Winos, take notice - there’s a place in Venice you may want to check out (or stay away from, depending.) It’s Primitivo, a wine bistro/tapas bar on Abbot Kinney. With a wine list that is literally hundreds of wines long and a tempting array of hot and cold tapas and desserts, it is nearly impossible to leave Primitivo without a glassy-eyed, sleepy wino smile.
The interior of the restaurant is dimly lit and inviting, with one seating area in the front near the bar and one on a patio in the back. Your first glance at the 8-point typedface wine list will undoubtedly be incredibly overwhelming. The wines are organized by Old World and New World countries. France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Romania, and many others are all included in Old World, while New World is comprised of countries like the U.S., Australia, South Africa, Lebanon, New Zealand, and Brazil.
If you have no idea what you want (which happens often), a waiter will help you choose a wine by asking you a series of questions about what kind of wine you prefer in general. It feels like a game of 20 questions, but it’s actually very effective in pinpointing exactly what kind of wine would be right for you. You can also order only 2.5 oz (half a glass) of a wine if you just want to try it out.
Just because they are experts on wine doesn’t mean Primitivo overlooks the rest of the menu. The hot and cold tapas are all very delicious. Paella, calamari, roast chicken, steak frites, and bacon wrapped dates are only a few of the selections. You can also order pitchers of sangria to share with your friends.
Primitivo is extremely crowded on the weekends. You can try to just show up and see if there’s a table, or try to get a seat at the bar, but reservations are the best way to go. The busyness sometimes makes the service kind of slow, but the more wine you drink, the slower you want to go anyway, so there’s no need to get upset about it.
Primitivo
1025 Abbott Kinney Blvd
Venice, 90291
(310) 396-5353
$$
photo by Chris Daffin
1 response so far ↓
1 Nancy // May 25, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Informative article…well written.
Leave a Comment