The Dish
DINING REVIEW
CHOP The Culinary Hub of Providence combines international flavors with community service .
M
AYBE IT ’ S UNEXPECTED to house a restaurant in a public library . Or maybe it ’ s kismet . Public libraries , after all , are spaces to escape your daily routine in search of artistic adventure : geographically , culturally , emotionally distant places that expand our horizons , develop empathy in an evolving heart and offer a respite from the grueling machinations of life .
But doesn ’ t food fit that bill , too ? It ’ s the most visceral and
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT : Some of the dishes on the ever-changing menu might include tamarind-lacquered short ribs over chilled Vietnamese noodles ; or char sui burnt ends ; the interior of CHOP ; an espresso martini , French 75 and Old Fashioned cocktails ; chicken tikka masala with naan bread . approachable art form as far as translating culture . Want to muster immediate affection for a land you ’ ve never visited ? Eat the food . Want to marvel at a people ’ s history or their relationship to the terrain around them ? Eat their food .
The culinary stories told in our small state are boundless : what Italy tastes like , how squash might metamorphose , why texture is as critical as taste . Our best restaurants turn food on its head and , because they coax us into loving the unexpected , turn us into more daring , curious and receptive people .
But CHOP ( short for Culinary Hub of Providence ), which opened its doors at the Providence Public Library , has a different approach . This kitchen paints in broad strokes , not concerned so much with reinventing established dishes as much as representing the people who author the menu and with amalgamating a global menu .
The restaurant is a project of the Genesis Center ’ s job training program , offering language education , support services and workforce development . It ’ s hard to fathom a better location given the public library ’ s purpose to broaden community and
90 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY I MARCH 2025