If you're staying in the hotel and have to choose between Restaurant Kevin Taylor or Prima (both KT restaurants), go for RKT. I don't know how one restaurant can do everything so well, and the other makes so many mistakes.
We stopped in here for dinner on a Saturday night, and had no trouble getting in without a reservation - in fact, over 90% of the restaurant sat empty. There were a couple people at the bar, and two other tables of diners. Not a good sign.
The service was far less formal than at RKT, and the food wasn't even close to what they offer in RKT. I appreciate that one restaurant is going to differ from another, but mediocre food and service can definitely taint the brand. For these prices, there are just WAY too many better options within a couple blocks.
Breakfast at this lobby-restaurant was surprisingly good. Â
Ambiance:
a bit cold & stark... especially compared to the cozy lobby with a fireplace.
Food:
* Scrambled Eggs with Tomato, Basil and Buffalo Mozzarella - fresh & tasty (4 stars)
* Eggs Benedict with Spinach, Tomato, and Green Goddess Hollandaise - EXCELLENT! Had to eat every bite. Â (5 stars)
* Coffee - strong, but not that hot (3 stars)
Service:
Friendly, but not that knowledgeable about the menu selection (3 stars)
Overall:
The food was good but it's a bit pricey. Â It's convenient if staying at the Hotel Teatro vs. going out in the cold.
One of the weirdest moments in my history of eating out just happened here the other day:
"Table for four, please"...the hostess says OK and starts to walk to the upstairs dining room. I request to siot downstairs (about 7 empty tables, its early and the place is pretty much empty)
The hostess then tells me that she "prefers" that we sit upstairs, where their are zero people and about 15 empty tables.. Yeah, just weird. She didnt say it in a mean way, very matter of fact. HAs this ever happened to anyone else? I would've just left but we were starving.
besides that...I could think of 25 other places in Denver I'd rather spend money on for dinner. I believe this place exists and up charges just because it is linked with the Hotel Teatro and is convenient for guests to come down.
Theres nothing wrong with the food and ambience, but it's just kind of bland.
TERRIBLE SERVICE, RAW FOOD (and not the good kind). Skip to the bottom for the short story, here's the long one:
I went to see a musical the other day and booked reservations 1 and a half hours early- which is usually plenty of time before a show. Â We arrived and sat with no water. Â We told the waitress we had to make a 7:30 show. The waitress didn't come by often at all. I ordered the prix-fix which was a few bucks shy of $40. Â I thought 1) I'd have a nice hearty meal, and 2) as the special, the soup and desert was mostly already waiting (little quicker). Â The meal consisted of tomato soup (which was so-so), tenderloin ordered medium-rare (but came out raw- more on that later), and creme brulee (which was actually good). However, it took over 1 hour to get our food. Not wanting to be late for the show, we scarfed down our food, Â I kept asking for them to bring out the next plates and the receipt. Â This did not speed up the pace. Â My tenderloin came with two pieces, one was cooked medium rare as ordered, the other was completely raw on the inside and inedible. Â When I had to ask again for the dessert and the receipt. - Just to point out, that I always say please and thank you when the food FINALLY came (and in a polite way- I don't want to eat spit!) Â but the waitress was so rude and didn't make eye contact at all and would walk off before I finished talking. Â FINALLY the dessert came- with a snotty tone, the waitress said, "you still have 15 minutes to your show." Â As if she was annoyed that we asked asked about the receipt and desserts and rushing for no reason. Â Yes, we did have 10-15 minutes, true. Â BECAUSE we scarfed down and ate only half of each course. We seriously ate three courses in less than 10 minutes. Not only that, but I only had couple of minutes to take a few bites of my desert and then run out the door. Â What's the point in a nice night out and play that a terrible dinner service?? Â I would have more enjoyment from watching my money swirl down the toilet. Â The restaurant wasn't that rushed- and as a restaurant very close to the theater on an opening night, they should have been more prepared. Â Even an apology from the waitress and a nice attitude could have appeased me from the slow kitchen, but we were ignored and not taken seriously. Â
PROS: Â It is very close to the theater. Â Had the meal been timely and had more attention on it, it wouldn't have been half bad. The tomato soup was very simple. It had two mozzarella balls and two small tomatoes inside. Didn't blow my socks off, but was decent. Â The tenderloin came with very crispy fries and asparagus. Half of the tenderloin was cooked to order (med-rare) and tasted good. Â The creme brulee was good- nice berries on top.
