Inside Next Door by Josie, Opening Tomorrow in SM

Grid View

Just a few days behind schedule comes Next Door by Josie, set to open publicly on Tuesday. "That's the plan," says GM David Osenbach. The restaurant - a follow up casual dining companion to chef and owner Josie Le Balch's self-titled eatery, Josie - was designed by Ralph Gentile Architects (yup, they also designed Josie) with a simple, modern, spic and span aesthetic. Notice clean lines from the windows to the ceiling to the wall, and check out the cork wall art behind the banquette held in place by mesh wire which serves two purposes. Aside from acting as a fun design element, the corks actually help absorb sound, purported to quiet down the restaurant.

Now let's dive into the menu. Foodstuffs are divided into the following groups, "small snacks," "bigger snacks and appetizers," "charcuterie bar," "soup & sandwich," "big plates," and "vegetables and sides." Just like at Josie, Next Door is all about seasonality, so expect local and sustainable values as well as the diversity that is Los Angeles. For example, beer & bacon caramel corn appears alongside a duck confit banh mi, there's even a hot dog in the mix, plus steamed mussels with elk chorizo in a coconut broth. A little bit of this, a little bit of that. But a fun menu overall.

Six famers market cocktails appear under the title "are you over the artisan cocktail thing yet?" and each is based with a different spirit. "Delicious wine" is another way to imbibe, or perhaps "beer in a bottle (or can...)" might do you. Right now hours of operation are still tentative, Next Door starts tomorrow with dinner service with lunch to roll out mid-September.
·Next Door by Josie Planning To Open August 26 [~ELA~]