CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Elysian Fields lamb saddle with grilled rainbow carrots and fried carrot panisse; white wine poached pear; butter pecan ice cream with chocolate fondant and caramel whipped cream; smoked steelhead trout with pistachio cream.
FROM LEFT: Haddock chowder; the Smoking Gun cocktail. its identity on affordability. Extravagance is an essential building block at Ten and that’ s an easy path for a seafood restaurant to access. Caviar is available with creme fraiche and chives— served on potato chips instead of blinis— for $ 100 –$ 125, which is pretty much what the market dictates. Or you can order the gateway chicken nuggets and caviar, a Gen Z interpretation that turns the traditional on its ear in more ways than one. It’ s a pairing that works in both flavor( salt on salt) and texture( the chicken pieces are small and eat more like chicharron than a nugget). But, at $ 45, it’ s slightly more than a garnish, which deflates the sails a bit if you’ re bargaining for more than a novelty concept.
There are, however, other ways to satiate the longing for decadence, because if caviar is the keynote, then lobster is Ten’ s spirit animal. As an appetizer, it’ s served“ Acting like Escargot”— chunky nubs of lobster sitting in puddles of garlic butter and topped with puff pastry caps($ 25). For those who eat snails and mussels only as a vehicle for the sauce they’ re sitting in, it’ s a clear win.
Lobster main courses meander right into hyperbole: Mac and cheese saunters out with a towering lobster head on top or you can get the whole crustacean drowned in butter and Ritz crackers. Alternatively, Ten’ s idea of“ healthy” is a shallow bowl of lo mein that cradles a jumbo tempura-fried lobster tail for somewhere north of $ 40.
But while Ten Prime Steak & Sushi leads with drama, Ten Seafood often lets a spectacle unfurl gradually. Filet mignon appears restrained, except for its plating(“ served on Versace”) and the plump tortelloni perched on top that spills a cacio e pepe center when prodded. It’ s not an unusual combination( beef carpaccio loves Parmesan) but it’ s a surprising translation and a good one. Better is a special of halibut lacquered with white miso and served with crispy duck fat potatoes. The $ 65 price tag is shocking but, if you’ re willing to spend it, the mammoth snow-white piece of fish is one part
throwback to Nobu and one part homage to the ocean.
If your budget has reasonable boundaries, however, there are less expensive dishes that still embody the restaurant’ s extravagant viewpoint. Tuna tartare($ 22) eats more like an island ceviche— bright and tart with plenty of lime— served in a coconut shell and festooned with fried plantain chips. Likewise, the house potato( listed as“ oh those potatoes” on the menu) is a butter-drenched stack of thinly sliced spuds covered in melted brie. You could call it au gratin but that would be underselling it. At $ 12, it’ s a trademark side that turns any restrained plate into a Ten meal.
You might expect the dessert tray( which servers present Vanna White-style at the end of each meal) to be a full-tilt circus, but it’ s surprisingly muted. Apple pie, lemon tart, creme brulee and brown butter chocolate chip cookies all seem a bit mom and pop for this dining room, but the kitchen occasionally sends out something that feels more at home in this performance space.
A souffle brownie($ 18) comes out like a Mardi Gras float, hidden under a chocolate dome that dissolves as servers pour hot chocolate over the top. Eventually the whole plate is a lake of chocolate with an island at the center. In other words, it’ s way over the top, which seems just about right for a Ten Prime restaurant. 🆁
116 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY I APRIL 2026