A Michelin Green Star chef's culinary tour of the Ocean State.
As we motor out into the open ocean, goldenrod-blanketed meadows and rocky shorelines fade from view. At the helm of this journey is Chef Michael Cimarusti, leading us on a culinary exploration of Rhode Island's rich waters. He fished these very waters as a child with his grandfather, Ted, and today, he's back—this time, to showcase the local seafood traditions that inspire his craft. His line tugs, and the battle begins as he reels in a 29-inch striped bass—dinner secured.
“Some of the best fish in the world, in my opinion, come from New England, and a lot of it right here in the Ocean State.”
Cimarusti, a champion of sustainable seafood and owner of Providence in Los Angeles—a Michelin Green Star-awarded restaurant for its commitment to sustainable gastronomy—has returned to the region for a culinary tour showcasing restaurants that prioritize environmentally friendly sourcing. In Kyoto, Japan, he learned the secret of delicious, perfectly preserved fish.
The technique is ikejime, the ancient Japanese art of humanely slaughtering fish on the boat at catch. The fish does not undergo the stress of death and all the repercussions to the flesh that it causes. Chefs are wildly passionate about how it is changing their kitchens.
“Seafood inspired me in a personal way from the very start,” Cimarusti said. “It is my duty to staunchly support its conservation and best practices, and it's my privilege to have the opportunity to showcase it on a nightly basis.”
Chef Nick Gillespie, fishing alongside Chef Cimarusti, is working toward his ikejime certification, a practice that helps generate better revenue for local fishing communities. He has also launched an educational outreach program, bringing workshops to local schools to introduce the next generation to lesser-known fish—like ling, which is abundant in Rhode Island waters—and how it can be prepared into delicious dishes.
Follow along with my Ocean State Seafood Adventure as the chefs and I sample everything from fried seafood baskets to paper-thin crudos to oyster shooters.
Day One: Seafood Shacks, a Culinary Museum, and a Seafood Festival
The drive to celebrate authentic Rhode Island food starts when we get off the boat and head to Dune Brothers Seafood in Warwick. The long red shack sits adjacent to a working carousel, and classic cars dot the park for a weekend event. Crowding the brightly colored picnic tables, platters of fish and chips made with local ling, meaty clam cakes, cold calamari salad that tastes like a sea-inspired antipasto, whole skate roasted over local broccoli and bathed in harissa, and steaming bowls of clear Rhode Island seafood chowder sit aside local clams swimming in a Portuguese sausage broth. Baskets of fresh-baked brown bread wait to sop up all the goodies. It is a true New England feast.
After lunch, we head to the Johnson & Wales Campus, where Chef Cimarusti talks to the next generation of chefs about the importance of sustainable seafood sourcing. We then tour the Culinary Arts Museum on campus and explore the thousands of historic hospitality artifacts, including a fully restored diner interior, an antique copper chocolate press, and visual histories of clam cakes and chowder.
After checking into The Beatrice Hotel, we make our way down the street to the annual Rhode Island Seafood Festival. Every September, tents fill with local craft beers and tables strewn with clams, oysters, and all manner of New England seafood dishes, and Rhode Island-famous Del's Lemonade machines crank out the tart treat beloved by all residents. Live music fills the air as we roam around India Point Park's waterfront, snacking on monster-sized lobster rolls chock-full of sweet meat.
Day Two: Riverboating, Ocean-Inspired Spirits, and Fish Markets
After a quick coffee and pastry at Hope & Main, a culinary incubator for refugees, we make our way to the waterfront to meet our boat to experience Providence from the water and enjoy ocean-inspired spirits from the Industrious Spirit Company, or ISCO.
As our guide maneuvers us around the bridges, Manya Rubenstein, CEO and co-founder, cracks open the cooler and pulls out Ostreida Oyster Vodka, distilled with fresh local oysters and corn, and Seaflow Ocean Gin, made with New England seaweed. They were the first distillery in Rhode Island after Prohibition and craft everything by hand utilizing sustainably grown grains in a 150-year-old former industrial mill complex near Downtown Providence. Rubenstein mixed batches of briny martinis to enjoy as we motored by stunning architecture, large public art installations, the Providence Industrial Harbor, and more.
A day in Providence would not be complete without a stop at Fearless Fish Market. Inside, refrigerated cases are chock-full of fresh John Dory, golden tilefish, black sea bass, littleneck clams, and monkfish, all pulled from local waters. A salad of scallops and squid in lemon vinaigrette is today's special, while people line up for tubs of the bluefish pâté, housemade fishcakes, and the Rhode Island specialty: clear fish chowder.
Owner Stu Meltzer opened the market in 2019. Since then, he has been serving up a variety of local catch (whole and filleted), hot and smoked fish, tuna bolognese, and other house specialties, dips, and salads, all served with a side of sustainability information.
Day Three: Mole, Crudos, and Oyster Shooters
Just off the hotel lobby, Bellini offers an Italian-leaning menu stocked with classics like pappardelle with Pomodoro sauce and spaghetti alle vongole. We opt for a crudo of shrimp, branzino, salmon, and scallops topped with delicate drizzles of olive oil, cracked spices, and slivers of pickled vegetables. We raise our glasses of the restaurant's signature Bellini cocktails, a mix of sparkling prosecco and fresh white peach puree, and toast our last night in Providence.
Dolores, an art-filled eatery across the street, serves contemporary and regional Mexican cuisine from the Mixteca region of Puebla and Oaxaca in a homely atmosphere. They specialize in moles and handcrafted nixtamalized tortillas made with native heirloom maize. Family-run, James Beard Award finalist chef Maria Meza mans the restaurant with her two sons, general manager Joaquin and bar manager Marco. Marco starts us off with a sampling of agave spirit-based cocktails. Joaquin delivers platters of mole negro with plantain, mole poblano with Baffoni farm chicken, and mole pistachio with live fire-cooked octopus.
Gift Horse and Oberlin
Just a short walk down the street sits the raw bar Gift Horse. We're greeted by a cornucopia of fresh oysters, clams, whole fish, caviar, kelp salad mounds, and other raw delicacies as we make our way around the cozy horseshoe-shaped bar to grab a couple of stools and their house specialty: the Shucker Punch, a Rhode Island oyster in kimchi brine with your choice of spirit.
Towers stocked high with crab claws, mussels, crudos, half lobsters, clams, and oysters alongside platters brimming with caviar and doughboys—a fried yeast dough Rhode Island specialty—circulate around the tables as we move to their sister restaurant next door, Oberlin. A platter of whole wood-roasted striped bass, prepared by chef Benjamin Sukle, is passed around the table family-style while spaghetti studded with Rhode Island shellfish, Wapsie Valley polenta, and more fill our plates for our last taste of Providence.
If You Go
Where to stay: The Beatrice, 90 Westminster Street, Providence — thebeatrice.com
Where to eat: Dune Brothers Seafood (dunebrothers.com) · Dolores (dolorespvd.com) · Hope & Main (hopeandmainpvd.org) · Gift Horse (gifthorsepvd.com) · Oberlin (oberlinrestaurant.com)
What to do: Rhode Island Seafood Festival (riseafoodfest.com) · Fearless Fish Market (fearless-fish.com) · The Culinary Museum (jwu.edu/culinarymuseum) · Providence River Boat Tours (providenceriverboat.com) · Industrious Spirit Company (iscospirits.com)
Story by Carrie Honaker. Photos by Carrie Honaker, GoProvidence, Fearless Fish Market, The Beatrice, and Warren Jagger Photography. Originally published in Beach Happy Magazine, Spring 2025.
