If you have a special occasion coming up, have guests you want to treat to a beautiful dinner, or want to find a restaurant that will become "your place," Restaurant Josephine is where you need to go. Situated in what is considered midtown Auburn, this beautiful eatery has every single excellent quality you want when dining out is a special occasion.  In fact, even if you don't have anything to celebrate, Restaurant Josephine is the kind of restaurant that makes dining out the special occasion.  Please read on to learn about one of the area's finest restaurants.

A New Restaurant with Deep Roots

Restaurant Josephine's location is priceless. It’s on the ground floor of a historic building that dates back to 1894. Encased in beautiful brick and gleaming with rich wood, etched glass, and stainless-steel accents, Restaurant Josephine is gorgeous and unpretentious down to its smallest detail. I love the roots behind this place that are evident from name to dessert. There are three owners: Eric Alexander, Courtney McDonald, and Britton Reed. While Alexander isn't originally from Auburn, McDonald and Reed are natives of the area and longtime friends.

The restaurant's name is taken from two extraordinary people in the owners' lives. They are Eric's great grandmother Josaphine and Anderson's and McDonald's daughter, Josie. A very poignant detail is that the restaurant's logo features Josephine’s signature from her Ellis Island immigration papers; she was an immigrant from Lithuania.  As you step through the doors of Restaurant Josephine, one of the things you'll feel is that it's a place that has been around for several decades, but in fact, it's less than three years old. The vision of its three owners was to turn this charming space into a place where people feel personally entertained. The restaurant has many old-world details like upholstered velvet banquettes, black and white hex floor, art deco wallpaper, and gilt-framed mirrors. To walk into Restaurant Josephine is to step back through time. What these three owners wanted, and have done beautifully, is to build a space for celebrating roots while enjoying the very best food the area has to offer.

While Alexander and McDonald have undisputed talents as the restaurant's chefs, preparing the restaurant space to match the restaurant's high-quality food was the work of Reed. Reed, a general contractor with an impressive history of creating innovative commercial spaces, transformed what was once a photo studio into a stunning home for Restaurant Josephine.

Cuisine Curated to Charm

Restaurant Josephine's food offerings reflect the chefs' attention to detail. Dishes contain the highest quality of ingredients brought together with French mainstays and a bistro bent. Every item on the menu, from wine to dessert, is mindfully selected, so much so that you can ask about any ingredient or item's source, and waitstaff can answer your questions confidently. I was fortunate enough to be invited to Restaurant Josephine's soft opening and have returned twice since then. Please remember that every item on the menu or served from the bar is the best you'll find in the region. Read on to learn the culinary treasures that await you at Restaurant Josephine!

But wait, before I start talking food, I want to share one more thing that's so special about Restaurant Josephine. This eatery is as family-based as they come. It's not uncommon to find the charming Josie greeting diners and later checking at their tables to see how their faring. Now keep in mind that Josie is 11 years old! But being the daughter of two incredibly talented people who thrive in their industry, Josie has the poise of someone three times her age! Okay, now for food.

Restaurant Josephine's starters are a work of art. Actually, everything is served as a work of art because the food is plated as artistically as the building is decorated. It's just amazing! We started our dinner with Mushroom toast which uses another local favorite’s bread (Baker and Cakemaker Bread), tvorog (a farmer's style cheese that’s tart and soft), pickled chanterelle (a delicate mushroom), black garlic, dill virgin sunflower oil (locally sourced). For an entrée, I chose Moules Frites (mussels with lemon thyme, garlic, and serrano chiles with this magic called crème Fraiche (a fresh heavy cream that's rich, tangy, and the very essence of creamy). There's much to choose from that's all fresh, well-sourced, and prepared to the level of art on a plate. But the thing that I still dream about, and have had twice since that first day, is the Tarte Au Citron. This masterpiece, and it's nothing short of that, is a lemon tarte made with fresh Meyer lemon, fennel pollen, and topped with four perfect dollops of toasted meringue. I confess the second time I returned to Restaurant Josephine, I had Tarte Au Citron and coffee for dinner because I wanted to fully appreciate every single bite. The third time I nailed my strategy. I had Foothill Roots Chicories for my starter. Its fresh fuji apple, kohlrabi closely related to cabbage) hazelnut, bleu d’ Auvergne (French blue cheese known to be the best in France), and quince puree. Skipped entrée and had Tarte Au Citron as my meal.  That's how it's done when you're in love with Restaurant Josephine's Tarte Au Citron.

I know I tend to praise many eateries because I do my research and find great ones. There are several out there, but in my opinion, none are better than Restaurant Josephine. Please look at your calendar and decide when you want to celebrate your next special occasion or make dinner the celebration because you're dining at Restaurant Josephine.

Stanford Ranch Self Storage

Living in Placer County means having several communities to live, work, shop, and recreate that are excellent. What's so nice is there's variety among these communities, so it's worth visiting them all. As your neighborhood self-storage facility, Stanford Ranch Self Storage is Rocklin's premier self-storage facility. We're known for our state-of-the-art facility and for our excellent customer service. It's our pleasure to send our valued customers for fine dining at Restaurant Josephine as well as other excellent choices for dining. We're proud to say we get to know our neighboring communities and support their local businesses. Please help us find new places to discover; we're always grateful to hear from our community neighbors. We hope to see you soon!

Restaurant Josephine
1226 Lincoln Way
Auburn, CA
530-820-3523
Hours of Operation are Tuesday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., closed Sunday and Monday.
https://www.josephineauburn.com/