Immaculate vibes

Liz here, with restaurant recs to keep in your back pocket.

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Hi, I'm Liz Angell, an editor here at Pursuits. I'm new to the team and one of the first stories I worked on was Kate Krader's excellent investigation in Bloomberg Businessweek of what makes a restaurant not just popular, but scorching hot. Kate, now based in London and currently traversing Seoul and Taipei, has eaten everywhere, and she knows what that top tier of impossible-to-get-into restaurants—places such as Torrisi, the Corner Store, Coqodaq and Carbone in New York, for example—all have in common. First, of course, is a waitlist that can top thousands of people on any given night. ("You may have an Amex black card, or a big J.P. Morgan account. But nothing screams 'I have social clout' like an 8 p.m. table," Simon Kim, founder of Gracious Hospitality Management, told Kate. "It's never been harder to get reservations in New York City.") The Corner Store in SoHo is one of the most coveted reservations in New York at the moment. You can book through Dorsia, a members-only site that guarantees restaurant partners a minimum spend on reservations.  Photographer: Emily Andrews All the restaurants with reputations worthy of such a waitlist have perfected a certain recipe: A menu that's fancy and interesting, but also somehow comforting. Waiters and bartenders who make you feel immediately at ease (believe me, this has not always been the case at New York's elite spots). Interiors that are groovy yet classic, with golden lighting. Many have arranged the space so there's something of a runway flowing through—ideal for seeing and being seen. Now I'm new to Pursuits, but I'm not new to New York so I know the unique thrill of scoring a table in the coveted Manhattan restaurant of the moment. Over the years I've been lucky enough to eat at Babbo and Balthazar, Da Silvano and Polo Bar. Not all the meals were great, but each occasion was memorable, a chance to get properly dressed up and nurse a cocktail while wondering if tonight's the night that Taylor Swift or Leonardo DiCaprio turns up. (I would of course pretend I didn't see them.)  The lively dining room at Torrisi, which is part of an elite tier of New York restaurants with waitlists thousands of people long. Here's the secret sauce of how they got that way. Photographer: Evan Sung/The New York Times/Redux But for most New Yorkers I know, the secret to eating well in this city is finding a place or two you adore that doesn't have a waitlist. Often (though not always) these are neighborhood gems that have been around for years, if not decades. The food is comforting, the waitstaff is welcoming, and the lighting is forgiving—impeccable vibes, in other words.   For me, that spot in my neighborhood in Brooklyn is Al Di Là. It's an intimate Northern Italian restaurant that's been around since 1998. I love the pressed tin ceiling, the mismatched plates and the long tables that seat multiple parties. In winter, a heavy velvet curtain around the door keeps out cold air, and when you push past it into the cozy interior, you really do feel like you've passed into another little world. On the other side of the spectrum: Salon Vert at the just-opened Printemps New York, which offers a heady mix of high fashion and fine dining. Photographer: Gieves Anderson/Printemps Naturally, vibes are a very personal endeavor, so I asked my new colleagues at Pursuits and Bloomberg to tell me about their favorite places, and I'm sharing the list with you all below. Good news: You could probably get a reservation at any of these places tonight. What restaurant is on your list? We'd love to hear about it at askpursuits@bloomberg.net — especially if it's outside of the New York area. Connect with Liz on Instagram and Bluesky. Bloomberg's Unsung NYC Restaurants

