For Boston legend Chef Karen Akunowicz’s first solo restaurant, RODE fused the sensibilities of an enoteca (Italian wine bar) with the punk-femme culture of its chef and all-female management through bold colors, rich textures, and intimate lighting. Since opening in 2018, Fox & the Knife has quickly become a gastronomical touchstone in hip South Boston, described as warm, welcoming, cozy, and delicious by both local articles and online reviews. The restaurant occupies a narrow, deep space near the busy intersection of West Broadway and Dorchester Avenue, near the Broadway T stop. With deep blue walls, dark velvet upholstering, dark wood tabletops, high ceilings and warm lights, the successful interior renovation draws people in from the cold Boston sidewalks in the winter and opens into a wood-fenced patio in the summer, with planters of colorful flowers hung halfway up storefront windows to brighten the black-framed facade.

The restaurant greets each customer with warm colors: raspberry red upholstered stools and hightops at the floor-to-ceiling Broadway-facing windows, and a matching red neon sign requesting viewers to “Stay Foxy” on a slate-blue wall above mounted wine racks that showcase a selection of Italian wine. A 15-seat bar runs back into the restaurant across from hightops with blue-upholstered stools, pushed against a black-painted brick wall hung with mirrors to draw light into the deep space. A second, 6-seat bar looks into the kitchen, showcasing the meticulous preparation of dishes as artful as they are delicious. A deep green velvet banquette runs around the back of the restaurant in front of LED up-lighting that bounces off of perforated aluminum wall panels and a painted fox mural. From front to back, the interior creates a series of aesthetic moments which complement each other while enhancing the dynamism, tastefulness, and warmth of the Fox & the Knife experience.