It's quick to make and goes more places than you'd think. Splash it on a steak or salmon or a salad of wilted bitter greens. >>

Serious beer-making is on the rise here: Think porter aged in Zinfandel barrels. >>

Getting out of bed isn't always easy. OK, it's never easy. For some people, it helps to visualize a tall mug of coffee topped with billowing clouds of hot foam. In the not-too-distant past, the only way to get that kind of froth was by driving to your favorite barista or by investing in an espresso machine with a gizmo for steaming milk. >>

A little shortcut, a lot of high-rise flavor >>

Bistro classics get special treatment in Costa Mesa. >>

Peak season >>

Quick swirl >>

The Orange restaurant goes a little deeper with a Mediterranean menu that's richly accomplished. >>

…and turns into a fabulous aperitif. It's happening up and down the coast. >>

Round tarts simply didn't get the job done for these adventurous Parisian pastry chefs. >>

In a June 23, 2004 story on cooking with parchment paper, Regina Schrambling offered this delectable dessert recipe for summer fruit, lightly spiced and baked in parchment. >>

China's most cosmopolitan cuisine makes a Southern California splash. >>

Direct from India, the luscious fruit makes its Southern California debut. Oh, the crowds! Oh, the sticker shock! >>

Dinner at the Centinela Avenue landmark might find your party in a chopsticks war over the last tasty morsel. But at this friendly spot, that's just fine. >>

RESTAURANT wine prices have gotten crazy. >>

Just in >>

Barcelona, Spain, is filled with xampanyerias (Champagne bars) where you can drink bubbly by the glass or the bottle. They usually have some French Champagne, but their real function is to showcase cava, the local sparkling wine made in the Penedès region an hour south of Barcelona. >>

In 2003 Susan LaTempa polled chefs around town about their favorite chocolate cakes recipes and netted this recipe for a dark chocolate cake with an intriguing spice note. >>

A tamis (rhymes with 'whammy') lets you create velvety bisques, silky purées and light-as-air gnocchi. >>

The ethereally light fish dumplings are getting trendy treatment in France, but the classic version is always irresistible. >>

Stuck for a souvenir? Today's airport food gifts are as deliciously American as Derby-Pie. Or Texas brisket. >>

Dress 'em up, dress 'em down: In a quick and easy salad or an elegant, four-part dessert, cucumbers are simply the coolest things around. >>

Steven Arroyo’s new wine bistro in South Pasadena has something his other restaurants have been missing: an ambitious chef. >>

The 5-year-old Napa food, wine and art center is refocusing its programs to create a mecca for wine lovers. >>

The kitchen can hardly contain the action anymore -- it's spilling into the dining room. >>

Of the dozen and a half "airport foods" I had shipped to me, these were first-class. All can be bought in the airport in their hometowns. And most would make excellent gifts. >>

Rustic Canyon's Spanish rice pudding knows how to surprise. >>

First made in the 1920s, Imperial Reserva from C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España, known as Cune — pronounced koo-nay) is produced only in good years. The 2000 is the latest release and a stunning classic Rioja. Pour a glass of the Imperial, and everyone at the table perks up and pays attention. The bouquet wafts tobacco and sweet spices, while the taste is all beautiful fruit from Rioja Alta, mostly Tempranillo with a little Graciano and Mazuelo blended in. >>