CONS: Slow kitchen, bad attitudes. Â The star of my meal (tenderloin) came with two pieces, one of which was completely RAW and inedible. Â I can eat rare meat, but this was bone fide raw. Â I barely had time to scarf down my meal and rush to the show arriving just as it started.
BOTTOMLINE: In instances like these, I ask myself, was it worth the wait?? and was it bang for my buck?? Â NO!
Um, is this place for real? Hotel Teatro is the cutest place in the world (except for the interior layout which is rather odd). But considering the divine food of Kevin Taylor's, one would think Prima Restorante is on the same (or at least near) the same level. Guess again.
I go with my best friend on a Sunday morning at 10:45. Place is empty - not a big concern. The waitress brings us ONE menu (I'm gay, but my friend isn't and we are definitely not on a date, so two menus seems about right). Okay, anyways, my friend asks is the eggs benedict is a good portion, because he is hungry. Waitress says "yea, its big." Haha, what was she thinking - it was two egg muffins for $14 dollars.
Besides that mess - I ordered a coke, and got a glass half of water and half of coke. The bill had three things charged wrong.
But what really turned me off is the service. The waitresses are wearing pants that are torn at the feet. It's not a big deal, but we're in a 4 star hotel. You can't dress appropriately? Ill go to chilis instead.
Staying at the Teatro is a great enough experience on its own, but when a Kevin Taylor restaurant is also your go-to room service spot, you've hit the jackpot. All of our wedding guests stayed at the Teatro and RAVED about the food at Prima. It is a little on the pricey side but it's always fresh and delicious. Best of all, they really are so accommodating and the service is friendly, laid back and cool. I love that they change the menu with regularity; that they feature fresh/local ingredients and that it's all sooo tasty! There are lots of good restaurants in Denver but I can't think of one hotel restaurant that is so deserving of praise.
Review Source:Although I LOVE Hotel Teatro... much could be said about its overpriced and stuffy, dull interior, restaurant on the first floor. Â This does NOT sync with the splendor of the hotel and I actually recommend people to walk down the street for their breakfast at The Market or Sam's No. 3. Â
Service was terrible, our server did not give us the menus and even when we spoke that we were in a hurry proceeded to take a long time. Â The food was blah. Â Not at all worth the price tag that was accompanying it. Â For $14, I got fried eggs substituted for my eggs benedict (the server said it would take too long otherwise). Â In comparison, I paid about $9 at Snooze for an order of eggs benedict that was delivered very quickly and with a smile. Â To give another example, oatmeal is about $14 as well - down the street, it's $4.
For the amount of money I was paying, I expected something stellar with amazing presentation and perhaps a side of fruit. Â I got neither.
Prima only gets one star from me...let me explain.
Food poisoning - Two out of the four people at my table ended up with food poisoning. Â I was one of them, and let me tell you, it ruined the rest of my night (there was no sleeping happening) and I was also out of commission the entire next day - terrible! Â The other person suffered the same amount of time.
Service - We were one of two tables in the entire restaurant and the service was slow, and actually terrible. Â The waitress would forget things and was slow in getting the things that she did remember. Â When asked how our food tasted, one of us responded that the food didn't taste very good, and she just kind of ignored it. Â Note that the two people that didn't get food poisoning actually really enjoyed their food, so Prima gets credit there.
