A lifetime ago, otherwise known as October of last year, my best friend and I decided to treat ourselves with a night out at Olmsted, a Brooklyn restaurant that’d been on our bucket list for months. It was a bit on the expensive side for a casual Thursday meal, so we decided to tackle the menu with our living-on-a-media-salary-budget strategy: bypass the main entrees in favor of appetizers and dessert. Turns out, the most expensive thing Olmsted convinced me to buy didn’t even show up at our table.
OK, yes, it was a candle. (The headline gave me away!) Before we left, my friend and I both made trips to the bathroom and returned raving about the warm woodsy scent that turned the restaurant’s powder room into a full-on sensory experience. We made it out the door before doubling back to ask the hostess what was on display. Thus began our obsession with the Apotheke charcoal candle. Here’s why I love it.