BY ELISABETH HARRISON
Seafood takes center stage at Providence in Los Angeles.
Foodies in Los Angeles are flocking to a restaurant named
after Rhode Island’s capital city.
The restaurant Providence has received two stars from the
Michelin Guide. Rhode Island Public Radio’s Elisabeth Harrison spoke with Head
Chef Michael Cimarusti
efore he opened a top-rated restaurant in Los Angeles, Chef
Michael Cimarusti grew up spending vacations with his grandparents in Rhode
Island.
He remembers summers on Scarborough Beach, where the clam
cakes were to die for.
"There used to be a shack literally, like, right in the
middle of Scarborough Beach," Cimarusti reminisced. "We’d spend all
day on the beach and around noon or one o’clock my mother or my grandfather
would give us 10 bucks, and we’d go get a dozen or a half dozen, and those are
some of my earliest and fondest food memories."
Cimarusti says fishing with his grandfather was another inspiration
for his restaurant Providence, which focuses on seafood.
He uses razor clams for his version of clam cakes, and a
recipe from his grandmother's kitchen.
"I have a handwritten copy of her recipe, and that’s
something that’s been on our menu since we opened just because, God, I love
clam cakes when they’re done right."
Providence features multi-course tasting menus and dinners
that can last several hours. But for simpler fare, Cimarusti has also opened
Connie and Ted’s, a restaurant named in honor of his grandparents .
The menu includes Rhode Island specialties like fried clams
and stuffies.
"We do traditional Rhode Island chowder there, along
with Portuguese fisherman’s stew. All sorts of classic Rhode Island fare that I
remember eating growing up," said Cimarusti.