Around for more than a century, the grape is still challenging vintners to get it right. And now it has momentum on its side. >>

The Times tasting panel met recently to assess two subgroups of California Pinot Noirs. Wines are listed in order of the panel's preference. >>

The companion to Lidia Matticchio Bastianich's PBS series rounds up more than the usual suspects in its 10-stop tour. >>

The right wand can take on the world, it seems. Or at least put a hard roll in its place. >>

Poolside dining makes a splash around town. >>

The 2004 Barbera d'Alba is a serious wine made from grapes grown on some of the most prized vineyards in the world. >>

Even with 70-odd Armenian bakeries in the L.A. area, it's a challenge to get someone to share the recipe. >>

Lemon ricotta cakes, sprightly green salads, lamb-sausage pizzas. The modest spot brings a fresh touch to its Pico Boulevard setting. >>

This gem is from a story from 2004 on the merits of food abstinence - savoring foods only during their seasonal best. >>

Turn the heat way, way down, then relax -- for deliciously tender results. >>

Rising to meet a need in Venice, its light, airy space and eclectic menu buck stereotypes. So why not stay awhile? >>

The West 3rd Street spot, which finally got its license to pour, offers a warm welcome and rustic, home-style Mediterranean cooking. >>

Nancy Silverton bucks the trend of fussy chef books with a journey into every home cook's pantry. >>

Imports like 'New Dotch Cooking Show' are frenetic and quirky, yes, but they're also smart, and they're raising the bar on food TV. Want to join the cult audience? Better tune in soon. >>

AS home to one of the largest Armenian colonies in the world, Los Angeles supports about 70 Armenian bakeries. They suggest that Armenians may just have the biggest sweet tooth in the world. >>

Seeking after-dinner adventure? Enter the world of evocative dessert wines produced in regions from Piedmont to Sicily. >>

Many great Italian dessert wines, with their limited production and distribution, aren't easy to find, nor are they inexpensive; most come in small-format (375- or 500-milliliter) bottles. Chill the whites, but not too cold, and serve the reds either lightly chilled (especially in warmer weather) or at cellar temperature. Listed in order of vintage. >>

A brilliant Côtes-du-Rhône Villages from cult producer Les Aphillanthes. This beauty is a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre with a full-blown, earthy character that shows lots of sweet fruit and wily tannin. It's impossible to stop drinking this one. One sip and the taste of wild herbs, smoke and dark berries lays unmistakable claim to the southern Rhône. >>

WITH Earth Day just a few days away, it's gratifying to think that eating French fries might be an eco-friendly practice. How so? Well, consider veg-oil power. >>

IS progress taking the farmers out of farmers markets? And is that a bad thing? >>

Sweet strawberries should be filling up farmers markets like crazy. Make this simple spread to capture summer in a jar. >>

Just in >>

Coffee toffee French macaron ice cream sandwiches, Sicilian pistachio gelato, blood orange sorbetto -- local artisans are giving frozen desserts the VIP treatment. >>

Larry Hyde, custom grower to an all-star list of winemakers, lovingly tinkers and prods to create unique fruit. >>

When it comes to grill-your-own barbecue, a night at Park's means great food and a hopping scene. >>

EPHEMERAL as the early spring that bestows them upon us, English peas arrive like this season's epiphany. They're only here for a few blissful weeks, and then, once the temperatures rise, they're gone. Serene in their emerald pods, the peas nevertheless come with a quiet sense of urgency. Not only is their time here fleeting, but they're on a clock from the moment they're picked. >>

HERE'S a selection of our favorite places in Los Angeles and Orange counties for the best artisanal gelato and the finest house-made European- or American-style ice cream. >>

Mayumba Cuban Restaurant's top-notch kitchen sends out home-style favorites in an unlikely but lively Rosemead setting. >>

Dear SOS: I had a terrific veal special at Bella in Hollywood: a veal scallopini wrapped around asparagus and mozzarella, bathed in a sauce of mushrooms and wine. It was great! Might you publish the recipe? >>

A favorite Easter dessert, this came from a reader request in 1998. Because the recipe calls for raspberry jam instead of fresh raspberries, it's a great dessert for any occasion. >>

The Il Poggione estate makes superb age-worthy Brunello di Montalcino, but it also, like most Brunello producers, makes a younger wine for earlier drinking. And in 2004, Il Poggione made a killer rosso di Brunello. A brilliant ruby red, it is luscious and ripe, but with enough structure and sheer stuff to carry it from an antipasto of prosciutto di Parma all the way through the entire meal to an aged pecorino cheese. This is delicious drinking. >>