While it appears that many people have enjoyed Prima, we may have certainly gone on an off night. Â However, food poisoning (along with the pains that come with it) certainly does not warrant a return visit from any of us.
We had Thanksgiving dinner here. The meal was a definite 5. They offered an authentic Thanksgiving meal: all your "basic" items but prepared with gourmet excellence and perfect flavor. The meal exceeded our expectations,and "best Thanksgiving meal I've ever had!" per my 18 yr old son. It was the best one for me too because I had the salmon - delicious. It was such a treat to have my meal of choice while the guys were in heaven with their turkey.
*I noticed that every male within view had ordered the traditional dinner, and every woman I saw had ordered something else!
The service was solid, but not out of this world. It was not a slammed, busy night. The atmosphere was nice.The high ceiling made it feel spacious but the the way they arranged the tables made it impossible to feel like we were having a family dinner. People and chairs backing into each other got irritating. Felt compelled to escape as soon as we were done eating.
I'm sure they can get it together if they want to. Then they'd be amazing.
Prima-
ahhhh. i love you, let me count the ways....
1. Your cute, cozy and yet spacious venue, makes your restaurant perfect for a small holiday party [which my company surely took full advantage of!]. Even with our big craps, poker, texas hold em and blackjack tables, there was still plenty of room to mingle freely.
2. Your drinks are heaven. Your bartenders sure make a mean dirty martini :)
3. The food is amazing. The roast beef is to die for [cooked to perfection and juicy!], the large selection of salads were all delicious, the pasta [although very heavy on the pesto] were pretty darn good too. Don't forget to sample the chocolate covered strawberries for dessert. YUM!
4.The staff is outstanding. Consistently checking on me to make sure my experience was enjoyable, drinks were filled and more. best ever!
So Prima, I must say, Thank you for everything :)
Anyone who has rated this restaurant one or two stars clearly doesn't know one thing about a gourmet restaurant experience. Yes, the portions are small. Yes, the price is jacked. But of course it is. It's a Kevin Taylor restaurant. Regardless this is one of the best dining experiences I've ever had.
I had the soft egg ravioli... It's a runny egg... inside a ricotta ravioli? I don't know how else to describe it but it's wonderful and I don't even LIKE eggs.
The portions are small but I wasn't hungry after wards. It was just enough to get me through. Their dessert chef is obviously very talented. I'll just say that much.
I will definitely be coming back.
Please try Prima Ristorante! Loved every single thing about my meal and experience here. Â First off, we just moved downtown and found we were always around 16th Street Mall and Larimer when looking for a good place to eat. We decided to head on the cross streets toward 14th to find somewhere new. Â First off, being that we just relocated from Manhattan, we were so pleased with the Hotel Teatro's exterior. Beautiful! Definitely felt like the building could fit into any length along 5th Avenue. Â We saw the quaint Prima Ristorante from the exterior windows and thought it looked too charming to pass up.
The ambience of this Hotel is just top notch. Prima Ristorante is one of Kevin Taylor's creations (big time chef I hear). The restaurant pleasant, perhaps a few years dated in design, but has a lovely ambience.
Our server Ethan was attentive, kind and genuinely happy to answer all our questions regarding the menu - which is rather involved with lots of ingredients I had to inquire on. Â The menu has so many delicious sounding things on it I sat there for a very long time trying to determine what I wanted to order.
The food and drink:
I just ordered a Coors Light so I can't discuss the wine selection. My husband was thrilled that there was a local brewed pilsner on the menu that he enjoyed.
My tomato and ciabatti (sp?) soup was delicious. I could taste roasted red pepper puree with the tomato base which made for a earthy flavor. Â The soft egg ravioli with truffle sauce was fantastic; delicate and flavorful. Â You can definitely tell the raviolis are made fresh each day as we were told. Â My main dish, scallops with brussel sprouts was sooooo good! Â Maybe brussel sprouts do not sound tempting, but these were buttery and cooked perfectly tender. Mixed in with the delicious mashed potatoes I was very happy.
