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Prima, the well-regard restaurant at 58 E. First St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue, has closed.
The sign on the door is as straightforward as it gets.
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"We just weren't busy enough …"
Prima opened in November 2011 (in the space that housed The Elephant for 17 years).
Prima, from the owners of Summit Bar on Avenue C, was originally open mornings starting at 8 for coffee (via 9th Street Espresso) and a light breakfast … and small meals throughout the day.
But that never caught on. The Times stopped by in April 2012 and had nice things to say. "Order the arctic char ($18) ... and you’ll receive a generous serving of fish cooked so that the skin is as crispy as crackling, the flesh flaky and succulent. It’s flawless, a master class in fish."
We knew several people who liked Prima because it was always pretty low-key. But apparently word-of-mouth was at a minimum.
Per New York magazine: "Prima is the kind of neighborhood gem you hope nobody hears about, so you can keep it your little secret."