Weston’s getting a new restaurant, the first with a liquor license since Prohibition

Restaurateur Brian Piccini outside his upcoming Weston restaurant, The Woods.Handout

Weston’s dining scene gets a boost this fall when Boston restaurateur Brian Piccini opens The Woods at the Josiah Smith Tavern (358 Boston Post Road), with the town’s first public liquor license since Prohibition. Piccini lives in Weston and owns Boston Urban Hospitality, operating Boston Chops, dbar, and Deuxave in the city.

The space is fittingly woodsy, says Piccini, with an herb garden, a historic barn, a hayloft, an outdoor dining space overlooking the town green, a pergola-lined courtyard, private dining rooms with period details from the space’s original tavern — and, of course, a modernized bar. The tavern was built in 1757, so an update is in order.

“George Washington stopped by this historic building as he marched the Revolutionary Army to Boston in 1775. It’s a truly historic, magical building I have the pleasure of building a restaurant in,” he says. “We’re long overdue for a restaurant.”

And, in fact, obtaining a liquor license for the landmark was refreshingly easy, despite the dry town’s history.

“I thought it was going to be impossible to get a liquor license in Weston, but the town had actually done the legislative work to already get the liquor license for this one project. I submitted a whole bid, we went through a couple of interviews, and they selected me as the winning bidder,” he says.

Piccini plans to serve dishes cooked on a large wood-fired grill, and he’ll work with neighboring Captain Marden’s seafood to source fresh fish and Land’s Sake Farm for vegetables. The restaurant will initially serve dinner and eventually expand with lunch. Boston Chops culinary director Corey Carter will oversee the menu, and Piccini plans to bring some of his Boston staff to Weston, although he hasn’t picked an executive chef yet.

It’s a low-key departure for the cosmopolitan restaurateur. Deuxave is a bastion of fine dining in the Back Bay; Boston Chops, with branches in Downtown Crossing and in the South End, is a stylish steakhouse.

“I was attracted to Weston because of the woods and the trees and the nature. I drive down the Pike when I’m leaving work. I’m stressed out. I get off at that exit, and suddenly, I’m in the woods. I’m instantly relaxed,” he says.