To Be Wild

While only 500 steps from views of the Manhattan skyline, entering 49th Street’s Little Banchan Shop feels worlds away. Browse shelves stocked with milk bread, kimchi, crispy skin fish chips, and make a mental note to return for a bottle of bibimbap sauce. Finally, it’s time to enter yet another world: the minimalist Meju, located behind the shop. Here, those same ingredients are transformed into dazzling renditions of Korean food—a showcase of wild fermentation, plated on handmade clay service pieces—that will forever change your brain chemistry.

As an homage to his family’s traditions, Kim prepares the all-natural jangs, along with jeotgal and kimchi—a true culmination of his personal and professional history, as well as his culinary prowess.

You settle in at the chef’s table in the heart of the kitchen. Your hair is windswept with ocean spray from your pre-dinner stroll on the pier, but you don’t bother adjusting. Meanwhile, smoky moles arrive on plates crafted from the region’s clay. In between bites of the charred onion tart and sips of a Nebbiolo blend, you pause to take in the earthy smell of burning wood.

According to Observer, connecting with Oceanside’s food suppliers is a top priority for Alcocer, a farmers’ market regular. The chef even forged a partnership with Harbor Pelican Fish Market after a chance encounter at the pier, ensuring the freshest, seasonal catches.

Designed for those who are socially and culinarily adventurous, Mosquito Supper Club is likened to an old-fashioned house party. Come prepared not only to eat well, but also to make new friends. True extroverts arrive early to sit in the courtyard for a refreshing cocktail and a dozen ice-cold oysters on the half shell—both mandatory for staying cool in New Orleans’ tropical climate.

The bayou mindset extends beyond the food on the plate. By choosing to dine at Mosquito Supper Club, guests are supporting the preservation of local foodways and keeping the Gulf Coast wild. Martin has also been a leader in hurricane relief efforts by setting up stations to cook hot meals during recovery and establishing a “Bayou Fund,” which raised more than $665,500 to help affected communities.

As the sun sets over Denver, it’s the moon’s turn to rule the night sky. It’s time for the first course: antelope broth with fragrant ginger and thyme. The steady rhythm of plates continues, putting you in a hypnotic-like trance of leeks, daikon, and truffles. Before you know it, the final course hits the table. One thing is for sure: Beckon will pull you back.

In addition to a bar director and two lead sommeliers, Beckon boasts an expert dedicated solely to the restaurant’s nonalcoholic beverage program: Chef Peter Briggs, who mixes herbs, teas, mirin, and more into alchemy. After dining at Beckon last fall, the Beyond Beurre Blanc Substack called him a “genius” and begged all chefs who care about N/A drinks to send their staff to Beckon for research and development.

While San Francisco’s gray fog rolls in off the ocean and hangs over the city, you take a seat close enough to smell the wood burning. A glass of whiskey arrives, and with the first warming sip, you embark on a chef-led journey complete with spirit pairings. The couple to your left is digging into Sonoma duck confit and sea urchin noodles; on your right, you catch a glimpse of the artful California Dungeness crab with cucumber, myoga, and caviar.

After working in Japan and Singapore, respectively, Zimmerman and Tan combine their global perspectives at The Wild. “Simplicity in approach and intent are two main factors that are emphasized in the work we do,” Zimmerman told Forbes.

Pulling off a beanie and scarf, you settle into the warm ambiance of Myriel’s dining room as a light snow begins falling outside the frosted windows. Legumes, plated elegantly on Churchill’s blue-and-white Finlandia, appear on the table, wafting the scent of toasted mustard seed. After the cassoulet, you fear you won’t have an appetite left for pie. Miraculously, you make room.

Midwesterners are known for being nice, and rightly so. They’re also strong, hearty people who endure brutal winters. Don’t be fooled by Tomlinson’s petite stature or affinity for dainty objects; she is undeniably tough. She’s the first woman to win the national Cochon 555 hog butchery competition, and Myriel exclusively does whole-animal butchery in partnership with small farms.

With the first bite of the Parker House Rolls smeared with Southall honey butter, you are reminded of an enlightening conversation with the beekeeper at the apiary yesterday. You will never see bees the same ever again, and perhaps now have a new theory for how Dolly Parton got to be so sweet.

The immersive, seed-to-fork dining experience at January never gets stale, as the ever-evolving menu promises a novel and unexpected meal with each visit. Every season welcomes new surprises; don’t miss the arrival of crisp, sun-ripened apples from the onsite orchard in late summer and early fall.

If the wine industry is waning among millennials and Gen Z, no one told the crowd inside Idlewild. Even the sign outside looks more akin to a hip coffee shop or cocktail bar rather than a vineyard’s traditional tasting room. You go for the Grignolino, a rarity that Sonoma Magazine describes as “deep salmon-colored red wine that brims with more tannins than you’d expect from its naturally paler hue, and delicate flavors of rose, sage, white peppercorn and strawberry.” A plate of cheese, salumi, and conservas is on the way. Life is good.

Since Idlewild founder, the Sonoma County native and fourth-generation winemaker Sam Bilbro, released his Timorasso in 2022—the first ever made outside of Italy—he has helped introduce a new generation to a grape that nearly disappeared in the 1980s.

Between bites of the uni course and the chawanmushi—miso-soba custard with morel, daikon, and salmon roe—Dorack shares stories from his travels to Tokyo, where he encountered nano restaurants and omakase service that fed the inspiration behind his business model. You wash it all down with sake that is curated with each course.

MÄS takes pride in its kind staff and down-to-earth hospitality; there’s a real familial feeling here. Related, Dorack’s wife, the photographer Lindsey Bolling, has documented the restaurant’s growth while also raising their three sons.

“Eating here feels like sneaking into a museum to have a sleepover, only the display cases here showcase your prospective dinner instead of fossilized pterodactyl tracks,” says Aimee Rizzo, a Seattle-based writer for The Infatuation. “You get to sit catty-corner to their selection of raw links, patties, and chops while cradling a glass of German weissburgunder trocken and snacking on pâté en croûte.”

Beast & Cleaver also hosts hands-on classes, where Smith teaches students how to select and cook the perfect cut for any occasion—whether it’s a weeknight or a holiday. In these intimate workshops, Smith helps diners taste the differences between value cuts and indulgent splurges.