green door at josefina
Who doesn't crave a spring makeover?
Nearly ready for her debut, Josefina is emerging from the space that last held Gavin Kaysen's Bellecour in Wayzata. Kaysen completely overhauled the space from its Blue Point days to bring a soft blue French influence. Daniel del Prado and his team are bringing an Italian restaurant to the Lake Street address, with a slight focus on Roman cooking, "You know Northern Italian and Southern Italian are so distinct, so different. We wanted to play around in the middle of the country, around the food you find in Rome." It's a light and thoughtful re-do that brings in more light and greenery.
takeout window josefina
Manager Alison McMullen is new, but the roof rooster goes all the way back to 1976, when the space was Chouette.
They'll be opening the takeout window, known as Fina, beginning on Thursday. It's carved right out of the front wall and will be so easy for people to amble up and order a slice or snacky bit to eat. Order online or do a little grab and go from the case. The dining rooms and bar will open for service in the following weeks. Here's what to expect when you get to sidle in.
main dining room josefina
front table josefina
The main dining room has been opened up a bit more so that the whole space seems to flow together. They've swapped out the big central tables that acted as service stations, and replace them with greenery. They also cut new sky lights into the roof, allowing more natural light to come in, which will be great when they get their hanging plant system installed. Don't worry, that front power table is still there in the window, now just banked by fresh green. The walls have been softened with a textured plaster treatment which pulls you a bit toward antiquated stone structures without painting a mural of a villa on the wall.
bar at josefina
The bar area hasn't had much change, other than a few warming wood accents here and there. The big thing long-time campers in this bar will note, is that the long booth along the rail is gone, and with it those two prime corner booth spots. But the table set up is lighter and connects the bar to the rest of the space. Instead of ending at the curtained private dining area, the bar now flows toward the wood burning pizza oven.
fina pizza oven and bar
pizza josefina
With bar seating all around the oven, it anchors the back space leading out to the patio, which is being redesigned as well. More fire pits, some structured coverage to guard against rain, you clearly see the lush vibe going on here. Not for nothing, they were testing pizzas when I popped in and I snapped you some CUPS.
Danny del prado in the josefina kitchen
The kitchen is the kitchen. It's one of the best kitchens in the state, why would you touch it? "It's so big," del Prado said, "it's bigger than any of my other kitchens, it's so nice." He thinks he'll bring back a chef's table in the kitchen, but he's looking for just the right rustic one that fits for him.
The space is open and casual, warm and lush, and they hope to feed families and couples alike. Grab a slice and get back on the boat, meet some friends and sit around the pizza bar, book the front table for the VIP visitors in town. Get ready for Roman gnocchi, vongole clam pizza, Swiss chard alfredo, and so much more.
Takeout starting Thursday, indoor dining later.
