One of last year's buzzed-about openings that slid into the new year, JouJou, is now ready for its debut, and Lazy Bear chef David Barzelay and his team are ready to bring back some old-fashioned glamour and pomp to the French brasserie.David Barzelay has some big ambitions for JouJou, a restaurant that is now about six years in the making, but over 15 years in the concept stage, beginning as an "untitled seafood concept" that he was mulling over as far back as 2009. As he told the Chronicle this week, he's looking for the new restaurant to be a scene-y, vibrant destination in the vein of New York's Balthazar and SF's long-gone Stars, a place that "feels special every time you go, whether it’s a quick lunch or a big grand to-do,” and where "It always feels like you’re just in a place where it’s happening."Photo via David Barzelay/InstagramHe name-checks other spots like New York's Le Veau D'Or, and the late La Folie (RIP), the sort of unapologetically, very French restaurants where the escargots and steak au poivre are classically perfect. At JouJou, which opens Friday, March 6 in a redesigned space at 65 Division Street (formerly a location of The Grove), there will be theatrically grand seafood towers a la Balthazar, classic items like French onion soup and steak frites, as well as twists on bistro classics. One example: black cod a l’ananas, a seafood twist on duck a l'orange, but with black cod and pineapple.Desserts will also skew classic, with dishes like tarte tatin and baba au rhum. The space has been reimagined by Jon de La Cruz with multiple rooms, and includes a dark-veined marble-topped chef's counter, cane-backed bistro chairs in the dining room, and a zinc-topped bar where Barzelay hopes a bustling nightly vibe will take shape.Photo via David Barzelay/InstagramHeading up the kitchen will be chef de cuisine Nick Vollono, who has done previous stints at Quince and Atelier Crenn. Pastry chef Yesenia Castañon comes by way of Michelin two-starred Birdsong, and beverage director Matteo Villano also did a stint at Quince and Cotogna.Like Via Aurelia, which opened in the fall in Mission Bay, JouJou is aiming squarely at creating an experience for diners who have, as Barzelay and many other restaurateurs have noticed, have gotten a little too used to staying in for the night, every night. The age of Edison bulbs and handwritten menus is over, these restaurants are saying, and back in are the theatrics that our grandparents used to expect when they went out for a meal — even if the tablecloths remain in storage.Reservations are now live on Tock.JouJou - 65 Division Street - Opening March 6 ...read more read less