Owners of The Grey Goose in Hampton will soon open wine-filled French bistro in Phoebus neighborhood

Years ago, when Phillip and Dana Epstein were working in various esteemed Williamsburg kitchens — he a baker, she a chef, each a graduate of Johnson & Wales culinary school in different cities — he had a very particular way of wooing her from afar.

He sent cookies he’d baked. And he sent pastries. He sent them for months before the pair even met in person.

It seems to have worked: They’ve been married for 15 years. And this month, they plan to open an ode to that romance, an upscale-casual bistro in Hampton’s Phoebus neighborhood called The Baker’s Wife, at Mellen and Mallory streets. There, they’ll serve a blend of French and American traditions.

“Kind of our elevator pitch is, ‘from au gratin to french fries, from filet mignon to New York strip,” Dana says.

The idea behind the restaurant is to mix approachably familiar American plates with old-school French bistro fare such as coq au vin or a coquille Saint-Jacques poached scallop dish — a casual, welcoming environment for scratch-made French food cooked according to laborious old-world traditions.

“To me, that’s what really sets French cuisine aside from the others,” Dana says. “You can have just a pretty poached fish, but if you put a really pretty beurre blanc with it, you’ve suddenly got this masterpiece. And it was so simple. And that’s really what we want people to understand about French cooking: It’s a couple of ingredients. It’s good quality, but it’s definitely approachable. I tell people all the time: You know French food, you just don’t realize it. We’ve all had a Yankee pot roast. It’s just that comfort.”

The Epsteins are, of course, already well-known to lovers of comfort food in Hampton, the city where Dana grew up and went to Kecoughton High School. For the past 13 years, they’ve been stewards of the Grey Goose, a nearly 40-year homestyle institution of ham biscuits and Brunswick stew — and now also brunch, shrimp and grits dinners and elaborate catered wedding cakes.

[ At Hampton’s Grey Goose, great food goes curbside ]

But with the Goose, the Epsteins were taking on a legacy, a casual neighborhood spot with a long history that Dana herself had grown up loving.

With The Baker’s Wife, they’ll get to create their own vision of restaurant for the first time.

Owners Phillip (left) and Dana Epstein, and executive chef Michael Koch, in front of Baker's Wife Bistro + Bar in Hampton, scheduled to open in January 2021. (Courtesy Hutcheson Consulting, LLC)

It turns out that vision involves a lot of wine, cheese, cocktails, and, of course, breads and desserts from the baker in the family — from pot de creme to creme brulee and chocolate espresso tarte.

“And we will have things like caviar on the menu that you don’t see around, and foie gras,” Dana says. “Pair that with a nice champagne — what a nice way to start your dinner.”

The executive chef they’ve brought aboard has an eight-year history cooking high-end food in Hampton Roads: After starting his career at excellent seafood spot The Coastal Grill in Virginia Beach, Michael Koch was most recently chef de cuisine at that city’s Zoës Steak and Seafood. Along with the Epsteins’ own classical French training, he’ll bring his own perspective to the restaurant.

“He’s got some tricks up his sleeve I don’t even want to reveal yet,” Dana says.

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In addition to its window-lined dining room, home to an elaborate chandelier and floral fixtures, the restaurant also has an amenity well-suited to pandemic times: a sizable side patio abutting Mellen Street.

But when pandemic restrictions subside, the Epsteins hope visitors to Phoebus will also be able to stop by for a decadent dessert and a casual wine or martini at their golden-quartz bar.

The Baker's Wife interior, still under construction in November. The French-American bistro plans to open December 2020 (Matthew Korfhage/Staff)

The neighborhood has been changing rapidly, with the new Fox Tail Wine Bar and the forthcoming 1865 Brewing on the same block — not to mention a forthcoming distillery from the owners of 1865. Dana says she feels like Phoebus is coming into its own as a destination neighborhood for lovers of good food and drink.

She expects the restaurant to open quietly this winter. But as the weather warms up next year, she says, Mellen Street will be booming.

“In the spring, it’s on,” she says, “It’s on. I think people will be coming up and down the street, going to the beach, going to Sly Clyde (cidery). You know, you can pop into the brewery, come here and grab a box to take with you: a pretzel, some baguettes, some cheese. ... Things are happening here. It’s the right time. And I feel like we’re in the right location, and just all the things together.”

The Baker’s Wife plans to open this month at 1 E. Mellen St., Hampton. Check for opening announcements at bakerswifebistro.com or instagram.com/bakers_wife_bistro.

Wine poured at The Baker's Wife Bistro + Bar, a new French-American bistro scheduled to open in December 2020 in Hampton's Phoebus neighborhood. (Courtesy Hutcheson Consulting, LLC)

Matthew Korfhage, 757-446-2318, matthew.korfhage@pilotonline.com