It’s that time of year in Rhode Island. The competition with hordes of summer visitors is going to be fierce no matter where you go out to eat, but doubly so if you head to the water. The trick, we discovered, is to go as early as possible.

We arrived on Restaurant Row (Water Street) in East Greenwich around 5:15 p.m., just before the crush of food fans could swamp the small parking lot at Table 28, sandwiched between veterans 20 Water Street/Warehouse Tavern and Harborside’s Lobstermania. Table 28 is the newest brainchild of Jaime D’Oliveira (Mill’s Tavern, 22 Bowen’s Wharf), though in this case, he acted as a consultant to owner Gary Marinosci, who also runs the nearby East Greenwich Marina. D’Oliveira brought on Chef Winston Wither, who has worked at XO Café, Atomic Grille, and Café Nuovo.

Though a few tables on the spacious deck were occupied (first come, first served), we had made a reservation for the inside dining room, which is upstairs. (Folks in wheelchairs would have to choose the deck or the first floor bar/lounge, where smoking is permitted.) The décor is as chic as one might expect from a D’Oliveira production: chrome and black vinyl on the banisters as you go upstairs; mirrors and mosaics covering sections of the wall, and dark mahogany woodwork and natural fieldstone as further accents.

What struck me most, however, was the early evening light flowing in from banks of windows on both sides of the rectangular space, and the view onto Greenwich Cove and the wooded Potowomut Neck across the water. That view adds a relaxing, country note to the somewhat spare urban chords of the dark slate upholstery and white composite-topped tables.

The menu is similarly direct, but with fabulous fusion touches such as prosciutto and melon with a minted cucumber salsa, portobello encroute, or pan-seared crab cakes with a chili-lime sauce. Any of these could have kicked off our meal. But what was even more intriguing for Bill and me was the "trio of ceviche for two" ($16).

The presentation of the ceviche (Chef Winston makes different ones each day, depending on what he has on hand) was stunning: three glass vials in an arcing stainless steel bow, with long-handled spoons to reach the marinated seafood atop baby greens. The striped bass was soaked in a citrus/thyme marinade; the salmon in a spicy teriyaki sauce; and the tuna in a soy-and-ginger blend. The seafood and the sauces are changed every two to three days, so it may always be something different when you order this dish.

Our own summer visitor, our daughter Sabrina, went for the baby spinach and bleu cheese salad ($8). The spinach leaves had rings of crispy shallot sprinkled on top, a few oven-dried tomatoes tucked inside, and a warm pancetta-balsamic vinaigrette over it all. It was quite delicious.

Though we had puzzled over our entrées — seared tuna? spice-rubbed rib eye? lobster risotto? — all three of us were pleased with our final choices: "duck three ways" ($23.50) for Bill; prosciutto-wrapped cod ($22) for Sabrina; plantain-crusted fried snapper ($21) for me. The lure of mango chutney on the snapper was strong, as well as the shiitake stir-fried rice and the baby bok choy. All three were quite good, but the crust on the snapper almost hid the taste of its sweet flesh.

Sabrina’s cod was accompanied by "bacony black lentils," which she immediately "mmmed" about, and oyster mushrooms, in a veal stock reduction, tinged with thyme, one of Chef Winston’s favorite herbs. The cod was quite flavorful and slightly smoky from its prosciutto wrap. Bill was, meanwhile, in duck heaven, with the breast as rare as he’d requested, topped with currant/plum chutney. The confit duck leg, however, was inexplicably dry, in contrast to the lovely sweet potato puree surrounding it. The two savory duck dumplings in a consomme were polished off in a flash.

The wine list at Table 28 seems very carefully assembled, from vineyards as close as Greenvale Vineyards in Portsmouth to far-flung selections from Australia and New Zealand, with many California and European wines in between. Bill and I were both impressed by the by-the-glass Trinchero Cabernet, from California.

The dessert menu presented another quandary. Warm poppyseed cake with raspberry sorbet? Vanilla crème brulée? We settled on two others: chocolate-brioche bread pudding and zinfandel poached pear ($7.50 each). The poached pear was excellent, with accoutrements of mascarpone dollops and bits of pistachio brittle, though I couldn’t discern much more than the brandy in the lemongrass sauce.

But the brioche bread pudding won hands-down. It was a generous portion of pudding, with thick dark fudge sauce rippling through the cakey confection and swirling round it on the plate. Plus, a small cup of caramel ice cream played off the bits of English toffee sprinkled about — a decadent delight.

So, pretend you’re a tourist and treat yourself to Table 28. But act like a native and go early for a good table.