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       

OCTOBER NEWSLETTER

Happy Fall!

A couple of big things to tell you about...Oktoberfest details below, but first a mention of our upcoming and filling up fast wine dinner!  We will be featuring Pinot in all its various incarnations on Sunday, November 8th, in a 5 course wine paired meal for $75/person.  We are taking reservations for this long awaited evening between 5:30 and 8:00.  Please let me know if you would like to join us!

We are so thankful to all of you who have
voted for us in King 5 Evening Magazine's Best of Western Washington competition.  Someone out there nominated us in the French category - THANKS whoever you are!  We are at the top of the heap...how cool is that!  If you haven't already voted, we'd sure love to get your vote...
http://best.king5.com/contests/best-of-western-washington/4749/great-meals/french

Join us as we celebrate Langley's 2nd annual Oktoberfest. 
We'll kick it off on Friday night, October 2nd, with a Friday Night Flights focusing on Alsatian wines.  Tickets cost $20/person and include a 2 oz taster of wine and a small plate at each of our venues: Prima, The Chef's Pantry, and the Edgecliff.  Tickets available now at each venue.


Saturday, October 3rd, brings an amazing array of activities for people of all ages...find most activities in the courtyard and parking areas adjacent to Chef's Pantry.  Here's the lineup:
11:30-5:00... Diamond Knot Brewery Beer Garden and Root Beer Garden for Kids.  Purchase commemorative steins $10 each - includes one free pour and special discounts and offers around Langley
12:00...OKTOBERFEST PET COSTUME CONTEST!  to benefit WAIF...entry forms at Chef's Pantry.  Emceed by the one and only fabulous Sue Frause!
12:00-2:00... Authentic Brats and hotdogs with sauerkraut from Bavarian Meats and sponsored by the Lions Club!
1:00-4:00 - Enjoy an authentic Oompah band...The Bavarian Village Band playing in the middle of all the activities!
1:00 Pretzel baking demo at the chef's pantry
2:00 Polka demo and free lessons by Enzian Schuhplattler troup at Useless Bay Coffee
4:00...Bavarian Cooking and Home Brew beer contest...judging at chef's pantry. 
for more details on these events log onto www.chefspantryonline.com/events


We continue with our regular live music every Thursday night and our restaurants industry Monday nights.  Our fall menu will be rolling out soon, as soon as we catch our breath from this crazy summer!

We are so thankful to each and every one of you and look forward to seeing you again very soon!

AND...we will be closed mon/tue the 12th and 13th of October...we're going on a much needed retreat with our staff - and so many of you have asked if we'll be talking about work...NO WAY...just eating great food, drinking great wine and enjoying eachother's company!

Bon Voyage, Evan Leichtling! by Nick Horton

This past Tuesday marked a bittersweet moment in the annals of Prima Bistro: Evan Leichtling--our resident sous chef, punk rocker, and stylistic pariah--worked his last shift. The 22-year-old has made a name for himself at the restaurant by working incredibly hard, being awfully dependable, and wearing skin-tight orange jeans, a hat made of elephant skin, and a pair of sunglasses previously owned by Cruella de Vil.

Esoteric clothing aside, we'll miss Evan dearly. He is one of only two employees--aside from Sieb and Jenn, of course-- that were on Prima's opening crew three years ago. Thankfully, he's not going too far. Evan has already landed a job at cooking at Lark and Licorous, the Seattle restaurants run by the James Beard award-nominated chef Johnathan Sundstrom. ("His food is amazing," Evan says reverently. I concur.)

The young Mr. Leichtling is pictured here with a bottle of Blanton's bourbon, his absolute favorite beverage.  (In case you didn't know, "Leichtling" is an Austrian name that translates roughly to "little lamp-lighting boy." Seriously.) Evan will be moving to Seattle ASAP, bringing with him his prized motorcycle--a 1983 Honda Ascot 500--along with his penchant for blasting the "Duck Tales" and "Alladin" theme songs on Prima's stereo prior to opening. We may not miss the music, but we'll definitely miss the guy.

Good luck, Evan!