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Restaurant review

Shaking up the standards

Primi Urban Cafe's owners put their own stamp on the Italian classics.

By Jim Webster
Published March 15, 2007

Primi Urban Cafe, on Fourth Street N in downtown St. Petersburg, has a cozy interior as well as sidewalk tables, which are good for people-watching and enjoying the weather.
	[Times photo: Scott Keeler]

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: Scott Keller] Primi takes pains to get the details right, as in this shrimp appetizer.

This storefront on Fourth Street has had a multicultural life: sushi place with a Vietnamese menu, barbecue joint and now Primi Urban Cafe, Italian with a hint of South Africa.

That's the homeland of proprietors Arno and Irene Von Waltsleben, who have created the atmosphere of a cozy village market. Shelves of bottled water, canned tomatoes and the like line two walls, and a beautiful, big communal table dominates the middle of the room.

The menu has standard Italian, and some choices, such as polenta and gnocchi, that should be.

The result is good, just good enough to make you hope it improves on a few points.

Take the mozzarella appetizer. No deep-fried stick here; these are large chunks of cheese coated in bread crumbs and griddled, much as if it were a grilled cheese sandwich with just a hint of bread, and topped with a sweet tomato pesto. The golden and crispy top was delicious, the bottom burned black.

The eggplant bruschetta was better executed, with eggplant piled so high on the thick bread that it became knife-and-fork food rather than finger food.

Among entrees sampled over several visits, there were many successes.

The black mussels were a hit, a huge bowl of meaty mollusks in a tasty broth.

The chicken saltimbocca varied nicely from the usual, with the chicken served as scallopini rather than a whole breast, each of the five or six pieces topped with ham, cheese and sauce.

Gnocchi, little potato pasta dumplings, are one of my favorite things. These were a little soft for my taste, but the crispy sage leaves in the brown butter and sage sauce were a treat.

The pasta with the chicken piccata offered a pleasant surprise: It was sauced with the same nice lemony sauce used on the meat. I'm always disappointed when the side of pasta comes with tomato sauce, whether tomato sauce has anything to do with the main dish or not.

Service ranged from scattered to excellent. On one visit, our server didn't seem to know much about the menu, and one of the owners was following her as if to clean up behind her. On a subsequent trip, another server was completely on the ball.

At lunch, Primi features a list of deli-style sandwiches, toasted panini, burgers, salads and pastas. Little things such as flavored mayos and homemade chips are efforts you have to appreciate.

In addition to his duties as a Times copy editor, Jim Webster is a culinary tourist and amateur caterer. Until a replacement for former food critic Chris Sherman is named, Weekend is featuring guest critics.

Review

Primi Urban Cafe

27 Fourth St. N

St. Petersburg

(727) 895-4909

Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Dinner, 5:30-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 5:30-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday.

Details: Sidewalk tables available. Major credit cards accepted. Delivery available.

Prices: Appetizers, $5.50-$7.95; pastas, $5.95-$11.95; entrees, $9.95-$17.95; lunch sandwiches, $5.50-$8.95.

[Last modified March 14, 2007, 10:06:16]