FROM TOP : Duck confit with mint yogurt . The library theme is incorporated throughout the decor .
radio — I just wanted to get your vibe right .” It ’ s a surprisingly common sentiment — perpetual awareness , that is — given that the restaurant ’ s central goal is to recognize and elevate those who are often overlooked . It ’ s also the reason that the eclectic menu works .
The dishes range from young and pithy ( white bean hummus and spicy Korean Brussels sprouts ) to mature and redolent , as with the Haitian duck a la orange and the lacquered short rib with Vietnamese noodle salad . The juxtaposition of the two personalities is a bit of a literary reference : colloquial language set into an academic design for the purposes of redefining the blueprint itself .
Some of those voices are readily recognizable — General Tso ’ s cauliflower ($ 7 ) and tuna poke ($ 22 ) are part of the longestablished lexicon — while others offer surprises . Dense chicken meatballs coated in panko ($ 10 ) might be standard bar food , but the Tunisian chili sauce is the life of the party . Even a plate of poutine ($ 12 ) shifts the focus from the fries , which take a thirdrow seat to the duck confit , which is waiting in the wings to be a main course .
Pastas lean toward comforting , including a four-cheese baked pasta ($ 18 ) which seems almost like a meta dish in Rhode Island , though this one eats more delicately than Al Forno ’ s signature plate . Nearly every entree has some version of cross-pol- lination , each culture gaining from the diversity of the dish . Polenta sits alongside the Haitian duck ($ 27 ) — an unusual starch for soaking up this sauce but one that works entirely . The same holds true for the cold and heavily herbed Vietnamese salad , which rests under a tamarind-glazed short rib ($ 28 ) that falls away from itself unprodded . The temperature paradox pulls from Asian cuisine but the plate and its technique is inclusive in nature . This is the microcosm that speaks to CHOP ’ s broader goal : to recognize that diversity builds things that are both expansive and well-pitched .
It ’ s even more evident in the cocktails ($ 13 –$ 15 ) which hit nearly every flavor profile — often in a single drink . Each sip becomes a heterogenous mix that could never exist but for the sum of its parts : lemon lives with tropical trail mix orgeat , tamarind mixes with Kalimotxo grenadine and riesling syrup is steeped with chamomile tea . If it sounds overwrought , then the language is deceiving ; each goes down like a juice sprung from a newly discovered fruit .
And while CHOP was still working on the dessert course , the kitchen swung into gear as a corporate party began to physically descend on an unrelated table of three . “ My boss ,” said the same eager server , “ who ’ s cosplaying as a bartender tonight , wanted you to have something extra .” He put down a plate of chewy brownies topped with a whipped chocolate ice cream and chocolate pearls — as delightful and as fully American as dessert can be .
Though you can expect more international offerings in time , it ’ s a fitting final statement . All of these disparate ingredients and approaches synthesize in the end , not only by way of taste but through a narrative that manages to collect many voices into a single harmony . 🆁
92 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY I MARCH 2025