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Those little birds I heard from last week didn’t lie.
Official word is out that former Canal chef Justin Beckett is teaming up on a new contemporary American restaurant with his wife, Michelle, and their good friends Scott and Katie Stephens. Together, they’ll open Beckett’s Table in the Arcadia space that’s been home to That’s Italiano for nearly a decade.
Beckett says he’ll be busy in the open kitchen while they handle front-of-the-house duties.
“The idea is that we’re inviting people to our house for a dinner party every night,” he says. “It’ll have that kind of attention to detail.”
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The restaurant space is currently gutted. Beckett has hired Jeffrey Rausch of Exclaim Design to transform the mid-century building into an inviting space that utilizes reclaimed, reused, and recycled materials.
Along with the open kitchen, which will feature a wood-burning oven, Beckett’s Table will have a communal table, a private dining room with a private patio, and an expanded front patio. They’ll also expose the wooden-trussed 15-foot-high ceilings.
Beckett says he’s written four or five menus already, and each one has a common theme: “culinary classics and comfort food with French techniques.” He’ll make stews, roasted chicken, and other rustic dishes in the oven. He’s also interested in featuring regional dishes from across the southern part of the U.S., from San Diego to New Orleans to Florida. Expect frequent seasonal changes.
The goal is to open by September 15.
