Taste Buds

Responding to demand from health-conscious repeat passengers, and trying to attract a new clientele among younger vacationers, most cruise lines -- especially those plying the youthful Caribbean and Mexico markets -- have lightened up their menus while beefing up athletic activities.Salad bars have become standard luncheon fare on the buffet deck, vegetarian entrees and simply broiled chicken and fish dishes have joined the mix of red meats in the main dining room, and menus proliferate with asterisks denoting low-cal appetizers, entrees and desserts.

Rule No. 1 for new restaurant owners: Don't install a coat rack when you still have customers in your dining room, especially if it involves drilling and hammering. Even if it is 8 o'clock on a Sunday night, and even if there is only one table occupied. Someone at that table might be a restaurant critic.It was too bad, because up to that point our dinner at the Indian Pavilion had gone very smoothly.This is a fine new Indian restaurant and cocktail lounge in what would be a desolate location except for the University of Maryland complex nearby.

In the fall, people used to forage and store nuts for winter. Today, nuts are no longer a dietary staple, but they are still a good source of vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps keep LDL cholesterol from being oxidized in the blood.Their high fat content makes nuts susceptible to rancidity. When you're buying nuts, smell them first to make sure they're fresh.Grilled beef tenderloin with hazelnutsMakes 4 servings2 cups veal or poultry stock1 cup red wine2 cups hazelnuts, roasted, skinned and coarsely chopped2 tablespoons ground fennel seed2 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns2 tablespoons olive oil4 beef tenderloin steaks, 8 ounces each1/2 cup Jack Daniels, optionalsalt and black pepper to taste1/4 cup green onions, diced4 sprigs mint for garnishHeat oven to 550 degrees.

The recipe for ice cream at Simmons General Store isn't written down, but Estie Simmons' descendants know it well enough: Keep it simple, keep it fresh, keep it secret. And go easy on the sugar."I'll never change it. I'd stop making it before I'd change," says Jean Neudecker, 50, the only grandchild of Estie Simmons. The future of the store is in Jean's hands, and she holds it close to her heart.The rural crossroads called Snydersburg isn't even on most road maps. It's in northern Carroll County, at least 45 minutes away from Baltimore, but city people hear about Simmons.

At a press conference this summer to promote his first fall schedule as Fox entertainment president, John Matoian vowed that his "famous taste buds" would make for a major upgrade in the quality of sitcoms that America would see on his network this fall.When Matoian finished his spiel, one of the critics in the audience said: "I have a question about your famous taste buds, John. I'm watching the pilot you sent us for this show called 'The Crew,' and I'm wondering what you ever saw in something so silly, sophomoric and salacious that you'd put it on your schedule?

Warning: Availability of this wine might be limited because I've bought every bottle I can afford. It is simply the finest value in white wine I have tasted in years, not to mention the greatest spatlese I have ever tasted from the Rheinhessen.It ripples across the palate like cool fire, electrifying the taste buds with layer upon layer of flavor: apple, pear, minerals, honey and spices. The acid balances out the residual sugar so well that while it feels sweet, it tastes dry. I'm saving a bottle or two for Thanksgiving turkey dinner.

Their eyes squinting in the red-lighted room, their lips pursed in a combination of concentration and displeasure, a dozen taste students swish a dollop of cheese-flavored powder inside their mouths.Instructor Maria Ridgley breaks their rapt silence, asking for descriptions: "Salty," one student says. "Bitter," another ventures. There's a long pause as each student ponders whether to state the obvious.Finally, someone pipes up: "Baby vomit.""Good," Ms. Ridgely nods. The flavor experts at McCormick & Co. Inc. agree that this particular cheese should be described as "goaty, sharp, bitter" and having just a hint of "baby throw-up or baby formula."

Remember the Tongue Map? There it sat, a disembodied organ on the pages of high school science textbooks, neatly divided into tiny states labeled "sweet" or "sour" or "salt" or "bitter." It was just bizarre enough to stick in the mind and give most Americans an idea of how taste works.Scientists in the last few years have unleashed their test tubes and number-crunching computers on the complex phenomena of taste and flavor, which is taste plus aroma plus the tactile sensations produced by eating food.

Clusters of would-be and established wine connoisseurs gathered around brightly striped tents to swirl, smell and swallow the grapes of Maryland's 10 wineries yesterday at the 10th annual Maryland Wine Festival.The two-day event at the Carroll County Farm Museum included plenty of scrumptious food -- ranging from a raw bar and roasted ham sandwiches to crepes and vichyssoise. But that wasn't what brought an estimated 10,000 visitors from all over the country to Westminster.Organizers said they expect to attract at least that many people from noon to 6 p.m. today.

Ready to test your knowledge of celebrity taste buds?See if you can match these stars, who performed in the arearecently, with the food that local caterer John D'Anna served them.1. Jon Bon Jovi2. The Grateful Dead3. Def LeppardA. Froot Loops, bagels and raisin bunsB. Roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pieC. Poached salmon in a pesto cream sauceThe answers: 1.(C) 2.(A) 3.(B)If you missed a few, not to worry. Even Mr. D'Anna has trouble keeping it all straight, especially with musicians' odd eating habits and hours.