My husband was pleased with the roasted chicken dish, but not thrilled. The chicken was not the most tender. Â The rice pilaf or whatever the mixture was was flavorful and a great compliment to the chicken.
The serving sizes are what I would consider normal, healthy portions. Not piles of food. If you want that go to Maggiano's or Cheesecake Factory. That said I still left with a to go box.
Our server Ethan informed us that Prima has struggled with business. Â I think it is because it is tucked off the beaten path of 16th Street. This is just an absolute shame! Please support local businesses in Denver and try Prima soon. Â We are going back with out of town friends next week. Bon appetite!
Another Groupon another restaurant. and this one was worth it. The whole experience was nice. our waitress was friendly and attentive. the food was good and worth the price. I'm glad we had the groupon but even with out it I would not have minded paying for it.
The helpings were small but not so small that I left hungry. I had the lamb and it was succulent and tender. it was well seasoned and had and all around good flavor. I would definitely recommend this place to friends.
I plan on going back soon for my monthly date with my wife.
I love a place that serves brunch until 4pm!
This place takes reservations on Open Table (yay). We made a reservation, but when we showed up at 3pm for Brunch, it was pretty empty, so the reservation was a bit unnecessary.
They had great food options for brunch. The bad thing about doing brunch so late, is that they were out of the Tuna :( But, the Bass was quite good with the fried artichokes and polenta cake. The tomato-soup tasting sauce was a bit sweet, but overall the dish was great. I heard oohs and ahhs about the steak & eggs across the table as well ;)
This place is definitley pricey, so be prepared for a hefty bill. But, it's a really nice restaurant with unique food, so it's worth the occasional splurge.
The only improvements I would recommend is parking & validation (it was rough walking blocks from our metered spot in 90+ degree weather) and either more refills on the water or a table flask of water (again, 90+ degree weather).
Disclaimer: The soft-egg ravioli should get 5 stars, and their wine list should get 4 stars.
Whenever I've had the egg ravioli, I've left completely satisfied. But the last two times I dined at Prima and didn't order that dish, I was disappointed. Â A friend and I ate at Prima for Denver Restaurant Week, and everything was underwhelming. My grapefruit and beet salad had literally one slice of grapefruit and seven slivers of beet. Â My salmon was dry, and my friend's bass was lackluster. Â The tiramisu, as I noted above, was delicious. The most recent experience was brunch. The eggs benedict were not warm and the egg was practically hard-boiled. The side of fruit was cut up so small--kind of strange.
Bottom line: I might go back, but I'll stick with the egg ravioli, a glass of super Tuscan, and the tiramisu.
A group of 4 of us had brunch there Sunday. Â They initially wanted us to sit at the upper level. It had to be 80+ degrees up there. Â Add to that some screaming infant and we asked to be seated downstairs. Â Obviously our first offense. Â We were seated by an unused door to the side patio. Unused because even though it was gorgeous out no patio dining. Â I asked if we could prop open the door in an attempt to get a temp closer to 70 than 80. Â A quick No, no we cannot do that and away the manager went. Â Our second offense.
Brunch comes with the option of "unlimited prosecco" Â Unlimited only of you can track down the server. Â The glasses are quite small and they are in no hurry at all to re-fill. Â None. Â Service was beyond slow, I got the feeling purposefully so. The staff all but hid out in the kitchen the entire time. All the staff not just our wait staff. Â I guess everyone was being punished or maybe they were all in the walk in cooler.
Brunch also comes with a fruit plate. Â more of a fruit cocktail. Â Looked and tasted like something that you would find at Country Buffet.
The bright spot was the banana bread french toast and the egg filled ravioli. Â I'd almost go back for that. Â All in all the prices are to high for the food and service level you get.
I love me some lentil soup, and you can get a delicious bowl at Prima!
