Le Joséphine B., Restaurant in Nantes, France
Le Joséphine B. is a restaurant in Nantes, France, situated across from the maritime train station and centered around wood-fire cooking. The dining room is simply decorated and has a working fireplace that stays lit during service, used to grill and cook the dishes on the menu.
The restaurant was taken over by chef Olivier Chira after he had run another establishment across from the Maillé-Brézé naval museum. He reshaped the place around open-fire cooking and brought in local producers to supply the meat and other ingredients.
Le Joséphine B. takes its name from the singer and dancer Joséphine Baker, a figure the chef has long admired for her generosity and love of life. The menu changes with the seasons and the chef's inspiration, so the experience shifts from one visit to the next.
The restaurant sits near the waterfront area of Nantes and is easy to reach on foot from the city center. Booking ahead is a good idea, as seating is limited and evenings tend to fill up.
The menu sometimes includes rare cattle breeds such as the small Spanish Galisse cow or Irish Aberdeen Angus, which are not common in most restaurants. These cuts are prepared directly over the wood fire, which is what makes them worth seeking out.
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