For those following along, after much deliberation, my wife and I chose to go to Prime Bistro for my birthday. We were going to go last Sunday, but it rained on Long Island and they didn’t have covered outdoor seating (we won’t eat inside).
I’ll say this… I’d heard that the COVID-19 protocols weren’t being entirely followed in Long Island. Sadly, this was true. There was an abundance of outdoor seating out on the sidewalk. The tables that were actually inside the original boundaries were not six feet apart. I doubt they were moved from their original positions.
There were very few seats that weren’t in the blinding sun, we asked to be seated all the way in the corner so that we were in the shade and only had two other tables near us. We pointed out to the waiter that the two tables near us were clearly not six feet away. He apologized but said he couldn’t really do anything about it. He also had his mask not covering his nose, which we asked him to rectify. He did so and apologized.
When we sat down, I was able to move our table slightly farther into the corner which helped a little. However, due to our enviable position in the shade, the two tables near us were filled within 10 minutes. One of those tables was a couple that I’d have guessed was in their upper 60’s. We also heard them complain about the spacing of the tables and about their waiter not properly wearing his mask. They received the same answers as we did.
There was some very good French bread with olive oil and garlic on the table. We did our best not to fill up on this as we intended to order many items. Due to the bread’s presence, we both went inside to wash.
I can’t express how strange it felt to see that many people so close to each other, inside, not following masking rules. We live in Manhattan and frequent Bergen County and have never seen anything like it. The tables weren’t distanced at all (once again, they likely were in their usual positions) and the staff were working closely together with various levels of masking, none of which were up to code.
While we were looking at our menus, we were happy to see that we had apparently been assigned a new waiter who was actually wearing a mask over his nose and mouth (it was a mask with a valve, but take what you can get). He was also now the waiter for the older couple behind us. I can only guess he was the waiter they use for the uptight people who believe in the virus. Now onto our meal…
To start we ordered the Bistro Sampler Platter ($36) and the Beef Pot Stickers ($24). The chicken poppers in the platter were made with a sweet chili sauce and were pretty standard, but good. The Moroccan cigars (3) were the best part of the sampler as they were made perfectly. The meatballs (3) were just mediocre meatballs in a BBQ sauce and were disappointing. The beef empanadas (3) were overdone and tasteless with very little beef inside. Our other appetizer was significantly better. The pot stickers (4) were really great. They had a slightly spicy dipping sauce and the plating was beautiful.
My wife ordered a Garlic-Crusted Filet ($56). It was cooked perfectly and was extremely tasty. It came with some shoestring onions and a small pile of greens. The onions were solid, but the greens weren’t dressed so that was a bit confusing. My wife also got a side of Whipped Yukon Potatoes ($10). These tasted like absolutely nothing. And I mean that. I’m not even sure there was salt in them. She asked for and received gravy, which improved them greatly.
Instead of getting a traditional main, I chose to get the Buffalo Chicken Pizza ($28) and the Korean BBQ Lamb Ribs ($26). The pizza was not so much a pizza, as it was a flatbread. That said, it was very tasty, the crust was quite crunchy, and the blue cheese dip was really good despite not tasting at all like blue cheese. The chicken could’ve had better texture, but overall it was a very good plate. My ribs were flavored and cooked perfectly. They were quite fatty, but they’re lamb ribs, so that was to be expected. Well, THEY weren’t lamb ribs. I had one lamb rib and two riblets. It wasn’t a huge deal, but it was of note. I also ordered a side of French Fries ($10). These were very crispy and well spiced.
We opted to get dessert… and that was either our best idea or worst idea depending on if you consulted our taste buds or our ability to move. I got the Chocolate Peanut Butter Saucer ($14). This was one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. It was a large chocolate ganache cup filled with peanut butter mousse, sitting in hot fudge and whipped cream. My wife got the Apple Galette ($14). It came with caramel ice cream on top and was also delicious and massive. We probably would’ve shared one if we’d known they were that big. But we aren’t quitters, so we finished them against our better judgement.
It was a mixed bag of a night, but it was certainly memorable.
Nati Burnside 