Overall I really like the menu here (check it out online), and from the side entrance on Arapahoe you wouldn't necessarily know this restaurant is attached to a hotel. I've been to Prima twice now - once for dinner, and once for lunch, and both times I was super pleased with my food but both times the restaurant was nearly empty. Strangely, the mezzanine and the bar are a draw for me - beautiful to look at, especially when decorated for the holidays - even though I've sat at neither. Â
This time I gave in and got my own order of the soft egg ravioli. So tasty. I understand now why you only get three little plump pillows of pasta because that's probably your day's worth of allotted calories right there. But it's worth it.
Next time, I'm coming back to try the champagne brunch. Who's in?
PS - parking can suck around here. If you can't find a meter, suck it up and park at the convention center right across the street.
Man I feel like I'm the only one on Yelp that didn't like this place at all! We won't be going back, that's for sure.
We went to Denver to find an Italian restaurant to have dinner and after driving around trying to find one that we had not been to, we ended up at Prima Ristorante. We walked through the entrance to the hotel and took a left and we were at Prima. Upon entering, I was totally confused.... It felt like a sophisticated bar (because the decor is nice) but this place is NOT inviting at all. High tables, no booths, long rectangular restaurant - so uninviting. I really wanted to walk away but felt bad that we walked in already.
So we sat down. Restaurant was pretty empty at 7pm on a Saturday night. But by the time we finished our meal (around 9pm let's say) there were many more tables. Most of the guests were out-of-towners - you could tell.
We ordered our drinks. I asked for bread (why not immediately bring some to the table before I have to ask?). My husband ordered their lentil soup and it was VERY good (probably the only good thing about our experience besides the delicious olive bread). I opted to go for their carpaccio as an appetizer. It was ok.
For dinner, he ordered their red sauce spaghetti with a side of meatballs (let me just tell you that they charged us $9.00 for that side of meatballs and only 3 were on his plate - ludicrous!). I didn't try my hubby's dish but he said the meatballs were cold/frozen in the middle.
I ordered their gnocchi which is made with crab meat and lima beans in a white sauce. I didn't know what other thing to order so I went for that. I asked the waitress what she recommended and immediately she said the egg ravioli. I was scared to order some runny-egg-ravioli-dish. Apparently that's what they are known for.. oh well... I won't ever know.
The gnocchi was delicious. No, not the plate itself, just the gnocchi. It was soft, not chewy and just delicious. Everything else in this dish though was bad. I didn't understand the white sauce taste and the crab meat with lima beans were just bland.
Prima is a headache and frankly, uninviting... NEXT!
For a restaurant in the Kevin Taylor group, Prima really disappointed me this weekend when I brought Mr. Mixer there.
I had a mushroom soup for my appetizer. It was good, but not hot enough. Â Mr. Mixer really liked the tuna tartare.
For our second course Mr. Mixer got the duck ravioli and I got the gnocchi with prok belly ragu and burrata. Â The duck ravioli were fine, but I really didn't love my gnocchi. Â There was way too much rosemary in the ragu. Plus the burrata was a little sour.
For our main course, I had the angus sirloin on butter mashed potatoes and Mr. Mixer had the seared scallops. Â The scallops were fine, but my mashed potatoes were not hot enough. Â Also, while the meat was perfectly done, the outside was so charred that I really didn't like it.
To top it off, I asked for my main course to be boxed, as I hadn't eaten most of it. Â The server comes up to the table with a box and dumps the food in, helter-skelter, right at the table. Â I just think a nicer restaurant would do that in the kitchen, right? Â The server was nice for sure, but this seemed like something they'd do at Chili's, not Prima.
All in all, Prima's food was ok, but nothing was what I was expecting from a restaurant in the Kevin Taylor Group.
It's not that the food was lacking in flavor or elegance, it's just that for the price, there was ridiculously little of it. My girlfriend's crabcake appetizer was about 2 bites, even by light eater standards. All 4 of us had the same complaint, in my case with their version of eggs Benedict.
