Josephine

Housed in the former Bowery Bungalow—a Craftsman-style cottage—Josephine is another delightful Eastside neighborhood bistro with an old-lady name (looking at you, Henrietta)—in this case, the grandmothers of childhood friends and owners Marco Gagliardi and Anthony Dragotto. Chef Marco Gagliardi honed his chops at places like Zahav in Philly and Bon Délire in San Francisco, so it's no wonder his first solo venture is as cool as it is sophisticated. The space conjures the feel of the restaurant you'd dream up as a kid playing pretend at home (guilty, anyone, or just me?). You can sit by the open windows at a bar table, in the quaint dining room where you and your neighbors compete to talk over the rock music, or on the romantic, string-lit back patio.

It took Gagliardi and Dragotto a minute to figure out what Silver Lake wanted from Josephine—it started as a tasting menu with à la carte only at the bar, before they quickly pivoted to fully à la carte and found their groove rotating a good number of dishes every month or so. Mainstays worth repeat visits include the citrus-forward fennel salad with olives and pine nuts; whatever local crudo is on deck; and a bold beef tartare in a pool of jus with beef-fat aioli for good measure. On my visit, the perfectly al dente duck tortellini (on its way off the menu) with cherries and mustard seeds left me wanting more—so if there's duck pasta on offer, order it.

I'm never one to push chicken as an entrée, but it's Josephine's signature main for damn good reason: both Josephine Gagliardi and Josephine Dragotto passed down generational chicken recipes to Marco and Anthony. The result is an Italian-French blend of technique and juicy flavor that is reminiscent of Thomas Keller’s revered Bouchon roast chicken.