I’ve noticed something bright and comforting, even in the moodiest of dining rooms across the country: real candles, and lots of them. After a long reign of battery-powered faux candles for safety and convenience, some restaurants are back to scattering demure tea candles in votives across their tables, and a number have leaned into an even more dramatic choice: long and elegant tapered candles that gently flicker and dramatically drip wax as your meal progresses. They instantly help create a romantic, dramatic vibe, one that serves as a reminder that eating out can and should feel like a special and celebratory event. At Berenjak’s new Los Angeles location, on nearly every table and free surface — in between plates of lamb koobideh and saffron rice — stands a thick, white tapered candle. The candles help give the sprawling, dimly lit restaurant space a tangible sense of intimacy. You’ll find a similar strategy across the city at Cento Raw Bar, where the smokeless tapers that dot the space help make the beautiful cavernous restaurant, with its white stucco walls, feel cozy. The effect was so stunning that, after meals at both restaurants, I felt inspired to immediately purchase tapered candles for my own dining table. It’s not just white tapered candles that are finding a resurgence at restaurants. At Borgo, Andrew Tarlow’s chic take on a neighborhood trattoria in New York City, the tablecloth-draped tables are also assigned a sleek, deep-yellow tapered candle to create even more warmth. And at La’…