Actually, I have to correct my remark about the food not lacking in flavor - when it came to the deserts. A pedestrian cheesecake ... and a waiter-recommended ricotta/pine nut/balsamic fig tart, which turned out to be a confusing mess of flavorlessness. Not impressed in the least, especially with the excellent selection of fine cuisine in the neighborhood. I recommend, don't waste your time.
On a rainy day last week, some co-workers and I ended up at Prima in search of a relaxing dining experience and some comfort food. At my Prima regular colleague's request, our waiter started off our meal by bringing us a bowl of house made chips that were great. Think crispy, salty, rosemary... While both of my dining companions went with the mac and cheese, I decided to order the Angus burger. My burger was great and the pesto aioli was a surprisingly delicious condiment choice. The mac and cheese was also very tasty, but super rich. The best thing about eating lunch at Prima is that is really isn't priced all that higher than most of my usual 16th Street Mall lunch spots. While Prima isn't an every day lunch choice for me, the overall experience was wonderful and I can't wait to try out more items on the menu.
Review Source:Thank you to my fellow yelpers for the wonderful reviews of this place. I was in town for a couple days and saw the review so I decided to stop in for dinner. It was the most indulgent and delicious Italian dinner I have treated myself to in recent memory.
The service was great and the staff is clearly knowledgeable. I had a glass of pinot noir and started off with the wild mushroom soup which was so creamy and earthy! I added a little salt but I have a salt addiction (hehe) and the soup would have been fine without it. For my entree I ordered the soft egg ravioli and it was amazing. The dish is really, really rich and is a heavenly mixture of runny eggs and cheese and probably lots of butter. I highly recommend!
After sleeping in heavenly beds at the Hotel Teatro (see my review for details) it only makes sense that you eat a heavenly meal for dinner at Prima. So that's exactly what I did.
My dining companions and I started out with the Carpaccio of beef and the burrata as Laura L mentioned already. As she also mentioned there is a lot of pasta on the menu, and I had the exquisite pleasure of sampling the homemade soft egg ravioli with ricotta, Parmesan and truffle butter. It was one of those dishes that is definitely worth every calorie it contains so if you're in the mood for something completely decadent and rich this is the meal for you.
However, I went with seared Ahi tuna with truffled couscous, English peas, roman artichokes, and lemon aioli. I would eat this meal over and over again. The tuna was perfectly seared rare and the sides were light enough to not overwhelm the dish, but managed to compliment the fish well.
Our service was nothing less than perfect and although the price tag was a little high this is one of those meals that makes every dollar worth it.
In the sea of mediocre downtown Denver restaurants, there is a little foodie oasis - Prima a Kevin Taylor Restaurant. Unlike other Kevin Taylor Restaurants, Prima is more casual and reasonably priced with the same attention to quality. Their contemporary Italian cuisine has a unique variety of appetizers, pastas, and meat dishes to tempt any taste. One stand out to me is the mouth watering soft egg ravioli (egg yolk and ricotta inside a lovely homemade ravioli with a butter truffle sauce). Check out <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.epicurious.com%2Frecipes%2Ffood%2Fviews%2FSoft-Egg-Ravioli-235852&s=2cc3654f1161bf4c0be8040434915c230673caa550749ea07b0e7311ad5201e1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.epicurious.co…</a> if interested in making at home. Pastas entrees are offered in full and half sized portions, which is nice for those of us that like the opportunity to try several smaller courses (trust me there will be too many dishes you'll want to taste). As a bonus, they have a nice wine menu to boot.
Located smack downtown on 14th and Arapahoe in the Hotel Teatro, the restaurant's comfortable decor complements the Hotel's history (originally the Denver Tramway Company building surrounded by trolley cars and the site of the Evans Mansion, home of Colorado's second territorial governor).
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Ate there for the first time with two friends before Cats, so we were eating early (5:30). None of us had eaten at any KT place before but wanted Italian near the Buell.
