Ten Prime Seafood Opens Today in the Former Res Space
Chow Fun Food Group owner John Elkhay reunited with Executive Chef Jules Ramos and designer Stephanie Skovron to create what he calls his “legacy restaurant.”
Inside Ten Prime Seafood.
There’s always something a little cheeky in a John Elkhay restaurant. This time, it’s a certain scantily clad mermaid perched from a corner looking down on diners below deck in the brand new Ten Prime Seafood in Providence. Opening Wednesday evening, it’s the first Chow Fun Food Group restaurant to launch in more than four years, joining Ten Prime Steak & Sushi, two Harry’s Burgers locations, and Xaco Taco in the restaurant group owned by Elkhay.
The Ten Prime Seafood space is remarkable, leaning into a nautical blue and white theme to match the menu, with interior design by Stephanie Skovron, who also designed Ten Prime Steak & Sushi, the former Chinese Laundry and Harry’s Bar & Burger. It’s located on the corner of Empire and Washington Streets, where Res and Bravo used to be, perfectly positioned across from Trinity Repertory Company to draw in the theater crowd. And yes, they will get dinner and a show with both venues.
Another blast from the past has entered the kitchen, affectionately now coined “The Art Department.” Renowned chef Jules Ramos is back with Chow Fun Food Group, after sharpening his knives back in the day with Elkhay, first at In Prov in 1987, then at Atomic Grille in 1994, followed by the first iteration of XO Cafe in 1997. Likewise, designer Skovron made interior design dreams come true at Ten Prime Steak & Sushi back in 2001.
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The new Ten Prime Seafood is also a family affair, with John’s son, Harrison, serving as president of Chow Fun, and John’s daughter, Laura Elkhay, overseeing restaurant operations.
“It’s a reunion, a true full-circle moment for me in my career,” says John Elkhay. “This restaurant is a passion project for the entire team – I see it as my legacy, so every detail, every ingredient, every menu item, every spoon, fork, apron and glass matters. There is no aspect of Ten Prime Seafood that does not have my full attention and focus and I am proud to be creating this with Harrison, Laura, Jules and Stephanie.”
Diners will also recognize Ramos for having helmed the kitchens of some of Providence’s other top restaurants, including Mill’s Tavern, Mare Rooftop and Café Nuovo. “As chef partner at Ten Prime Seafood, I look forward to showcasing decades of culinary experience with my love and passion for good food,” Ramos says. “Collaborating with John and Stephanie is not just taking a walk down memory lane, it’s taking the road less traveled to offer guests beautiful, authentic food prepared the way it should be, and in an elevated, showstopping environment.”
John Elkhay, Maestro, Chow Fun Food Group and Executive Chef Jules Ramos first began working together in 1987 at In Prov in downtown Providence. The two have reunited at 10 Prime Seafood opening this fall. Photo courtesy of Chow Fun Food Group.
As for the menu, expect exclusively Rhode Island-harvested oysters, raw bar selections, seafood dishes and lobster prepared in various ways. Try the caviar service with potato chips and creme fraiche, or go off the charts with caviar-topped chicken nuggets or smoked salmon caviar cones. They also have burgers and USDA Prime hand-cut steaks for the carnivores. The wine and cocktail menu includes old favorites from previous Chow Fun establishments, plus unique spirits like 10 Prime Seafood’s own vodka label from ISCO Spirits, made from organic corn.
Other design elements include glass chandeliers that look like floating blue jellyfish, a mural of octopus tentacles on the walls by the stairs up to the second floor dining room, nautical decor elements and gorgeous tables constructed by Edge and End, a local custom woodworking company that trains and employs people with mental and developmental disabilities and vulnerable members of the community. The restaurant will be open for dinner daily.
123 Empire St., Providence, 401-642-0770, tenprimeseafood.com
