GOOD TASTES.

SAVEUR 100

Saveur magazine has released its eighth annual celebration of food and drink in the January/February issue, making for lots of fun and fascinating food-related reading. The 100 favorite selections (the numbers aren't rankings, just an organizational device, notes editor in chief Coleman Andrews) include restaurants, food, drink, people, places and things.

Ten from California are among those featured, including Camargue Caramels from L.A.'s Boule patisserie, Du-Par's coffee shops (with a recipe for Steak Pot Pie), Fallen Fruit (a free fruit source Web site) and California Dessert Wines.

The magazine also picked eight new restaurants in Las Vegas, Costco birthday cake (the magazine folks favor the moist white with buttercream frosting), Spicy Thai Kettle Chips, Crispy Buffalo Wontons (at the Ruby Tuesday chain), Kakawa Cocoa Beans (roasted whole beans coated with layers of white, milk and dark chocolate and rolled in cocoa powder from Austin, Texas), IKEA Swedish food markets and more.

The Saveur 100 ends with a look at storm-ravaged New Orleans and the hope that the centuries-old culinary traditions will live on. Specifics and buying information on each item can be found in the pantry or resource section in the back of magazine. Pick up a copy ($5) at newsstands.

- Natalie Haughton

ELVIS BIRTHDAY CAKE CHALLENGE:

Watch five top cake decorators from around the country (including Elin Katz from Rosebud Cakes in Beverly Hills) compete for $10,000 in a cake challenge on the Food Network at 10 p.m. Sunday. The mission of each competitor is to create the most incredible birthday cake - a work of art - to honor Elvis Presley in just six hours.

- N.H.

FREE POTATO LEAFLET

The Mr. Potato Head icon (the original character was created in 1952) has pepped up his step with a healthy new look - a pair of fun shoes, a baseball cap, a portable mp3 player and a water bottle. Now he's inspiring meal planners in a color recipe brochure - Healthy Mr. Potato Head Potato Power! - from the United States Potato Board.

One medium potato (5.3 ounces) has 100 calories, no fat, 26 grams of carbs, and is an excellent source of potassium and rich in vitamin C. The leaflet also includes details on ordering a limited-edition Healthy Mr. Potato Head with a potato purchase.

For a free copy of the leaflet, send a self-addressed, stamped business-size envelope to: Healthy Mr. Potato Head Recipes, 5105 E. 41st Ave., Denver, CO 80216. For more recipes and information, go to www.healthypotato.com.

- N.H.

CONTEST ALERT:

Dust off those cherished family recipes and enter them in the Smucker's Family Traditions Recipe and Essay Contest for a chance to win a weekend for four in New York City. Submit an original family recipe that has been passed down for at least two generations and contains at least a cup of Smucker's jams, jellies or preserves, along with an essay of 100 words or less telling the story or memories connected with the recipe. Enter in one of four categories - breakfast foods, appetizers, entrees or desserts. Deadline for entries is Feb. 18. To enter, visit www.smuckers.com or mail entry to Smucker's Timeless Traditions Recipe Contest, c/o Cohn & Wolfe, 292 Madison Avenue, Floor 8, New York, NY 10017. Only one entry per person is permitted.

- N.H.

CAPTION(S):

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Photo:

(1) no caption (Saveur magazine)

(2) no caption (``Healthy Mr. Potato Head Potato Power!'')