Food & Wine Archive

The best Vin Santo can weigh in at more than €100. But it's divine.

Italian coffee culture never quits. And it won’t yield to iced Frappuccinos. If you’re worried about table charges, take heart. You can get around them. The places below are my top 5 in Rome. But buyer beware: They're known mostly to students, who scrape the bottoms of their book bags seeking spare change for a caffeine fix.

Saffron, that pungent little flower, is making a subtle comeback on Italian tables.

Artichokes are believed to be one of the more tasty and effective aphrodisiacs.

Nobody, it seems, is supposed to order a cappuccino after mid-morning.

Finding a cheap espresso in Rome is the seeker's joy.

Understanding cod — a mission of salty love and fishy understanding.

In Brooklyn and Manhattan, tasty soupçons of the mezzogiorno.

The beast — still in its vacuum wrapping — sprang back, smelling like the family dog.

Outside dining can be in a square, overlooking the sea, or in a garden or forest.

Does Italy’s capacity to coax exceptional wine from indigenous grapes warrant envy from a merchant in Bordeaux, the Promised Land of the wine world? Yes.

Is the wine clear? Breathe deeply through your nose: Can you smell the fruit?