GOOD TASTES.

Byline: - Natalie Haughton

COOKBOOK: ``Italian Classics'' by the editors of Cook's Illustrated magazine (Boston Common Press; $29.95) is a heavy 480-page tome that attempts to bring home to cooks the very best versions of 300 Italian dishes. The recipes emerged after numerous kitchen tests using a variety of techniques. For instance, the staff cooked their way through more than 35 vegetable lasagnas to arrive at the best one. You'll find the best way to make risotto, antipasti, meat sauce, chicken piccata, veal scaloppine, fried calamari, steak Fiorentina, tiramisu, espresso granita and much more. Each recipe has accompanying notes about what was tried and how and why it did or didn't work. Also included are more than 225 illustrations, tips, equipment ratings and taste tests of supermarket ingredients. You'll find out that dried American pastas rated every bit as good as Italian brands in a comparison tasting of eight different brands (four each of American and Italian). And the best grater for Parmesan cheese is the Microplane grater. The book is filled with a wealth of information on Italian food. It makes a great reference and cookbook all in one.

FREEBIE LEAFLET: The American Dairy Association is offering a new, colorful leaflet, ``Tantalizing Tales of Cheese.'' It's filled with five recipes, among them Confetti Quesadillas, Big Bowl Cheese Dip and Cheesy Pull-Apart Party Sticks, along with a bunch of quick cheese tips. For a free copy, send a self-addressed, stamped No. 10 envelope to Tantalizing Tales of Cheese Brochure Giveaway, c/o Inland Marketing Services, 3030 Airport Road, La Crosse, WI 54603 or go to www.ilovecheese.com.

NEW: With Girl Scouts cookie time at hand, Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream is continuing its tradition of offering Girl Scouts Cookie Ice Cream flavors. Two new flavors - Tagalongs Cookie Ice Cream and Thin Mint Cookie Light Ice Cream - join the three returning flavors - Thin Mint Cookie Ice Cream, Samoas Cookie Ice Cream and Tagalongs Cookie Light Ice Cream. All of these limited-edition flavors will be available in 56-ounce cartons (slightly less than a half gallon) in stores now through April, at a suggested retail price of $5.69 each. To locate them in stores near you, log on to www.dreyers.com and click on Dreyer's Flavor Finder.

DINING OUT

If you're ever at the Grove, head into the old Farmers Market area and order some Middle Eastern fare from Moishe's. Although the restaurant has been there for a decade, we only discovered it a few months back. You order at the counter and then pick up your food and look for a table among the many (nothing fancy) in the market area. We like the delicious vegetarian plate that includes five side dishes of your choice (like stuffed grape leaves, tabouli, hummus or moutabal, eggplant vegetable mix and tzatziki). It comes with two pita breads for $7.95 and it's enough for two, if you're not famished. There are plenty of other menu choices, ranging from a shish kabob plate ($8.25) to gyro plate (Greek style, $7.25) to rotisserie chicken (whole with pita bread, pickles and garlic sauce, $7.25; half chicken, $4.75; or half chicken plate with two sides, $6.95). Among the pita wrap sandwiches offered are falafel, vegetarian, gyro, beef or chicken shawarma - ranging from $4.25 to $4.75. Also available are appetizers, side dishes, salads and a la carte items.

Moishe's, located at 6333 W. Third St., No. 336, Los Angeles, [phone], is open Mondays through Fridays 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturdays 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sundays 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Phone and takeout orders also available.

CAPTION(S):

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Photo:

(1) no caption (Book: ``Italian Classics'')

(2) no caption (Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream Girl Scouts Cookie Ice Cream)

(3) no caption (Leaflet: ``Tantalizing Tales of Cheese'')