GOOD TASTES.

COOKBOOK: If you're always looking for a different version of America's favorite irresistible sweet - brownies - you'll want to peruse a copy of ``The Ultimate Brownie Book,'' by Bruce Weinstein (William Morrow; $16.95). Filled with more than 100 basic recipes plus variations - ranging from gooey, fudgy and cakey to those flavored with chips, cream cheese, jams, coconut or nuts - there's something for every occasion and taste. Some of the more unusual names in the collection include Chile Brownies (a staple in some Texas bakeries), Chestnut Brownies, Cola Brownies, Marshmallow Brownies, Mayonnaise Brownies and Sweet Corn Brownies (made with a can of cream style corn). I draw the line at Cornbread Brownies and Pear Brownies - they certainly don't sound very appealing. But, heck, no one would be making every recipe in the book anyway. A chapter using brownie mixes in cakes, bars and cookies is also included, along with one on frostings.

- Natalie Haughton

ROSY INSPIRATION: Bake a bundt cake that looks like a rose with this 10-cup nonstick pan. With so many indentations (to simulate petals) in the pan, we wondered if we'd be able to get the cake out in one piece. We baked a doctored-up cake mix and had no difficulty. A yellow or light cake shows off the cake pan to best advantage. With a chocolate cake, the rose effect is not nearly as dramatic. It's available for $28.95 at Sur La Table stores (Thousand Oaks, Los Angeles or Santa Monica) or from the company catalog by calling [phone] or online at www.surlatable.com.

- N.H.

MAYONNAISE TASTE-OFF: Results of a recent staff mayonnaise taste test of eight widely available brands of mayonnaise (although not technically a mayo, Miracle Whip was included due to its popularity) from supermarkets were revealed in the April issue of Cook's Illustrated. The mayos were tasted two ways: spread on plain white sandwich bread and tossed in a simple macaroni salad. Tasters rated the samples on flavor and texture.

Highly recommended were Best Foods Real Mayonnaise, Kraft Real Mayonnaise and Trader Joe's Real Mayonnaise (the best bargain price-wise). Next came Hain Safflower Mayonnaise and Kraft Miracle Whip Salad Dressing in the recommended category.

The staff also wanted to assess the skinny on low-fat mayonnaises, and in a tasting of five brands, Best Foods Light Mayonnaise came out the winner.

Mayonnaise is a $1 billion industry, with Best Foods (called Hellman's east of the Rockies) and Kraft together accounting for 78 percent of mayonnaise sales.

- N.H.

FREEBIE LEAFLET

Lindsay Olives is offering a nifty little colorful pop-up guide, ``Olives: A Love Story.'' The compact piece describes and pictures some of the leading varieties from California and Europe and features an olive taste scale, noting which olives have the most intense and mild flavors, along with those that are the most and least salty. For a free copy, go to www.lindsayolives.com or send a written request with your mailing address to Bell-Carter Foods Inc., Attention: Marketing, 3742 Mount Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, CA 94549. Allow six weeks for delivery.

- N.H.

DINING OUT

Chef Neal Fraser has resurfaced. His long-awaited new Grace restaurant has opened where Muse used to be. It's just a few blocks east of the space that used to house Boxer, the site of his initial claim to fame.

Fraser went on to Rix and Jimmy's and has now joined with restaurateur Richard Drapkin and general manager Amy Knoll in a three-way partnership in Grace.

Fraser lives up to his promises with sauteed skate, tandoori-style quail, wild boar tenderloin and braised rabbit among his opening menu offerings. In addition to the skate and quail, his starter list ($7 to $15) has three soups, a pumpkin and sea urchin risotto with sweet Maine shrimp and a Dungeness crab salad.

In the entree department ($16 to $27), Fraser runs the gamut, from a vegan stuffed pepper creation to a pairing of veal short ribs and langoustine, to which he adds fried parsnips and button mushrooms. Desserts ($7 each) feature a marzipan and kumquat terrine and a white chocolate souffle with buttered rum sauce.

Open for dinner only from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, except Monday, Grace, at 7360 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, has a full bar and diverse wine selections. Information and reservations: [phone].

- Larry Lipson

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1) no caption (Book: ``The Ultimate Brownie Book'')

(2) no caption (Rose-shaped bundt cake pan)

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer

(3) no caption (Leaflet: ``Olives: A Love Story'')