Photo by Tony Valainis
IF MY COLLECTION of midcentury menus from Indianapolis restaurants is any indication, French food, even in a city far from Lyon and Marseille, was long the local standard for fine dining. Chateaubriand, Dover sole, and crêpes suzette starred at nearly every swank spot, often served (or set ablaze) tableside. That wave started subsiding in the mid-1990s, with Camby’s bucolic Chez Jean, prom date favorite Chanteclair, and Renee’s French Delicatessen shuttering soon after. In the present day, French pastries have more than made a comeback, but real-deal French cuisine has yet to follow suit.
So, when word got out last year that Ambrosia Hospitality Group—arguably best known for patriarch Gino Pizzi’s Italian family recipes—was expanding to Carmel with a place called Josephine, news that the menu would be French raised some brows. “We knew Carmel had several beloved Italian restaurants,” says Dan Cage, who took the reins of the restaurant group with wife Anna Pizzi Cage in 2019. “We wanted to bring something new to the northside dining scene.”
Cage began his career in basketball and was eventually recruited by Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2003. A subsequent professional career took him to France, Spain, and Germany, where he and Anna fell in love with European culture.
Returning a Parisian flair to Indy wasn’t a slam dunk, even for seasoned restaurateurs. “Honestly, we worried customers might not embrace it,” Cage says. “We knew we had to get things right.”
To accomplish that, the Cages tapped chef Andrew Popp, recently of The Fountain Room, who came up with a tight, well-executed selection of dishes that balance tradition with contemporary tastes. French standbys like duck or rabbit are nowhere in the opening lineup, but hors d’oeuvres include the requisite escargot and steak tartare, though the latter includes an egg yolk cured with Japanese tamari. French onion soup, often heavy, is lightened with chicken stock, herbs, and sherry and isn’t gutted with cheese. A refreshing salad Popp calls Le Beau Citron mingles fresh greens and citrus with aromatic fennel, pickled strawberries, and lemon-poppyseed goat cheese, all married with light tarragon dressing. For those seeking richness, look to the beef tallow served on an eye-popping beef femur, which is paired luxuriously with mushroom duxelles, bubbling Comté cheese, and piquant, sweet, pickled pink peppercorns.
Photo by Tony Valainis
At times, the mix of Continental standards with modern trends is more puzzling. A double smashburger, a cordon bleu “sandwich,” and ricotta-stuffed pasta dusted with truffle seem like disjointed additions, intended to appeal to a different market entirely. And the ratatouille, excellent in isolation, suffers when topped with a hefty—and unnecessary—wedge of Boursin cheese.
But most of the time, the rule-breaking works: Purists might be skeptical of the cream Popp stirs into the broth of his bouillabaisse or the generous cut of the mirepoix in his coq au vin, but the tweaks are a success. Beets tossed with Dijon and Roquefort cut into small cubes topped with a treat of crispy shallots retain a nice bite, and the squash and eggplant have just the right tenderness, seasoning, and gentle heat.
More rule-breaking would be welcomed when it comes to the familiar bistro dish of steak frites. A crust of peppercorns has a bitter note that its mild brandy cream sauce can’t combat, but Popp’s frites are so light and crisp and his roasted garlic aioli so lusciously rich, it hardly matters.
Desserts show skill, particularly a dense, lush pot de crème made with dark chocolate and topped with fragrant amaretto cream. A goat cheesecake with a distinct tang, a crispy chocolate drizzle, and syrup-soaked cherries is just as celebratory.
With a dining room dominated by funky curved booths and velvety floor-to-ceiling drapes—both of which help absorb a soundtrack of throbbing club beats—Josephine can seem more A Night at the Roxbury than a night in Montparnasse. For a lighter approach, head to the bar, a delightful area filled with French jazz and quirky pendant lighting. “The feedback we’ve had so far is to lean more into the French theme,” Cage says of Josephine’s first few weeks in business, “which means we must be doing things right.” Anyone old enough to remember Indy’s French restaurant era will undoubtedly agree.
110 W. Main St., Carmel
317-548-3589
Hours: Sun–Thu, 5–9 p.m.; Fri–Sat, 5–10 p.m.
Vibe: Contemporary French
Tasting Notes: Parisian bistro staples such as escargot, steak frites, and creme brulee with modern twists such as a cordon bleu sandwich, pasta with truffles, and a double smashburger.
Neighborhood: Downtown Carmel
Must-Order: Beef tallow with mushroom duxelles and Comté cheese served in a beef femur; coq au vin with chunky, al dente mirepoix; shellfish-studded bouillabaisse enriched with cream and absinthe; ultra-thick chocolate pot de crème crowned with amaretto whipped cream