Pima Mediterranean Kitchen: Dishes Sparked By Family And A Singular Culinary Identity
Pima is bringing the flavor and communal vibe of the Mediterranean to Chatham.
Photos courtasy of Pima
THIS RESTAURANT HAS PERMANENTLY CLOSED.
Pima, a handsome new Mediterranean restaurant in Chatham, New York, was built as a space to dine together. Chef and owner Kouri Killmier has created a menu and atmosphere that captures both the regional flavors and the communal vivacity of Mediterranean dining culture, all while celebrating the abundance of locally farmed ingredients.
“What I’m trying to do with Pima is be very bright and welcoming,” Killmeir says. “You can see what we are doing and where everything comes from.”
Though Killmier has opened two dozen restaurants as a chef, owner or operations consultant over the years, Pima is the first, he says, that is a direct distillation of his personal culinary identity. This style of cooking and familial presentation was something he was born to do.
When Killmier was a child growing up in rural western New York, his family tended a verdant half-acre garden and a little grove of fruit and chestnut trees. His Greek grandfather lived with them and imparted a lasting love of family cooking.
Killmier worked in a traditional Italian restaurant from the age of 15, until he left for the Culinary Institute of America right out of high school. He then worked in exclusive kitchens from New York to Florida before taking a job opening Marlin Bar restaurants across the country for Tommy Bahama. Those years, he says, taught him much about the restaurant business and how to successfully run systems. He moved to Chatham to help friends open The People’s Pub. A few more concepts launches later and earlier this year Killmier said it was finally the right time for him to make his own culinary statement.
“This is my first baby,” Killmier says – metaphorically of course; he’s also father to two girls. (Even though Pima intentionally sounds like the name of a rocky, sunbaked fishing village it’s actually a portmanteau of his daughters' names, Piper and Madison.)
The menu at Pima reflects that history directly but is not just focused on Italy and Greece. It tours all the flavor profiles of the sea’s circlet coastline, even incorporating Egyptian and Moroccan influences. The vast majority of the dishes here are elevated by spending time in the restaurant’s wood-fired oven. The most satisfying way to experience Pima is to share dishes, from the unique small plates to stunning family-style entrees.
Offerings here change with the season and now, harvest, is a great time to see what Killmier and Chef de Cuisine Jeff Kohman are capable of. Seasonality is perhaps best expressed on the small plates menu with dishes like the Columbia corn gazpacho ($10) with turmeric, coriander, truffle yogurt, chard corn, citrus salt, and sesame brittle.
Killmier also has a close relationship with Go Fish Co., which delivers fresh day-of seafood, specializing in east coast product. Currently the menu hosts a butter-roasted halibut from Maine ($33); shakshuka and scallops ($32), and a fresh raw bar that changes with the tides.
From the land Pima offers a butter-aged filet ($36), a cast iron seared lamb rib loin chop ($40), and a half chicken in pomegranate ($26). Pima is hand-making pasta each night as well, currently served with lemon butter, spring peas, pumpernickel crumb and feta ($19). The whole menu has a lot to offer for vegetarians and gluten-free diners as well. And, there’s even a secret bar-only menu with a hand-ground grass-fed burger ($16), a dressed-up chicken sandwich ($15), and small plates.
The showstoppers at Pima, and the dishes that Killmier says really exemplify the spirit of the place, are the two family-style mains. From the wood oven Pima births stunning whole wild-caught seasonal fish ($48) roasted with vegetables and citrus. While it’s not mandatory, Killmier encourages guests to serve the fish with their hands, the way his family always did. Then there’s the big lamb roast ($72). Slow roasting in the wood oven caramelizes and crisps it in a satisfyingly primal way. Served with new potatoes, caramelized fennel and glazed carrots, the lamb turns dinner out with family and friends into an event.
“I still get chills when I walk in here,” Killmier says of Pima. “I want to show that this kind of food can be fun. You don’t need seven different forks to enjoy this quality of food.”
Pima
10 Main Street, Chatham, NY
(518) 938-1309
Open 4:30 to 11 p.m. Thursday through Monday (kitchen closes at 9 p.m.)
Sunday Brunch 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
