GOOD TASTES.

BARGAIN AT THE BAR

Now you can eat at Arnie Morton's The Steakhouse in Burbank without breaking the bank, if you're willing to settle for dining at the bar at certain times during the week.

Here's the deal -- and believe me, it's a bargain, if you can fit the hours into your schedule. Bar bites are always available from 4:30 to 11 p.m. daily, but to take advantage of what the restaurant is billing as the Power Hour, you must order them Monday through Friday, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. or 9:30 to 11 p.m. You can make a meal of them.

Each plate of bar bites during those hours will be $4, as opposed to $8 to $11 at other times. Selections include Chicken Goujonettes, Three Prime Cheeseburgers, Jumbo Lump Crab, Spinach & Artichoke Dip, and Four Petite Filet Mignon Sandwiches. I have friends who tout the filet mignon sandwiches in the bar as a terrific dinner -- even at the regular $11 per plate. If that's not enough, split Morton's delicious chopped salad -- our favorite -- or take half of it home.

I'm high on eating at Morton's bars (in various Southland locations), especially when the restaurant is crowded, you don't want a big meal, or to spend hours dining.

Also, during the Power Hour, oysters on the half shell are $1.50 each, and a colossal shrimp cocktail is $2.50.

-- Natalie Haughton

DARK-CHOCOLATE M&M'S DEBUT

Calling all dark-chocolate fanciers. Newest to join the mass-market candy crowd are M&M's Dark Chocolate Candies. After Masterfoods USA made the dark-chocolate candies available for a limited time last year, the company received more than 30,000 consumer inquires for them. Red, yellow, green, blue, orange and brown candy shells are filled with dark chocolate -- and can be found in purple packages. Dark-chocolate fans really liked them. Look for them in 1.69-ounce singles, 3.14-ounce, 14-ounce or 21.3-ounce bags with suggested retail prices ranging from $.55 to $4.39 each.

Now we're waiting for dark-chocolate peanut M&M's. Hopefully the company will debut them soon.

According to Datamonitor's Productscan Online, a third of new chocolate candy launches in the U.S. this year are dark-chocolate products, up from one-quarter in 2005. The boom can probably be credited to the positive health benefits of dark chocolate, which contains cocoa flavanols, natural compounds found in cocoa beans. But not all dark-chocolate products contain high levels, so check labels.

-- N.H.

PUCK SPEEDS INTO FONTANA

Chef and restaurateur Wolfgang Puck is on the road again, this time to the California Speedway in Fontana where he just opened Apex, his first racing-venue venture. The restaurant is located in the Opportunity, California FanZone, an entertainment and hospitality center, located behind the main grandstands in Lot 1. Puck is upgrading traditional speedway dining with upscale yet accessible dine-in restaurant selections, including Tortilla Soup ($8.50), Stuffed Jumbo Artichokes With Herb Parmesan and Garlic Aioli ($7), Roast Beef Sandwich With Aged Cheddar ($15), Honey Stung Fried Chicken With Grilled Corn & Corn Bread ($14.50) and much more, including pizzas, calzones, sides and salads. A cruise-through menu is also offered. The restaurant will only be open for NASCAR weekends, but catering is available throughout the year.

-- N.H.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2) no caption (food from Arnie Morton's The Steakhouse)

(3) no caption (M&M Dark Chocolate)

(4) Chef Wolfgang Puck demonstrates Apez menu selections for NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson.