GOOD TASTES.

COOKBOOK: Biba Caggiano, chef-owner of Biba Restaurant in Sacramento for 20 years, has recently authored her eighth cookbook, ``Biba's Italy: Favorite Recipes From the Splendid Cities'' (Artisan; $29.95). In this volume, part culinary road map and part cookbook, you'll find recipes native to Rome, Florence, Bologna, Milan and Venice and their surrounding areas.

``This book draws from several years of eating experiences in five of Italy's grand cities,'' writes Caggiano, a native of Bologna, who notes in the book that according to surveys, Italian food is the most popular cuisine in the United States and around the world. Useful for travelers are tips on the best restaurants, trattorie, wine bars, cafes, gelaterie, food markets and cooking schools in each city. People routinely asked her for the names of places to eat while in Italy, and now they'll find some of her personal favorites here.

Many of the recipes appear easily accessible and doable in American kitchens, including dishes like Chicken With Peppers Alla Romana, T-Bone Alla Fiorentina, Poached Salmon With Bolognese Salsa Verde, Pasta and Bean Soup, Venetian-Style Sweet-and-Sour Shrimp and Milan's Crumbly Cake.

The book makes you want to hop on the next plane to Italy to immerse yourself in the cuisine (and, oh, that gelato!), but if that's not realistic, the next best thing is to head into the kitchen with some of the recipes -- and cook up an Italian meal alla Caggiano. Ciao!

-- Natalie Haughton

CACAO RESERVE: With consumers looking for better, more upscale chocolates, several companies are opting to get in on a part of the premium chocolate action these days.

The Hershey Co. has introduced Cacao Reserve, a new premium line of all-natural chocolates and drinking cocoa. The line of bars includes Premium Milk (35 percent cacao), Premium Milk With Hazelnuts (35 percent cacao), Extra Dark (65 percent cacao) and Extra Dark With Nibs (65 percent cacao). We sampled the bars and liked the Extra Dark and milk chocolate with hazelnuts the best. We'd avoid the Extra Dark With Nibs as we aren't particularly fond of nibs in chocolate although several chocolate bars are including them these days. The cocoa is available in Classic Mayan or Mildly Aztec blends.

The bars are available in 1.3- and 3.5-ounce sizes, with prices ranging from 99 cents to $3.29 each. The cocoa is available in a five-pack box priced from $1.98 to $2.49. Look for them at mass merchandising and grocery stores. For more information, go to www.cacaoreserve.com.

A line extension is planned for December to include premium chocolate bars made from cacao beans from individual countries of origin. Among them will be Java, Indonesia (32 percent cacao), Arriba (50 percent cacao), Santo Domingo (67 percent cacao) and Sao Tome (70 percent cacao). In addition, milk and chocolate truffles in tins will be offered.

-- N.H.

GLUTEN-FREE CRACKERS: If you're gluten- or wheat-intolerant, and even if you're not, give Mary's Gone Crackers a try. Made with organic whole-grain brown rice, quinoa, flax and sesame seeds (and additional spices and herbs as flavors change), they are interesting and crunchy -- and would be delicious topped with a little brie or other cheese, or even guacamole or a bruschetta mixture. Available in five flavors -- original, caraway, black pepper, herb and onion -- suggested retail is $4.99 per 6.5-ounce box. A serving of 15 crackers contains 120 calories (eight per cracker) and 3.5 grams fat (no saturated or trans fat). Unlike most crackers, these contain no added oils or fats.

Reviews were mixed. Some who sampled the crackers thought they tasted like cardboard, while others liked the crunchy texture. Although the original had a pleasant nutty flavor, tasters liked the caraway and black pepper varieties the best. The herb had a weird, fake taste. Onion wasn't sampled.

Look for them at Gelson's, Whole Foods, Bristol Farms and Wild Oats markets.

-- N.H.

GIVING THANKS: Want to have a video Thanksgiving message shared by your family broadcast on television or online? Butterball invites you to submit a creative video shot on a camcorder, video-equipped digital camera or cell phone that's no longer than 22 seconds. They prefer camcorders with MiniDV tapes but also will accept MPEG files on disc or MP3 flash drives, or a tape of ``any other video format you might have.'' So basically, however you shoot it, if it's no longer than 22 seconds, you're in. Sample messages and additional information can be viewed at www.butterball.com. Entries must be received by Oct. 16. Mail (with an entry form available online) to Butterball Shoot Your Own Commercial Video Submission Program, P.O. Box 641610, Chicago, IL 60664-1610.

-- N.H.

ASIAN COOL: Red Pearl Kitchen, a restaurant owned by Tim and Liza Goodell, recently opened at 6703 Melrose Ave. in Hollywood. It joins other Red Pearl Kitchens in San Diego and Huntington Beach. The Goodells also have two restaurants in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, including Dakota and 25 Degrees. The team's first restaurant adventure was Aubergine in Newport Beach, since sold, and Troquet in South Coast Plaza, recently closed. Red Pearl Kitchen offers contemporary Asian creations, including reasonably priced dim sum, salads, skewers, hot pot, noodles and rice, wok-fired and vegetable dishes, and several delicious-sounding happy endings. Dinner is served 5:30 to 11 p.m seven days a week. For reservations, call [phone].

-- N.H.

GRANOLA BARS HAVE COFFEE TASTE, LITTLE CAFFEINE: Granola bars aren't my thing. Apparently they appeal to lots of folks because it seems like every other week another one debuts designed to appeal to snack and breakfast fans.

The latest ones to join the crowd are Caribou Coffee granola bars, either Chocolate Mocha or Vanilla Latte flavors. Wouldn't you think with coffee an integral part of the label (but no mention anywhere of caffeine) and concept, that the bars would actually contain a little caffeine? Although they do contain some ground coffee, they are not a significant source of caffeine, says a company spokesperson. ``The bars provide less than 5 milligrams caffeine -- about the amount in a cup of decaf coffee or hot chocolate.''

Although a pleasant coffee flavor (the bars are made with real Caribou coffee) enhances the bars from General Mills (a definite plus), many tasters found them overly sweet. Chocolate Mocha was the best combination, with a thin chocolate coating on the bottom.

We'd like the bars better if they had less sugar. The Vanilla Latte bars tasted even sweeter -- and were a turnoff for many. These coffee bars have potential -- we like the idea -- if the company would go back to the drawing board and decrease the overpowering sweet taste. But maybe we're in the minority and consumers favor sugary-sweet granola bars. These taste sweeter than many candy bars but have fewer calories -- 140 per 1.2-ounce bar along with 3.5 grams total fat and 26 grams carbohydrate. Suggested retail for a box of six is $2.89.

-- N.H

CAPTION(S):

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Photo:

(1) no caption (cookbook: ``Biba's Italy: Favorite Recipes From the Splendid Cities'')

(2) no caption (Mary's Gone Crackers)

(3) no caption (Caribou Coffee granola bars)

(4) no caption (Cacao Reserve)