10 great places to savor winter’s flavors

Summer hogs the seasonal food spotlight, but winter offers plenty of warm fare that banishes the cold-weather blues. Bon Appetit restaurant editor Andrew Knowlton shares his list of 10 spots to tuck into timely treats.

Feast
Houston

“This restaurant was built for winter. It’s a temple to meat,” Knowlton says. The restaurant has a whole-hog approach to food, embracing the nose-to-tail trend and dishing up cuts of meat rarely found on American menus but perfect for braising. Try the beef cheeks, black pudding, pork tongue, cassoulet or lamb pot pie. 713-529-7788; feasthouston.googlepages.com

Cochon
New Orleans

Oysters lack the girth of many winter foods, but don’t let that fool you. “Cold water loves oysters, and oysters love cold water,” Knowlton says. Cochon, known for rustic Cajun fare and hearty pork meals, serves a variety of oyster dishes. Knowlton’s not-to-miss include the oyster and meat pie, an oyster version of a chicken pot pie, and the oyster BLT, which adds fried oysters to the traditional sandwich. 504-588-2123; cochonrestaurant.com

Sfoglia
New York

The Italian trattoria is known for its brick-oven chicken and pasta dishes, so saving room for the bread pudding is difficult but worth it. “It’s silky and smooth and rich, but not cloying,” Knowlton says. The dish needs to be ordered when you arrive and is meant to be shared. 212-831-1402; sfogliarestaurant.com

Vetri
Philadelphia

Whether they’re roasted on an open fire, braised or served in pasta, the chestnuts at this small Italian restaurant should be tried. “No one appreciates chestnuts more than the Italians,” Knowlton says. “The texture of chestnuts is a difficult thing. They can be chalky, which is why a lot of people make them into a soup or sauce.” At Vetri, you’ll find them on the side of roasted quail served with a cranberry mustard, braised so they almost take on a root-vegetable quality or cooked into pasta and served with a wild-boar ragout. 215-732-3478; vetriristorante.com

Humphrey Slocombe
San Francisco

“The past 10 years have been this amazing time for casual foods from hamburgers to pizza to hot dogs,” Knowlton says. “You get this group of artisanal-minded people raising the bar on foods we grow up on.” Now, it’s ice cream’s turn. At Humphrey Slocombe, organic milk and seasonal flavors are used. For winter, try the pumpkin five spice, which tastes like pumpkin pie. “Even though it’s cold, there’s this warm flavor to it,” Knowlton says. 415-550-6971; humphryslocombe.com