IN HER 1942 cookbook, “How to Cook a Wolf,” the late, great M.F.K. Fisher offered advice for how to “live most agreeably in a world full of an increasing number of disagreeable surprises.” The book was, on its surface, a guide to wartime cooking (and, no, there aren’t any recipes for wolf), but it was also a timeless guide to living well. Then, as today, dining is one of our simplest, most reliable joys. This month, as we collected our editors’ favorite dining experiences, a theme quickly emerged: We relish the transportive power of food. One editor’s Malaysian childhood was conjured in a New York City restaurant, while another editor found Paris in Los Angeles. No dining experience is complete without a beverage — and with an emerging array of zero-proof drink options, alcohol is increasingly off the menu. Whatever is in your glass, here’s to life’s reliable pleasures.
— Laura Smith

Seductive and Savory

Jac's on Bond, New York City

Downtown New York City has no shortage of sexy bars, but Jac’s on Bond (from the team behind Pebble Bar, Ray’s, and Georgia Room) is next level. If you like to prowl the city by night and believe a martini to be one of life’s naughtiest pleasures, you may have been here already. ​​Let’s start with the location: swanky Bond Street — broad, cobblestoned, dotted with beloved eateries, shops, and celebrity penthouses. Now the entrance: semi-subterranean, the former residence of beloved haunt The Smile. The interiors are ’90s minimalist and sumptuous, dim, and clubby in spirit — where I might sip cocktails with Patrick Bateman before I meet my bloody, high-camp death. I like a savory drink, savory anything, really, and Jac’s Caprese Martini is an umami delight. Try the Detox Retox (Hendrick’s gin, elderflower tonic, celery, lemon, coriander, salt) for something light and bright. For sustenance, the jamón serrano bikini is the salty snack you want at the end of a long day, and the creamsicle pie is for feeling like a kid again, surrounded by adults. — Sophie Mancini

Spirit-Free Spirits

Amaro Falso

Since I kicked alcohol to the curb this past summer, Phony Negroni has been my go-to beverage. And now its creators, the Brooklyn-based natural-spirit producer St. Agrestis, have debuted a new spirit-free beverage, Amaro Falso. Good news: They got it right again. As a former amaro connoisseur, I can assure you that you’d never know Amaro Falso wasn’t the real thing. It’s sweet with a bitter, herbal finish — something most non-alcoholic cocktails lack. And its slight carbonation reminds me of an amaro soda, both on the rocks and neat. — Hailey Andresen

French Immersion

Juliet, Los Angeles

If you find yourself in Los Angeles while longing for the City of Lights, visit Parisian-inspired Juliet. I started off my visit with a cup of Vert Provence tea and a plate of Oeufs et Ratatouille, then indulged in the menu’s sweeter side, specifically crêpes suzette and eclairs. French jazz played softly throughout my meal as I fell increasingly in love with the restaurant’s decor. The Jeremiah Brent-designed space playfully mixes marble with rich wood, set against pinstripe upholstery and checkerboard tile. Plus, the tables’ scalloped trim evokes a rolling tide perfectly suited for the seafood-centered dinner menu, which I’m eager to explore on my next visit. — Lisa Lok

A Taste of Home

Kebaya, New York City

Having been raised in Malaysia by Chinese parents, I grew up eating Peranakan dishes and have missed their distinct savory, spicy, and sweet flavors since moving to the U.S. Naturally, I was excited when I heard rumblings of a new Peranakan restaurant by chef Salil Mehta of Laut, Wau, Singlish, and more. If you’re not familiar: Peranakan cuisine dates back to the fifteenth-century descendants of early southern Chinese settlers in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, who married locals; thus Peranakan means “locally born.” At Kebaya, Mehta executes this heritage fare with flair: delicate kuih pie tee, wafer-thin, bite-sized pastry shells filled with jicama, egg, and shrimp; laksa (a fragrant, spicy noodle soup) reimagined as fried rice; and the quintessentially Peranakan ayam buah keluak, slow-braised bone-in chicken cooked in kepayang tree seeds, native to mangroves of Southeast Asia. The buah keluak seed is poisonous if uncooked and undergoes rigorous preparation before it arrives at the table. Those fluent in Southeast Asian cooking will spot nods to South India, with fried doughnuts in the form of prawn vadai, Balinese minced meat skewers known as sate lilit, and ikan bakar, a whole grilled fluke bathed in rich sambal. Consider Kebaya an intro to Peranakan cuisine that will keep you coming back for more. — Annie Lin