Café Paulette Located on a lovely corner across the street from the giant trees of Fort Greene Park, Café Paulette is the quintessential serviceable French bistro. It serves fat frites and wonderfully tender chunks of steak in peppercorn sauce, next to a pile of leaves and stems no other restaurant would dare to call a salad. The lighting is delightfully dim, the conversations are too loud and the waiters are genuinely French. Absolutely everyone in the neighborhood goes, so you have a 100% chance of seeing a friend (or better yet, an enemy.) I've never had a perfect meal there, and I would be utterly devastated if it ever closed. —Chris Rovzar, Pursuits editor Just-opened, Momofuku's first new Manhattan restaurant in years, helmed by chef Carmichael with Jamaican patties and an ambitious Caribbean tasting menu. Source: Bar Kabawa Hart's The perfect neighborhood restaurant in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. Hart's is scarcely bigger than a coffee shop and tucked below an elevated subway station, which gives it the vibe of a cozy local secret even though it's part of a restaurant group that has gone on to open much bigger and buzzier places. I don't know how to describe the food, except that the menu changes all the time but never changes all that much, and it's somehow always exactly what I want to eat. —Amanda Mull, senior reporter, Businessweek Hangawi Amazing vegetarian food and zen-like atmosphere in Koreatown, Hangawi has never let us down in the many years we've been going. —Oren Sarch, video editor, Bloomberg Media Bomberino Located on unexpected corner in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn, Bomberino is a cozy Italian pastry cafe by day and intimate wine bar by night. The space is tiny, so you inevitably chat with the staff and people around you. The maritozzo con panna and lemon bar are the stand out pastries for me, and I love to return later in the day for aperitivo. —Halie Chavez, photo editor, Pursuits If you dine for the drinks, hop on the latest trend in tiny drinks: shooters are making a comeback (even the Jell-O kind). Photographer: Lauryn Siegel/Milady's Place des Fêtes Place des Fêtes throws down some of the best plates out there with the guarantee that you'll leave with a new favorite wine you'd never heard of. The staff is so welcoming and the level of execution is super consistent. Also, a very sexy, European vibe: One time I was there, the very attractive couple next to me left after their mains, smoked a cigarette outside, and then came back in and had desserts and digestifs. I leave the place loving New York and life every time. —Jessica Sun, lead, global trade marketing strategy, Bloomberg LP Elephant & Castle Perfect interior, perfect clientele, perfect staff, fairly imperfect food but who cares: Elephant & Castle in Greenwich Village. —James Tarmy, culture editor, Pursuits Sushi On Me The Jackson Heights, Queens, Sushi On Me (coming soon to Chicago) is hands down the most fun you can have at a sushi bar. The fixed price omakase and timed seating make for an expertly choreographed meal where you feel like you've had the good fortune of being at a special private party with very charismatic and entertaining chef-hosts. Each course is delicious, with some outrageous novelties including THC bubbles and just-smoked fish, your sake glass is always topped up, and the last time I went, the meal ended with a karaoke session from our seats. —Chloe Whitaker, graphics editor, Bloomberg Ever wondered, "What's the secret to the world's greatest sushi?" Source: Shiki Yellow Rose On an uninspired stretch of Third Avenue in Manhattan's East Village, Yellow Rose has awesome Tex-Mex—the queso is excellent. There's even a vegan version, I think. There's also old-school TVs, a great '70s soundtrack and a frozen margarita machine on blast all night long. —Kate Krader, food editor, Pursuits Captain Dan's Good Time Tavern It's always full, yet you can always get a table at Captain Dan's in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, with its funky wall art of household pets. You go for a couple of cheap beers and find yourself with a nice cocktail and bar food good enough to inspire the strangers sitting next to you to order the same thing. And the music is always on point. (They played Brat front to back before the Internet decided it was cool). —Bridget Bright, assignment editor and field producer, Bloomberg Television America's best beer bars are worth a hearty debate. Photographer: Clay Williams for Bloomberg Top Shelf

Favorites a bit further afield

I truly and genuinely love Milktooth in Indianapolis—it definitely got its flowers when it opened, but has remained strong through the years for the trifecta I'm always after: good food, good service, good vibe. You really need all three. And Milktooth bats a thousand. —Brandon Presser, travel contributor I go to Gigi's in Hollywood at least once a week. It is the most beautiful little jewel of a restaurant I know in LA, with an amazing cocktail staff and hand-painted murals and soft velvety booths and wonderful lighting. The menu changes to incorporate what's in season, but my favorite standbys are the branzino and the mushroom tagliatelle. —Hannah Elliott, car columnist, Pursuits Meanwhile in Florida, Miami's top new restaurants are moving away from $60 pasta toward "vibes and value." Photographer: Paya Maybe I'm just nostalgic as it was one of my early date spots with my fiancé, but Flour & Grape in London, a casual Italian hangout in Bermondsey always hits the spot. The focus is homemade pasta, and you can see the chefs crafting noodles through the window on the way in. The seasonal menu changes, but I always end up going for the carbonara with the rich confit egg yolk. It's so creamy and comforting, like a warm hug on a plate. —Sarah Rappaport, reporter, Pursuits Sean's in Sydney is tucked in at the northern end of the city's iconic Bondi Beach and has been open since the early '90s. A produce-driven, simple menu is scrawled on the blackboard on the wall, and the understated dining room is homely, comforting while offering up one of the best views of the ocean. Nigella Lawson called it a "haven of loveliness" and visits every time she's in town. It's a vibe—relaxed and understated—just like Sydney itself! —Chelsea Mes, senior editor, Bloomberg News En route to something delicious? The best airport restaurants, according to business power travelers, should tide you over. Illustration by Rose Wong for Bloomberg Pursuits

What else is cooking in Businessweek's Food Special Snack Like a Boss: Eight CEOs Share Their Go-To Foods Dinner Parties Are the Latest Trend in Hotel Restaurants Why Chefs Are So Obsessed With Compound Butter Right Now—and You Should Be, Too A Premium Portable Pizza Oven Is the Next Glamping Perk Premium Peppercorns Take America This Old Thing? Why Vintage Plates From Paris Are All the Rage

And if you read just one thing ...

A new memoir settles scores in the restaurant industry. Illustration: Vanilla Chi for Bloomberg The pursuit of good wine often requires the ability to pronounce magic passwords to enter enchanted caves. And a lot of them are in French, which never sounds the way it looks to English speakers. That was the challenge facing Hannah Selinger, the titular character of Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly, on her first day of sommelier training at a New York City restaurant. It gets better—and worse—from here. Described as "a work of creative nonfiction," Selinger's book is full of fascinating intel on the business of selling wine, plus petty grievances against the hospitality world. Read Howard Howard Chua-Eoan's review. Fancy a peek into a different world? In another new memoir, Graydon Carter recalls the golden age of magazines, fueled by $100,000 ad pages and budgetless ambition

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