NEW & NOTEWORTHY.

NEW: Lawry's has introduced a new line of seasonings and rubs called Perfect Blend. Available in four flavor varieties - Beef & Pork, Chicken & Poultry, Fish & Seafood, and Salads & Vegetables - you can use them on foods before baking, stir-frying, grilling, etc. or add them at the end of preparation. We liked them all, but particularly favored the one for salads and the chicken blend. The bottles have a convenient two-sided flip-top cap that allows for shake-on application as well as for rubbing larger amounts directly on foods. The jars also feature a ``spinner'' label that rotates to reveal numerous tips, usage and preparation ideas. Although the first ingredient on the label in each type is sea salt - and the mixtures seem salty when you taste them directly out of the jar - once you use them with food, you don't notice an overwhelming salty taste. They contain no MSG. Suggested retail is $2.99 per 4-to 5-ounce jar.

- Natalie Haughton

CALLING ALL PEZ COLLECTORS: If you're a collector of those Pez candy dispensers, you'll want to get your hands on the four different varieties now being offered (in see-through plastic-covered windows) in 12- to 14-ounce boxes of Trix, Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs and Honey Nut Cheerios cereals. The limited-edition mini Pez dispensers are about 3 inches tall - 40 percent smaller than the average full-size Pez dispenser.

This is the first time in the 50-year history of the Pez Candy Company that it has created versions with cereal cartoon characters. Collect all four - Trix Rabbit, Lucky the Leprechaun, Sonny the Cuckoo Bird and BuzzBee - and look for them now as they'll only be available through mid-July (the boxes may sell out sooner, depending on customer response).

And just in case you aren't tuned in to Pez mania (the dispensers were first introduced in the U.S. in 1952 and there are more than 250 to 300 different Pez heads), there's even a museum dedicated to the dispensers - the Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia in Burlingame, Calif. For more information on Pez candy, go to the Web site www.pez.com.

- N.H.

HANDY GUIDE: Just recently we came across the Gayot 2001 Los Angeles Restaurants book, which includes reviews of more than 1,300 restaurants, cafes, quick bites, ethnic markets, ice cream stores, bakeries, caterers, farmers' markets and gourmet shops in one handy volume. It includes Orange County, Santa Barbara, Central Coast, Palm Springs and San Diego. Unlike the Zagat guides, which rely on consumers for their ratings, this guide relies on knowledgeable experts in the food field.

Look for this bright yellow book ($14) - similar in shape (but thicker) than the Los Angeles Zagat restaurant guide - in bookstores. Restaurants are rated on a point system with 20 possible - and the points only reflect opinions about the food. Decor, ambience, service and wine list are commented on in the reviews.

Those traveling around the lower half of the state should find it appealing because everything is handy in one volume. Keep a copy in your car - and you'll be ready to eat on a moment's notice.

- N.H

DINING OUT: It's a dinnertime freebie.

Togo's, the nationwide sandwich shop chain, has a new item called the California Club and it's giving them away today as an introductory gesture.

Stuffed with turkey, ham, bacon, cheddar cheese and boosted with a blue cheese spread, the regular-size sandwich is available absolutely free at any participating Togo's (130 locations in the Los Angeles area) between 5 and 8 tonight only.

Togo's is not asking for coupons or secret code words. And you don't have to buy anything. Just show up during the three-hour giveaway period and pick up your California Club sandwich.

There are Togo's in most local communities, including Burbank, Northridge, Tarzana, Studio City, Woodland Hills, Sherman Oaks, Valencia, Simi Valley, Glendale, Pasadena and Westlake Village.

Three Togo's in Orange County, one in Azusa and the Ventura and Oxnard locations are not participating.

To find the nearest Togo's, call [phone].

- Larry Lipson

NOTE TO WINE LOVERS: Because of its relocation from 9701 S. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, to 9467 S. Santa Monica Blvd., the Wine Merchant is selling its in-store inventory at discounts from 20 percent to 50 percent off through June 30. In-person purchases only at the 9701 S. Santa Monica Blvd. location. Information: [phone] or [phone].

- L.L.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1) no caption (Lawry's Perfect Blend)

(2) no caption (Gayot 2001 Los Angeles Restaurants book)

(3) no caption (Pez dispensers)