Packing an extra bag

McCormick's Fish House in LoDo and McCormick & Schmick's in the Denver Tech Center are wrapping up their Backpack Drive 2007. Through Sunday, drop off a new, full-size backpack with a few basic school supplies at either location and receive a $20 dining gift certificate. Backpacks will be distributed to Colfax Elementary, which has a high number of transient students, and the DPS Educational Outreach Program. For info, call either restaurant, 303-825-1107 or 720-200-9339.

Off the table:

"We decided we didn't want to serve foie gras because it wasn't something we believed in anymore. I love fine dining, but there are plenty of other ingredients out there." - Drew Scott, executive chef at Elevation Restaurant, Aspen, who created a chicken "faux gras" appetizer with an Asian twist. With the controversy over foie gras - which results from force-feeding ducks and geese to enlarge their livers - and an outright ban in Chicago, chefs are looking at new ways to create a substitute, according to Shelly Banjo in The Wall Street Journal.

Sticktoitiveness

Say you want something that'll help your party guests keep track of their beverages, but you aren't willing to spring for the diamond -studded wine - glass charms. Here's something that's playful, inexpensive and effective - Clinqs. Think of them as Colorforms stickers for your drinkware. Each sheet of the vinyl decals - boasting fun icons or initials - is $5.50 at clinqs.com.

Produce pick: Rocky Ford cantaloupe

Colorado ranks sixth nationally in cantaloupe production. Look for melons without green - colored skin under the netting and sniff the blossom end for sweetness. Wash the outer rind to avoid draggingsurface bacteria through the melon when slicing.

Golden Gate tastes

The flavors of San Francisco and Beaver Creek will mingle at the Beaver Creek Wine and Spirits Festival, Sept. 13 to 15, where you can rub elbows and clink glasses with wine expert Anthony Dias Blue; celebrity San Francisco chefs Hubert Keller of Fleur de Lys, Joseph Manzare of Zuppa and Gerard Hirigoyen of Piperade; Richard Sandoval of Denver's Tamayo, Zengo and La Sandia; and the chefs of Beaver Creek at tastings, seminars, winemaker lunches, dinners and more. Info: beavercreek.com or 970-845-9090.

Jennifer Rosen suggests:

Zaca Mesa Viognier 2006 (U.S.)$18: Viognier is the trophy wife of grapes: fussy, high-maintenance but drop-dead gorgeous. Promising flowers and sweet honey on the nose, it delivers dry elegance andva-va-voom body on the palate. The exotic beauty hides a pretty strong wine. Better sign a pre-nup.