happy Hour at Saltwater is Monday-Friday from 3:00-5:00.  We offer 2 buck shucks by the half dozen, delicious fish tacos - 2 for $6.00 or 4 for $10.00, crab and artichoke dip and great deals on some of our other appetizers. For drinks we offer $10 pitchers of Rainier, $6 prosecco splits, a dollar off well drinks, draft beers and wines by the glass.  Additionally we have awesome deals on muscadet, the perfect oyster wine, when you purchase a seafood tower.

We are starting daily plates available at 5:00 as follows:

Sunday -  Northwest Cioppino

Monday - Alaskan King Crab Roll

Tuesday - Clam Linguine

Wednesday - Lobster Mac and Cheese

Thursday - Seafod Paella

Additionally we are now selling growlers of any of our 10 beers on tap.  Receive 10 percent off the beer price whenever you fill up your Saltwater growler!  And did you know we sell unshucked oysters by the dozen, and that we have awesome oyster knives you can purchase as well?!?  For all you visitors to Langley - swing in to pick up some weekend staples for your cabin or hotel room!

For more up to the minute updates follow us on facebook, instagram or twitter!

As always, thanks so much for the patronage and we hope to see you soon!

Jenn and Sieb and the crew

MANNY IS COMING! MANNY IS COMING!

Georgetown Brewing beer dinner July 31st.  Sold out!  Email if you are interested in being on the waitlist for this 8th annual beer and food extravaganza!  $95 for this 7 course beer paired dinner.  

Field Trip Alert!

We will be closed for lunch on Wednesday, May 24th so that we can take the crew up to Penn Cove Shellfish for a field trip!  Getting our seafood on!!!  We will be open for dinner at 5:00.

Burning questions!

The three questions everyone is asking...when will we be able to use the back stairs again, when  is the deck opening and when is Saltwater opening?!?

Well, here are your answers:

The back stairs will be open VERY SOON.  The project is coming along beautifully.  The Star Store renovation is an incredible facelift for Langley.  Our back door entrance will soon be functional again!!!

 

 At Prima, the patio is opening today, Monday May 8th, for lunch only and weather dependent.  So we will stop seating on the patio at 3:00 until the evenings warm up, and if there is rain in the forecast you should assume the patio will be closed.  This is our transition time when we watch the weather forecast like hawks and ask for your understanding when it is closed.  This is our 12th summer so we have gotten pretty good at knowing when it should and should not be open!

Saltwater will be opening sometime in June.  Still lots of projects, painting, training, equipment and supplies to be delivered.  We promise we are moving as fast as we can and thank you for your patience!  Here are some hints.  We can't wait to invite you in!

 

 

Greetings!  We have a lot coming up this Spring in Langley.  Our Spring menu will be out in a few weeks, we've got repairs being made to the patio to get us ready for an April or May deck opening, and our building is going through a MAJOR renovation.  The entire facade of the Star Store building is going through a huge facelift.  For us, the stairs will be rebuilt and we will be gaining a freight lift.  Many people are wondering whether people will be able to use it as an elevator and unfortunately that is not the case.  But our delivery drivers sure are going to be happy!  There will be a few weeks coming up when we will have no back stairs access into the restaurant, but access from 1st Street as well as from the interior of the Star Store will remain open.  And you can always access the Star Store through their wine room door.  Pardon our dust and please keep patronizing us and the Star Store during this renovation!

Mystery Weekend...February 25th and 26th.
The entire town turns into a crime scene for the weekend - shop keepers hand out clues, and colorful characters and sleuths roam the town trying to solve the mystery.  This is really a fun weekend activity for groups of friends and families.  Our 13 and 9 year olds do it each year with their grandparents and LOVE IT!  Visit the Langley Chamber of Commerce website for more details.  http://www.visitlangley.com/langleyevents/langley_mystery_weekend/

Here's the description of this year's mystery... 

 

  Big Mystery in Tiny Town:  Residents of Langley on Whidbey Island are baffled by large muddy footprints appearing all over the tiny town since the first of the year. While some locals have reported sightings of “Big Foot” in the nearby woods, others are saying it is all a publicity stunt to promote the first International Science Fiction Arts & Technology convention scheduled for the last week of February.  Unfortunately, whether it is a Big Foot or a big hoax, the body found behind the local coffee shop is no joke and the police have called in retired Detective I. B. Fuzz to investigate this 33rd in a series of murders which have plagued Langley in recent decades.

