HOT DEALS ON CANNERY ROW Chef Robert Mancuso''s everyday three-course tasting menu for $12.95 at the Sardine Factory is all the excuse locals need to venture down to Cannery Row in the last days of summer. Feeling more decadent? Check out the three-course steak and lobster special for $25.95. This deal includes abalone bisque or soup du jour, carved prime sirloin and half lobster tail, and creme brulee or ice cream sundae. The only hitch is that this is served only from 5pm to 6:30pm on the dot. For more information and reservations call (831) 373-3775 or visit www.sardinefactory.com.

IRON CHEF If you can''t take the heat of the kitchen, or the Iron-Chef style competition, don''t even bother to show up. Chefs came in to town recently from all parts to "audition" for Executive Chef positions at both Stillwater''s and Club XIX restaurants at the Lodge at Pebble Beach. The winners are to be announced this week.

CHEESE ACROSS AMERICA IGourmet.com has launched a nationwide sampling tour, the first ever of its kind, to introduce an international lineup of specialty cheeses, including Grana Padano, as well as one of Italy''s finest olive oils, Olio Carli, at over 100 events in 30 cities across America. The tour stops at A Taste of Monterey on Cannery Row on Tuesday, September 4 from 5:30-7:30pm. "We are thrilled to offer our international cheese selections to food lovers across America," said iGourmet''s CEO Spencer Chesman. "Cheese is probably the hottest gourmet food category right now." Tickets are $10 for club members; all others, $12. For information and reservations call A Taste of Monterey at (831) 646-5446 or visit tastemonterey.com.

CALIFORNIA FRENCH VS. MODERN FRENCH Marinus at Bernardus Lodge in Carmel Valley and Fifth Floor in San Francisco will come together for "The Grand Dinner" on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2001 at Marinus restaurant. Both restaurants celebrate receiving the 2001 Grand Award, given annually by Wine Spectator magazine. The highly coveted award recognizes the best wine collections in the finest restaurants in the world, and is a high honor. Since 1981, only 91 restaurants from 12 countries have earned the award. In 2001, only four restaurants in the world received the award, including Marinus and Fifth Floor. The Grand Dinner will combine wine pairing by sommeliers Mark Jensen of Marinus and Rajat Parr of Fifth Floor, with a delectable six-course menu prepared by chef Cal Stamenov of Marinus and chef George Morrone of Fifth Floor. The menu will unite the Cal-French cuisine of Stamenov with Morrone''s modern French style. The all-inclusive dinner price is $195 per person. Special guestroom rates are available for $250 double occupancy on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2001. For dining and lodging reservations call (831) 658-3550 or (888) 648-9463. The menu includes roast lobster with ardoino oil; summer tomatoes; stewed onions, wild striped sea bass with miso, lemon cucumber, and coriander; foie gras with candied kumquat; grilled squab marinated in merlot grapes with parsnips and black truffle sauce; lamb chop with anchovies, olive, and salsify; and for the grand finale: Meritage Pahlmeyer caramelized peach tarte with crunchy pistachio ice cream and black mission figs. Space is limited to 50 guests. Other local Grand Award-winning restaurants include Casanova in Carmel (1990), Pacific''s Edge at the Highlands Inn in the Carmel Highlands (1991), Sardine Factory on Cannery Row (1982), and Sierra Mar at Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur (1993). Joseph Nase>, Cellarmaster at the Pebble Beach Resorts (he arrived from NYC''s L''Espinasse just nine months ago) has garnered a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence for Club XIX, as well as Peppoli.

NO GRASS, MAN. SAND AND GRAVEL IS WHAT IT TAKES Cain Vineyard and Winery in Napa Valley is one of the many world-class wineries looking toward Monterey County as a source of ultra-premium wine grapes. Their recently released Cain Musque 2000 ($22) is, according to the winery, "a pure sauvignon blanc from the unique musque [moos kay] selection [clone] grown on the sand and gravel of the Arroyo Seco in the Ventana Vineyard." The wine has an intense mineral streak and a rich, dry palate with apricot and bosc pear flavors.

--Catherine Fallis