Josephine, the spacious French brasserie in vintage Old Town digs, is a charmer. Staged on three floors in a former firehouse, there’s a classic bar, spacious dining rooms with lush carpets, leather booths, elegant lighting, a hideaway lounge, and a glorious atrium courtyard. The inviting space hums with a vibrant energy that deepens the dining pleasure.
Delicious, authentic, accessible food is a priority here. Executive chef Matt Cockrell grew up cooking with his parents in nearby Vienna. By 13, he was cooking in local restaurants. He honed his lifetime interest in French cuisine after culinary school, when he worked at La Chaumière in Georgetown. There, he developed the butchering skills that allowed him to use the whole animal in his kitchens and to make his own charcuterie. His menu spans thoughtfully updated classics, along with some clever twists.
The beautifully textured country pâté — a star on the menu — follows a 100-year-old recipe. Sweetbreads, another Gallic bistro standby, are delectably paired with crispy mushrooms in a lovely, light, meaty sauce. There are several steak selections. A prized bavette cut (the “highest quality outside wagyu,” Cockrell says) comes with crispy fries, made painstakingly with a special type of potato (Kingston) and “magic ingredients.”
Cockrell pays as much care and attention to the menu’s custom blend burger as to the steak frites. He is equally proud of his innovations, notably a dramatic white fish dressed up with an inky squid sauce and a colorful tomato, eggplant, and olive relish. His duck confit — a meaty leg accompanied by airy spaetzle, layered potatoes, and carrots — is finished with an intensely flavorful sauce. The dish exemplifies how deliciously modern the classics can taste.
The restaurant’s extensive raw bar selections are a major draw. Le Grand Plateau, a towering mound of shellfish, is found on many group tables. Raw-bar oysters, clams, shrimp, and lobster on the half shell are popular starters, too. Cockrell, who gets seafood delivered daily, is especially proud of the fluke crudo and its yuzu and radish accompaniment.
Vegetable dishes are some of the highlights on the menu. The beets, burrata, and balsamic appetizer is a visual wow. The composition of colorful beets, a succulent cheese ball, and blood orange citrus is dressed with green almonds for texture, pomegranate molasses, a vinegar blend, and truffles that give it a wonderful earthiness. His vegetarian gnocchi, made in the Parisian style, is finished with seasonal vegetables and a creative soubise. There’s an impressive roster of cheeses and lovely riffs on classic desserts like cardamom crème brûlée and a seasonal fruit clafoutis.
Small wonder that the dining rooms buzz with a sense of celebration. 109 S. Saint Asaph St., Alexandria, josephineoldtown.com
Feature image by Rey Lopez for LeadingDC
This story originally ran in our September issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