 

 

Welcome the Whales
The Gray Whales will soon be returning to Langley.  Each year, approximately 20,000 Gray Whales migrate between feeding and breeding grounds in Baja and Alaska.  Some come in from the Pacific Ocean into the Straits of Juan de Fuca and the Saratoga Passage and actually stay for a few months before heading North.  We are extraordinarily lucky in Langley...these amazing creatures feed on the ghost shrimp right at our sea wall.  They come up so close that at Prima we are unable to see them as the buildings across block our view!  So when we hear the whale bell ringing we know it's time to run across the street for a look.  Welcome the Whales day is April 8th - replete with a parade and seaside celebration in honor of this annual migration.  Whale watching tours aboard the Mystic Sea run from the Langley marina now through the beginning of May.  You are guaranteed (literally) to see a whale.  And this year the Victoria Clipper is running whale watching tours with a stop over in Langley for lunch in March and April - check out their website for details and come have lunch with us on the stop over! http://www.clippervacations.com/multi-package/gray-whale-viewing-stop-at-langley-on-whidbey-island/

 

 

 

 

 

Saltwater Fish House and Oyster Bar

Still aiming for a May opening for our second location!  If you hadn't heard, we will be opening a seafood restaurant in the Cafe Langley location this Spring.  We will be doing some fairly major renovations to the space in the next two months and will keep you updated on our progress.  LOTS to do!   We are building a bar, changing some of the walls, completely updating the kitchen, and making a wheelchair accessible restroom.  We are excited to be offering an entirely accessible space!  We are excited to show you!

 

 

 

For more up to the minute updates and information please...

follow us on facebook - https://www.facebook.com/somagicalthatferriestakeyouthere/

on instagram - https://www.instagram.com/primabistro/

or twitter - https://twitter.com/primabistro

As always, thank you so much for your support and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Jenn, Sieb, and the whole Prima family!

We will be closed both lunch and dinner on Tuesday, January 17th and lunch on Wednesday the 18th for our holiday staff party.  We will open for dinner at 5:00 on the 18th.  Our awesome crew deserves a fun night out and a sleep in the next day!

BIG, BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

We are extremely excited to announce that we are opening a second restaurant in Langley – Saltwater Fish House and Oyster Bar.  After 27 years of hard work and dedication to their successful business, Café Langley sold their building to a Langley loving Seattle family.  They asked us if we would like to open a second restaurant in the space.  We had been looking for a chance to grow and have dreamt of opening a seafood restaurant for years so we were thrilled with the opportunity.   

 We are sad to see Café Langley close its doors and it will be missed by so many.  We hope we can infuse the space with the same love that the Garibyans have over all these years, and we intend to honor their legacy of serving great food to our wonderful community.  Just as we felt honored and humbled to move into the Prima space 10 years ago after the long run of the Star Bistro, we are equally humbled to expand into this one.  

Transformation begins this month.  We will cover the windows so the new restaurant is a surprise for all of you.  As the name implies, Saltwater Fish House and Oyster Bar will be a seafood restaurant featuring fish and chips, clam chowder, crab and shrimp louies, crab cakes, oysters and more oysters, salmon, etc.  It’s a concept we believe is missing in our seaside town and we’ve spent a lot of time researching, menu planning and visualizing so we can bring you the restaurant we can all be proud of.  We can’t wait to take the paper off the windows and welcome you later this year.

Here’s to a happy and prosperous new year!

Closing at 2:30 on Monday, December 5th for Wines of France wine dinner (sold out)

Fall updates!

Summer came and went in a flash, and what a season it was!  Again, we are so thankful for all of you who visited and to all our regulars who tolerate the longer waits for tables!  Lots of exciting things on the horizon to tell you about...most importantly...brussels sprouts from Willowood Farms have arrived!
 

Come tap the cask with us!  Our Beaujolais Nouveau celebration is Thursday, November 17th.  Help us ring in the holiday season and polish off a 15 Liter cask of the first wine of the season from Joseph Drouhin!  We will be offering a menu of nibbles to pair with the wine and plan on having a very fun evening!

TOUR DE FRANCE wine dinner, December 5th.  Imagine taking a month long road trip in France, exploring all of her vastness from north to south, east to west, eating and drinking your way around the entire country.  Now imagine condensing the highlights into one amazing meal!  Think of all the money you will save (and bike shorts not needed!).  This will be a 6 course (at least), wine paired dinner for $125/person.  Call for reservations ASAP...it's going to fill fast!  360 221 4060.

