By LILLIAN GLAROS
PHOTO CREDIT Lillian Glaros
Located on the lobby level of the Cambria Hotel on Baltimore Avenue, Primetime is half dining room, half sports bar, with vintage sports memorabilia dominating the decor.
The upscale steak-and-seafood restaurant opened March 27 with more than two dozen entrees on a menu that offers five cuts of steaks and chops alongside comfort foods like meatloaf and mac and cheese, as well as burgers, pasta and dinner-sized salads.
Rounding out the dinner options are another two dozen appetizers and sides and a drink list that includes 12 locally crafted beers.
“Our theme of the restaurant is more like a sports theme, but I wouldn’t describe us as a typical sports bar because we have, like, not typical bar food,” General Manager Gia Trop said. “We have upscale American food, is how we describe it. … We have burgers but we also have steaks.”
Trop said the bar is “kind of its own space” with 12 big-screen TVs showing games, separate from the dining room, which houses four more.
Customer favorites include what Trop calls “classics” that Executive Chef Frank Greco has put “a twist on,” like French onion meatloaf, chili pop shrimp, the Blackjack Burger and the G.O.A.T., which is a French onion filet mignon.
The entrees range from $24 for Francese-style lemon chicken with wild rice and asparagus to $48 for the G.O.A.T., an eight-ounce filet served with gruyere, crostini, caramelized onions and sherry beef jus.
So far the restaurant has attracted a wide clientele, from sports lovers to fans of local beers to diners looking for an intimate setting, Trop said.
“We’re not necessarily targeting a certain … type of customer,” Trop said. “We really formulated our menu to cater to everyone.”
The restaurant is open every weekday for breakfast, lunch, dinner and happy hour, and on weekends for breakfast, brunch and dinner.
Primetime is part of the George Martin Group, which owns five other restaurants in New York and Maryland, including two in Hanover.
The group is owned by George Korten, who chose College Park for his new restaurant because of the quick growth of housing in the city, Trop said, noting the eatery’s decor is a nod to Korten’s love of sports.
Trop said the restaurant is already seeing repeat customers.
Laura Benvenisti, a University of Maryland (UMD) student, was at the restaurant for the first time with her friend, Kiana Kadivar, on a recent quiet Wednesday evening, and both said they would visit again.
Benvenisti ordered the bee sting chicken parmesan, which she described as hot honey on top of chicken parm.
“It was really unique,” said Benvenisti, who noted her appreciation for the vibe of the restaurant, with its R&B background music, modern decor and pleasant staff.
Kadivar, who ordered the mac and cheese, agreed, pointing to the prompt service, large portions and warm table bread.
Server and bartender Michael Watts, who joined the Primetime staff after patronizing George Martin restaurant Grillfire in Hanover as a customer, said he likes the juxtaposition of fine dining with a sports bar at the College Park location.
“You get to watch sports and still get amazing food,” said Watts, whose favorite dishes are the chili pop shrimp, crispy calamari, crispy Nashville hot chicken sandwich and eight-ounce flat-iron steak.
