Oh, it's coming. Summer is just around the corner. The Southern California heat will soon set in. And when thirst hits... you're going to want an icy cold beer.

Charles Perry writes a monthly beer column for us, searching for the best beers to slake that thirst. Here, we've rounded up seven of his favorites that would be perfect for warm-weather drinking. 

He hits a variety of price points and preferences, including a pilsner, a pale ale and porter. He also offers up suggested menu pairings. (Try 'em. It's guaranteed to wow your guests.)

PHOTOS: 15 of our favorite burger recipes

A word of...

The tiny, high-end Marcassin Vineyard on the Sonoma Coast, known for its superb Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, has dealt itself a blow: “We are passing (probably permanently) on the 2008 Pinot Noirs,” writes John Wetlaufer, who owns the Sonoma Coast estate with his wife, the phenomenal winemaker Helen Turley, in his latest letter to those on the winery's mailing list.

What the hey?

The explanation, wildfires in 2008 caused smoke to cover most of Northern California for two months, according to ETS Laboratories, which has developed a test to screen grapes for smoke taint. Unlike wine...

A 3-D "printer" that can create an entire pizza using nothing more than various powders? Sounds like something from a Star Trek film, but it's actually a lot closer to reality.

Anjan Contractor, a senior mechanical engineer at Systems and Materials Research Corporation (SMRC) in Austin, Texas, is in the process of building a 3-D food printer with a $125,000 grant he received from NASA under its Small Business Innovation Research program, Quartz reported.

The idea is to create a prototype for a universal food synthesizer that will make food with an extended shelf life for space travel....

In 1938, Lawry’s the Prime Rib opened its original restaurant on La Cienega Boulevard on the edge of Beverly Hills. Fields of mustard grew along the street, which is now referred to as Restaurant Row, and the price of dinner — a thick-cut roast prime rib of beef au jus — was $1.25.

On June 11, the original Lawry’s (also the birthplace of Lawry’s seasoned salt) celebrates its 75th anniversary by offering prime rib at the same 1938 price: From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the first 1,000 customers pay $1.25 for the "Lawry cut" prime rib with Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes...

During Monday morning's #Weekendeats chat on Twitter, participants celebrated breakfast, but not the traditional stuff. There were a couple pancakes in the mix but people really went outside the box this weekend with their creations. Here are the highlights:

With the return of "Arrested Development," Brian Staffield of the blog Cooking With B.S. decided to celebrate by making Skip's scramble. Fans of the show will recognize the Skip's Bistro dish from the episode "Out on a Limb." It consists of a ton of breakfast items packed into one scramble.

The Skip's scramble has blueberry waffles, banana...

There is absolutely no reason for Restaurant 1833 in Monterey to be as good as it is. In the first place, well, it’s in Monterey, a lovely town that is swamped by short-term tourists – the kinds of diners who will eat at a restaurant once and never go back again.

Then there’s the setting. Restaurant 1833 is housed in one of the oldest homes in Monterey, for many years the home of the town’s leading doctor James Stokes – at least until his misdiagnosis killed California governor Jose Figueroa and an investigation revealed that he had never had a medical license in...

Recently, I was invited to a friend’s house in Patzcuaro (Michoacan), Mexico, and we spent the week madly cooking. The market there was so fantastic --  fat yellow chickens, fresh chayote, baby jicama, a rainbow of fresh and dried chiles, heaps of garlic and herbs. Indian women sat with produce from their gardens on blankets in front of them. They always had the freshest ingredients, including hand-patted corn tortillas, and when things were slow, they’d trim the thorns from nopales (cactus paddles).

We brought a couple of cookbooks, but the one we used most was Chicago chef Rick...

Looking for a cool way to beat the heat? And you want flavor and color too? Oh, and you want it in under an hour. I have one word: gazpacho. This refreshing summer soup is typically made from a puree of garden-fresh tomatoes and vegetables, dried bread, a little oil for body and something bright -- vinegar, lemon juice -- to liven the flavors. Gazpacho is simple, and there are so many variations to try. May we offer some suggestions? You can find the related recipes below.

We've got you covered with this Andalusian garden gazpacho, which combines tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, onion and a little...

Guest dinner series at Bar Marmont:Bar Marmont executive chef Carolynn Spence is collaborating with guest chefs for a series of dinners to take place at the...