Holiday hours:
Closed Thanksgiving
Serving lunch only on Christmas Eve 11:30-3:00
Closed Christmas Day
Open New Year's Eve and New Year's Day

 
Call soon for holiday reservations as things get very busy in Langley during the holidays!  On New Year's Eve we'll be serving dinner with extra special specials, and offering an expanded champagne menu.  We will again be selling the fabulous Tuzzie Muzzie hats (to benefit the South Whidbey Children's Center) and Danny Ward will be our entertainment for the evening.  Langley is a wonderful place to visit during the holidays.  Starting the week of Thanksgiving our town really turns on the holiday spirit and I have to say, the addition of a few new shops over the last few years has really made Langley a shopping destination.  Go to www.visitlangley.com for listings of holiday events.

See below for our current nightly specials:

plats du jour

sunday - coq au vin

red wine braised washington natural chicken,

chevre gnocchi, bacon, mushrooms

24.00

monday - bouillabaisse

mussels, clams, white fish, fingerling potates,

croutons, rouille, saffron fumé

28.00

tuesday - choucroute garni

house made toulouse sausage, pork belly, pork loin,

bacon, potatoes, house fermented sauerkraut,

riesling,  mustards

24.00

wednesday - moulard duck breast a l’orange

grilled endive, pommes dauphine, citrus jus

28.00

thursday - 48 hour jarret de boeuf

wagyu beef, wild mushrooms, hand cut noodles, pan jus

26.00

friday and saturday

please see your server

For more up to the minute updates and information please...

follow us on facebook - https://www.facebook.com/somagicalthatferriestakeyouthere/

on instagram - https://www.instagram.com/primabistro/

or twitter - https://twitter.com/primabistro

As always, thank you so much for your support and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Jenn, Sieb, and the whole Prima family!

Late Fall cocktails and nightly specials!

CLOSED SEPTEMBER 28TH!!!!

We will be installing a new dishwasher (actually a whole new dish pit!) on Wednesday, September 28th.  We apologize for any inconvenience.  We intend to be able to open on Thursday at 11:30.  Thank you!

CLOSED FOR LUNCH MONDAY, AUGUST 29TH

We will be closed for lunch on Monday, August 29th for some repairs and maintenance.  Opening at 5:00 for dinner.  Thank you!

GEORGETOWN BREWING BEER DINNER Monday, July 25th

SOLD OUT

We will be closing at 2:30 and reopening for lunch at 11:30 on Tuesday

10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY JUNE 28TH

We will be hosting a community open house the evening of June 28th.  If you have been any part of our past ten years here at Prima you are welcome to stop by for some nibbles and bubbles.  Krash Zen will be playing from 7-9.  Hope to see you!

TO GO ORDERS

We will now only take to go orders Monday-Friday up until 5:00.  Any items only on the dinner menu (the chicken, plats du jour, dinner specials) are not available for take out.  We need to make this change to accommodate the ever growing number of customers we have walking in our doors!  This means we will be able to better serve you when you dine in the restaurant with us.  Thank you for understanding!

Closed Tuedsay, June 7th

  Summer is just around the corner...we can't believe it!  We will be closed Tuesday, June 7th for a whole day of summer season preparations.  Lots of deep cleaning, meetings to get new staff up to speed, and wine training.   And as a heads up...we've got the patio open now for lunch and dinner but it gets COLD out there in the evenings even with the heaters and blankets.  If you are hoping to sit out there bundle up! 

Our Patio will be opening Monday, May 2nd!

Yes, yes, we know it's a beautiful weekend and many of you are chomping at the bit to be sitting out there, but we have a few more projects that need completing.  The official first day of deck dining will be Monday, May 2nd and through May it will be open only during lunch.  We will stop patio seating at 3:00.  It's just not warm enough for dinner dining out there until things warm up on a more permanent basis.  Thanks for understanding!

February newsletter

We've got a lot to tell you!  It really feels like Spring is right around the corner and there is so much going on!  We are approaching our 10th anniversary and have some exciting things on the horizon!  One change is that we will be changing our live music schedule.  We will only have one regular night of music, first Thursdays with Danny Ward.  Our intent is to leave room for different types of musical events throughout the year...stay tuned.

