When the weather turns cool, it’s natural to seek refuge in hearty comfort foods. For some people this means a stew or a roast. But I want something more basic – something to help me connect with that primal sense of seeking sustenance as the elements turn cold and hostile. I want marrow. Marrow – the soft, gelatinous substance residing inside animal bones – is essentially the ultimate carnivore’s food. Or the ultimate Atkins food, if you prefer. Rich enough to make most desserts seem Waustere, full of calcium and other nutrients – and, to be sure, a considerable amount of fat – it’s literally the stuff of life, and one of the most scrumptious, primordial treats nature has to offer. And there’s no better time to indulge in its charms than now, when there’s a nip in the air and the days are getting shorter.

Culinarily speaking, marrow comes, of course, from marrowbones. This usually means beef leg bones, although veal bones are occasionally used (indeed, savoring the marrow is usually the crowning moment when enjoying osso bucco, the Milanese braised veal shank specialty), and the French sometimes use ox bones. The bones are most often cut into 2- or 3-inch lengths and roasted, although some folks prefer boiling or poaching. The cooked bonelets are usually served with toast and some sort of sweet accompaniment, the better for creating a spreadable commingling of sweet and savory.

Fans of functional specificity – a group in which I proudly include myself – will be pleased to learn that Europeans usually extract the marrow from the bone cavity via a marrow spoon, an elegant implement with a small bowl at one end and often a narrow scoop at the other, the better to excavate every last bit of marrow from the bone’s nooks and crannies. Alas, true marrow spoons are rarely found at American restaurants.

As this cutlery dichotomy suggests, marrow is much more popular in Europe, and especially in England, where people have been enjoying it for centuries. Do an eBay search on “marrow spoon” and you’ll come up with plenty of antique British models, often made of sterling silver and selling for hundreds of dollars. Queen Victoria herself is said to have enjoyed marrow on toast for her daily tea, although culinary historian Dorothy Hartley once noted that this “was certainly not the correct diet for her plump Majesty.” One can only hope that any killjoys who voiced that opinion to Victoria’s face were consigned to the dungeon forthwith.

But marrow has never fully caught on in America, where supermarkets and butcher shops usually end up discarding their marrowbones. As Kenneth Roberts lamented in his excellent 1955 essay, “The Marrowbone Matter” (recently anthologized in “Endless Feasts: Sixty Years of Writing from Gourmet,” Modern Library, $13), “All that delicious marrow, uncooked and unappreciated, is hauled off to the bone yard to be made into fertilizer!”

Half a century later, however, marrow is finally starting to gain a higher profile, at least in New York, where it’s been showing up on an increasing number of menus in recent years, usually in the appetizer listings. It’s emerged as a signature dish at Blue Ribbon (97 Sullivan St., 212-274-0404) and Blue Ribbon Brooklyn (280 Fifth Ave., Brooklyn, 718-840-0404), where for $14 you’ll get three massive bone shanks, served with toast and a puddle of oxtail marmalade.

Although Blue Ribbon’s marrow has a good reputation, I’ve always found it disappointing. The shanks are poached, which leaves the bones looking pale and the marrow tasting rubbery and bland. The oxtail marmalade is so cloyingly sweet that it clashes with the marrow instead of complementing it. And instead of a marrow spoon, Blue Ribbon provides a cheapo wooden spork – an undignified implement for so sublime a food.

You can do better just a few blocks south of Blue Ribbon Brooklyn, at the new Stone Park Cafe (324 Fifth Ave., Brooklyn, 718-369-0082; $9 for two shanks).The bones here are nicely roasted, and the accompanying condiment is candied garlic, which strikes an ideal balance between sweet and pungent. There’s also a tiny thimble of sea salt, and what’s this – a marrow spoon? No, actually, it’s meant for eating crab and lobster, with a long, narrow bowl at one end and a little two-pronged fork at the other. But it’s a worthy attempt at authenticity, and the bowl end works fine.

Back in Manhattan, a classic marrowbone treatment is available at Landmarc (179 W. Broadway; 212-343-3883, $12 for three shanks).The roasted bones still have a bit of beef clinging to them, which makes the dish feel more primal and rustic. The accompanying onion marmalade is just sweet enough, the toasted country bread is a step above average, and a little iron skillet of coarse salt is a nice touch. Too bad about the wooden spork, but this still makes an ideal late-night snack while sipping a drink at Landmarc’s attractive bar.

My vote for the best marrow in town goes to Crispo (240 W. 14th St., 212-229-1818; $13 for three shanks), which takes a completely different approach: The bones are sliced lengthwise instead of crosswise, essentially creating a mini-trough of marrow, which is topped with a crispy layer of bread crumbs and fresh garlic. There’s a delicious side portion of sauteed onions and raisins, and Crispo provides a long-handled sundae spoon, which works well with the lengthwise setup.

You can also make your own marrowbones. If your supermarket or butcher doesn’t have them in stock, they’ll be happy to order them for you. Either way, ask for the bones to be sawed into 2-inch sections – figure about three of these per person.

Cooking marrowbones is easy. Just rub them with coarse salt, position them standing up in a shallow baking dish, and roast them in a 400-degree oven for about 15 minutes. If you want to invest a bit more time and effort, use a heavy skillet to brown the bones in olive oil or butter before roasting them, which will make the end result more aromatic. In any case, you want to cook them until the marrow just begins to soften – if you overcook them, the marrow will liquefy and melt away.

Assuming you don’t have a genuine marrow spoon on hand, use an espresso or demitasse spoon. You can also find a four-piece set of crab/lobster implements, very similar to the ones used at the Stone Park Cafe, for $42 at Broadway Panhandler (477 Broome St., 212-966-3434).

Oh, and I suggest skipping the traditional toast. Instead, add some local flavor by spreading your marrow on a quintessentially New York foundation, one that I’m surprised no restaurant has yet tried: a toasted bagel.