From the atmosphere to coffee/espresso everything was delectable! When it took a moment longer for the wine we selected to be brought to the table our server was apologetic and recommend another bottle with the same price point and characteristics. (not needed as the original request was located!)
Everything was balanced, flavorful, beautifully presented in reasonable quantities and priced decently. Everyone at the table enjoyed each dish completely. $35 for three course meal!
Not only will I go back, but I will tell everyone I know what a great dinner experience I had! That, I think is the highest complement you can give a establishment.
Great service and atmosphere. The menu has clean, Italian + American flavors and they all deliver on the table.
The homemade mozzarella was good, but not amazing - so just consider this a regular caprese salad
The butternut squash soup was fantastic and there was a random salad that was superb as well.
I would go back again.
I find Prima delightful! Â I have gone to it with friends and family for lunch, dinner and even on Christmas one year! Â So I feel like I have wide variety of experiences to pull from. Â
First, I think one of the reasons I go to Prima so much is its great location next to the Denver Center for Performing Arts. Â It is right across from the parking structure in the Hotel Teatro. Â When you walk in you are greeted with a long two story restaurant (the upper level looks over the ground floor). Â I have sat at the bar, the far end of the restaurant and upstairs and can't complain about any seat! Â I think I prefer the top for the people watching and the view outside, but that is just me :) Â
The food is delicious! Â My absolute favorite is the Pork Chop with the fingerlings. Â On Christmas, if I am remembering correctly, they have a special menu (or at least special Items). Â So that is nice if you need a place out for the holiday. Â The Prima Bellini is also a refreshing bubbly drink if you do their brunch. Â
Service has always been good and they seem to try their best to take care of their patrons. Â I know the last time I was there the lady next to me felt nothing they gave her was good or right and the waitress seemed to go out of her way to try to make it better - a good sign! Â
I stop short of a 5 star review only because I always enjoy it, but I can't say I was ever WOW'd. Â Still it is a great experience and one I am sure you will enjoy!
It's funny. I never really thought of Prima as a 5 star restaurant. But last night they hit it outta the park. And since we owe it to our Yelp-buddies to be honest, I gotta give this place the 5 star rating it deserved.
We went there for an after-show dinner. The place wasn't crowded. And we were seated at a choice corner table. The server, Adam, was a sweetheart. We tried some dishes he recommended and were happy with each of the selections, from his wine suggestion to his advice on dessert.
Had the Caesar salad, mac and chicken in 3-cheese sauce which was made with homemade pasta and was incredible--perfectly cooked, al dente, and then the scallops with lobster risotto and fresh peas (truly delicious). Joined that with an excellently matched bottle of 2007 Elk Cove Pinot Gris (gotta love that Willamette Valley). Â
The biggest surprise was when we reluctantly agreed to his strong recommendation that we get the cheesecake with pistachio florentine for dessert. Neither of us usually like that heavy a dish after such a rich dinner, but we thought, "hey, this guy hasn't led us wrong yet, so let's give it a try."
Absolutely amazing. Light as a feather. Almost like a delicate cheesecake mousse. Not overly sweet. No banal graham cracker crust. Rather, served with a wonderful waifer thin pistachio cookie and totally fresh blackberries. Over-the-top fantastic.
My advice, put your prejudices, if any, against Kevin Taylor (and his sometimes pompous presentations) aside, and try out Prima's. They absolutely did everything right last night and they deserve your business.
Prima's isn't perfect for a special occasion dinner. It's more the place to go when you're out to the DCPA, or happen to be downtown and looking for a very nice, but not too fru-fru place. And I'd go when they're not jammed pack, since the promptness of service seems to be an issue that sometimes bites them. Â But all that said, this place can definitely come through with a performance worth a standing ovation.
We went last night to Prima, and it just fell flat. Service was slow, and our waitress had way too many tables on a night where they knew they would be busy because there was a show. Wine took forever to come out.
