On Lower Manhattan’s Houston Street, chef Hong Thaimee welcomes culinary thrill seekers into her living room. Technically, it’s her latest restaurant, Thaimee Love. The homey design, full of family photos and houseplants, delights diners before they even try her “Baan Baan” style of cooking—home cooking but with inspired flavor pairings that require serious technique. This winning formula has served Thaimee well over the course of her career. The Chiang Mai native first distinguished herself working for Jean-Georges Vongerichten in Manhattan, and then went on to open her own restaurant, the critically acclaimed Ngam. At Thaimee Love, don’t struggle too much with the decision-making process. The best move, by far, is to order the chef’s tasting menu and let Thaimee do her thing. (thaimeelove.com) —Ashley Baker

If you’ve resolved to replace sugary sodas with sparkling water this year, Spärkel has you covered. In 2017, dissatisfied with sparkling-water machines that either used CO2 tanks or synthesized chemicals, a former tech executive invented his own. Spärkel is as easy to use as a Keurig: just put a Carbonator packet in the machine, pick your preferred fizziness level, and press the Start button. The machine is small and comes in elegant shades, such as white and black, as well as in playful colors, like metallic red and seafoam green. If you’re in need of inspiration, Spärkel’s Web site features easy-to-make recipes, from teas (bubbly chlorophyll mint) to cocktails (cranberry-orange vodka fizz). ($120, sparkel.com) —Jacob Robbins

Bitcoin was already seven years old and Elizabeth Holmes at the start of her downward spiral when StartUp, a suspenseful crime thriller about crypto-currency wars, started streaming in 2016. The series didn’t get the attention it deserved, probably because it was available only on something called Crackle. All three seasons are now on Netflix and well worth a look. StartUp cleverly meshes the world of high tech with Miami crime and corruption. The casting helps: Martin Freeman (Sherlock, Fargo) plays a bent F.B.I. agent trailing a trio of entrepreneurs who have good intentions and louche track records. Adam Brody, all grown up since The O.C. but still boyish, plays Nick, a preppy entrepreneur who syphons the ill-gotten gains of his embezzler father to seed Gencoin, a promising crypto-currency created by Izzy Morales (Otmara Marrero), a Cuban-American Stanford dropout. The two of them fall in—hesitantly—with Ronald Dacey (Edi Gathegi), a Haitian gang member who also spots Gencoin’s potential and wants to invest. All three are hoping that a Gencoin success will help them wriggle out of serious troubles at home, but the obstacles they encounter are darker and more daunting than anything they’ve sidestepped before. StartUp is tech-generation film noir set in blindingly bright South Florida sunshine. (netflix.com) —Alessandra Stanley

If you came away from The Beatles: Get Back wanting to ask the band, “Yes, lads, but how are you coming up with these songs, these lyrics?,” this audiobook by Paul Simon and Malcolm Gladwell will not answer how the Fab Four did it. But Simon will tell you how he, a Jewish kid from Queens, became one of the greatest songwriters of the past 50 years. It’s a riveting, engrossing, and sprawling conversation. Simon reveals wonderful details; he started writing “Bridge over Troubled Water” in his parents’ bathroom after messing with a riff in a Bach chorale while strumming away on his ever present guitar. The generous commentary from other singers who break down Simon’s work is an extra gift. (Sting on “America” is simply lovely.) (pushkin.fm) —Michael Hainey

The boot-pant relationship is a tricky one, although for a while skinny jeans made the whole proposition easier. But now that they have been usurped by all sorts of complicated straight- and wide-legged styles—a discussion for another day—many of our boots are languishing in the closet. A Chelsea style is never a bad idea, which is what initially led us to Legres, a London-based collective that works with Italian artisans to make great-looking shoes. Now we’re branching out with these Garden boots. Lined with toasty shearling—a January must—and finished with a stacked rubber heel and tread sole, they have stylish heft with none of the fussiness. Importantly, their low, curved top line means they’re amenable to many trouser shapes—and skirts. They’re also capable of handling inclement weather, except perhaps a blizzard. Should you really be going out in that anyway? ($675, matchesfashion.com) —Ashley Baker

To some generations, Arthur Rimbaud was best known as a daring (if quasi-obscure) French poet. To others—namely, more recent ones—Rimbaud may call to mind the striking new fragrance from Celine. The house’s newest olfactory offering is an homage to the French provocateur who wrote and published prolifically before retiring at the ripe old age of 20. Celine creative director Hedi Slimane and his school friends recited Rimbaud’s poem “The Sleeper of the Valley” at age 14. Ever since, Slimane has considered the poet a symbol of eternal youth and Utopia. Now he evokes those feelings with a fragrance that includes notes of lavender, musk, and vanilla. The backstory makes Rimbaud all the richer, but the scent itself is alluring all on its own. ($240, celine.com) —Ashley Baker