I heard the name Josephine
It came to me in a dream
—Frank Turner
(Not really, but these days I’ll use pretty much any excuse to quote Frank Turner.)
Husb and I are hitting another anniversary and so wanted to celebrate with a nice dinner out. We often go to Blue Heron in York but I was in the mood for something different, a place we hadn’t yet tried. We settled on a local place that has had rave reviews and a menu we could agree on. But when I went on Open Table to make a reservation, something else—a familiar name—popped up. Josephine’s!
For years Husb and I would make the trek to Marietta for a lovely Country French meal at Josephine’s. When the new chef came in, we didn’t mind one bit and continued to go for special occasions. When it closed, we missed it.
So to see the name again this week? Surely, it must be . . . and it is! Right in the heart of Lancaster City and serving contemporary American food. This was meant to be—even though it was an hour’s drive (and at rush hour), we had to go.
One complaint people often have about restaurants in cities is “where do we park?” That’s not a problem at Josephine’s Downtown—it is next to a large public parking lot. Couldn’t be more simple.
Sometimes you can just feel that good things are coming and I certainly did when I saw the elegant exterior of the restaurant. Once inside, we were greeted with a smile and led to our table. Because I had selected “anniversary” on the Open Table reservation, not only did everyone wish us a happy anniversary, but when we opened our menus there was a personal card saying it as well!
I’d looked at their Facebook page so I already had an idea of what I was going to order, but Husb didn’t. As I looked over the menu, though, I wavered. So many things looked so good. Black cod? Risotto? Duck breast? The decision was not going to be as easy as I thought.
We started with wine, a lovely Cabernet Sauvignon for me and an absolutely incredible Old Vine Zinfandel for him. For an appetizer, Husb ordered the Warm Cauliflower and Barley Salad (roasted butter beans, herb emulsion, lemon vinaigrette, radish, celery leaves, shaved fennel, raisins) without the lemon vinaigrette (because he prefers me to be the only zest in his life). It was seasoned so well he didn’t miss the dressing at all.
His entrée was the braised short rib (butternut squash custard, roasted pearl onion, roasted chanterelle, black garlic demi, togarashi, micro basil, micro lemon balm). The short rib absolutely fell apart with a fork—divine would be a good word for it. He doesn’t like mushrooms either but he sampled the chanterelle after giving me most of them and was sorry he had let them go. Is it possible we have found a mushroom he will eat?
After all my considerations, I went back to what I had thought I would order. I started with the Caesar salad (baby romaine, rosemary bread crumbs, parmesan). It was simple, not overly dressed, excellent. And then I had something everyone who doesn’t have a seafood allergy should have: the Butternut Squash Bisque (king crab, spiced pepita, white chocolate powder, cilantro pudding, chive blossom, micro cilantro). I had seen the picture of this online (the picture I’m using) and it called my name. They serve you the bowl with the crab, etc., in place, and then pour the cream over it all. Presentation counts but even if they hadn’t done that, it still would have been a dream (just like the name Josephine). This is the soup I will want every time I go back. Because you know I will.
We ordered tarts for dessert but before they arrived we were served flutes of champagne to toast our anniversary! What a nice surprise. When we were first married, it felt like every time we turned around someone was handing us champagne to celebrate; this little touch took me right back to that.
My tart was the Apple (green apple, Calvados custard, apple honey glaze) with a little scoop of caramel ice cream on top. Husb had the Chocolate Pecan (orange sassafras cream, micro mint) but switched the orange sassafras cream out for coconut ice cream because, well, orange (plus all ice creams are made by the restaurant).
I can’t tell you when we’ve had a better dining experience. We’ve had some very good ones over the years, including in Philadelphia and DC, and this one has made it into the top five of all time list. Part of our conversation during dinner was (a) figuring out which of our friends will want to know about this place and (b) when would we be coming back. Because you know we will.
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