The food was okay. My husband had the crab cakes, which were just off in taste (where was the crab?) and they had way to many olives that overwhelmed anything else. Our friend had the mozzarella, tomato and basil, where the mozzarella was allegedly homemade. But it was hard, and was either not homemade, or was not fresh. I had the beef carpaccio, which was pretty good.
My halibut came in a nice tomato broth, but my husband's ahi tuna had no flavor. There are a lot better places to spend this kind of money, in my opinion.
Went here last night before catching a Bronx Tale. Â Their menu has recently been revamped with several new items. Â We started with the calamari. Â It was delicious and came with lighly breaded zuchini and Aioli sauce.
For a main dish I had the short-rib ravioli with veal bolognese. Â My sister had the crab and lobster ravioli. Â Both were wonderful.
The service was very attentive the entire time we were there. Â It was a great experience.
I hated to review this but I really want this to be good. I love the location in the Hotel Teatro and close to the Performing Arts but it just wasn't that good.
When I made the reservations, I told them I had a show to catch and still we were not seated for 20 mins past our reservation. (it seems the host or manager was not available) The waitress was overwhelmed. Tables were available but we just weren't seated.
Our meal was good just not fantastic and we felt rushed. I had high hopes considering the price and all the great reviews. It looked pretty & the descriptions were great but it just did not deliver. Perhaps my expectations were too high.
One last thing, I was told they would validate for valet parking, NOT True. I was told later, "ONLY for Kevin Taylor dinners!" Â :-O Â (educate your staff so we wouldn't be misled)
I'm probably a little biased here, since Prima is where the hubby proposed, but the food was absolutely incredible. We shared an order of mussel spaghetti, and were extremely pleased with our dinner. There is a nice selection of wine, which is a pleasant surprise, since the restaurant itself is fairly small, and I really love being able to have one glass of wine for dinner and a different one for dessert.
We now visit Prima on special occasions, and I can't say I've ever had a poor experience there. I would recommend a visit to Prima to anyone who wants a nice dinner in the heart of downtown.
Had to give Prima an update after our wonderful luncheon; boy did they outdo themselves.
After another perfect night at Hotel Teatro -- my belated VD present for my Hubby to Be, my 2 BFF's met me for lunch.
Started at 1pm-ish....Ended at almost 4pm ish.
We wined. Â We dined. Â Yes, we had to nap after, but it was wonderful.
The wine; Â a great place to start, was a really great Spanish Blend, which went perfectly with the variety of dishes. Â It was neither too sweet nor too tannic (y), Â and didn't hurt the budget. Â
Yes, we were able to find a decent red for about $30 a bottle. Â Nice huh !!
Lunch was tons of dishes; mostly shared -- Let's see, we shared the Crab Cakes, Calamari, Ahi Tuna, Ravioli, and I believe a Halibut.
Oh, the bread. Â Hot, Crusty Bread, fresh from the Oven. Â
Who said you can't bake a good loaf in Denver -- well these guys and gals can and do !!
I would remiss if I didn't tell you that this isn't Italian. Â Please don't go there expecting Northern or Southern Italian -- it's just not. Â More New American, similar to the other Kevin Taylor's restauarants.
So as long as you don't think you're getting Lidia's Kitchen type food  ( for us NY Foodies and Cooking Show enthusiasts) then you're fine, and will enjoy a nicely prepared meal.
Deserts, btw, were out of the world good, complimented by some of the best coffee and port I've ever had at a "Hotel Restaurant".
Loved every minute !!
Great Food
Great Service
Great Friends
What's more to life???
I think we caught them on a bad night... the hostess was also a waitress. Â It took her 10 mins to get back after seating us. Â Wine came out after food, and she was clearly feeling rushed and stressed.
The food itself was good, and there was a nice selection of wine. Â I was disappointed, but again, I really think I got there on a bad night, and would give them another try.
Certainly can't complain about their location! Â Great if you're seeing a show.
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