"Much Ado About Murder".  This year is bound to be "hare" raising!  Join us for Langley's 32nd Annual Mystery Weekend, February 27th and 28th.  The entire town turns into a crime scene for the weekend - shop keepers hand out clues, and colorful characters and sleuths roam the town trying to solve the mystery.  This is really a fun weekend activity for groups of friends and families.  Our 12 and 8 year olds did it last year with their grandparents and LOVED IT!  Visit the Langley Chamber of Commerce website for more details.  http://www.visitlangley.com/langleyevents/langley_mystery_weekend/

Our current recipient, Jenessa, upper row, furthest left

Red Spatula Award Update:  The culinary school scholarship for a South Whidbey woman that we created in memory of our dear friend and pastry chef, Natanya Johnson is entering an exciting time once again!  Our 2nd recipient started her culinary program in January at Seattle Central Community College while our 1st recipient is making plans to open her own bakery.  Applications are now out and we are hoping to find our 3rd recipient this spring.  This scholarship is a FULL RIDE to a local community college and it has been funded through fundraising events and generous donations.  We are starting our fundraising cycle again and will have letters out in the mail next week!  If you are interested in contributing, checks can be made out to the South Whidbey School's Foundation and sent to Prima Bistro at PO Box 976  Langley, Wa 98260.  All donations are tax deductible.   If you know of a young woman with aspirations to have a career in the culinary world, please direct them to our facebook page where details of the application process can be found. 
https://www.facebook.com/NatanyaJohnsonScholarshipFund/?ref=hl

 

 

 

 

We were asked by the Seattle based company Glassybaby to host a road show to benefit one of our local causes.  And well, of course we said YES!  On Sunday, March 6th Glassybaby will be showing up with 100's of the beautiful glass votives to sell from 2:00-4:00 in the afternoon.  10% of the sales will go directly to Whidbey Island Nourishes, a great organization that provides more than 2000 meals monthly to kids on South Whidbey.  This is a WIN WIN!

 

 

 

The Gray Whales will soon be returning to Langley.  Each year, approximately 20,000 Gray Whales migrate between feeding and breeding grounds in Baja and Alaska.  Some come in from the Pacific Ocean into the Straits of Juan de Fuca and the Saratoga Passage and actually stay for a few months before heading North.  We are extraordinarily lucky in Langley...these amazing creatures feed on the ghost shrimp right at our sea wall.  They come up so close that at Prima we are unable to see them as the buildings across block our view!  So when we hear the whale bell ringing we know it's time to run across the street for a look.  Welcome the Whales day is April 16 - replete with a parade and seaside celebration in honor of this annual migration.  Whale watching tours aboard the Mystic Sea run from the Langley marina now through the beginning of May.  You are guaranteed (literally) to see a whale.  The trips almost always sell out, so book now!

Other things happening around Langley:

Museo’s annual winter exhibit, a group show with the theme "Mardi Gras”, continues through the month of February.  Over thirty artists will participate with works in various media paying homage to this colorful and exuberant celebration.  The gallery is open Thursday through Monday from 11 am to 5 pm. The exhibit will run through February 28, 2016.

To hear up to the minute updates from us please like us on facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Langley-WA/Prima-Bistro/112647415485768
or follow us on twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/primabistro

and find us on Instagram!

Don't forget: Mondays are restaurant industry day (20% off bill), and every day is teacher discount day (10% off).

As always, thanks so much for the patronage and hope to see you very soon.

VALENTINES DAY

Join us for a cozy and romantic Valentines dinner.  We are thrilled to have Hot Club of Troy playing swinging romantic tunes from 6:30-9:00.  Along with our regular menu we will be offering a selection of small plate, entree and dessert specials.  We've been hearing our kitchen geniuses plotting a bit about foie gras, caviar, wagyu steak, and lobster.  We'll have cocktail and dessert specials as well.  Reservations are nearly full so act fast!

HOLIDAY STAFF PARTY

We will be closing up shop for our holiday staff party after lunch on Tuesday, January 12th at 3:00 and reopening at 11:30 on Thursday.  Excited to take the crew to the Orchard Kitchen for dinner and enjoy each other and someone else's cooking!  We will be closed Wednesday as well as we have some building repairs to take care of.

past staff party...don't worry Vincent and Tyla we won't let it get this wild at your place!