Table talk

Harriet Vallen of American Fork was one of 15 finalists in the third annual Southern Living Cook-Off that took place Oct. 2 in Birmingham, Ala. Vallen's recipe, Sweet 'n' Sour Chicken, will appear in the January 2005 issue of Southern Living magazine. She and nine other finalists each received $1,000. Four runners-up won $10,000, and the $100,000 grand-prize winner was Linda Rohr of Westport, Conn., for her Grilled Shrimp, and Orange and Watermelon Salad With Peppered Peanuts in a Zesty Citrus Dressing.

The Mandarin Restaurant in Bountiful has been named one of the "Top 100 Chinese Restaurants in the USA" by Chinese Restaurant News. The monthly magazine, published since 1994, has 41,000 Chinese restaurant owners operators as subscribers. The Mandarin was chosen from 3,656 nominated restaurants.

The Mandarin has been owned and operated by Gregory Skedros and his family for 27 years, employing eight full-time chefs that have been trained in Hong Kong and San Francisco.

The International Who's Who of Chefs has named several Utah chefs to its first edition. The just-published resource guide lists almost 3,000 chefs from 70 countries, including Scott Boberek of Bistro Toujours, Park City; Jerry Garcia of Chez Betty, Park City; Bill Hufferd of Riverhorse Cafe, Park City; David Jones of Log Haven, Salt Lake City; and Jady Tippetts, formerly of Riverhorse Cafe.

Liberty Heights Fresh is hosting a book-signing Saturday with Marguerite Henderson, author of "Savor The Memories." From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Salt Lake cooking instructor will be giving brief cooking demonstrations and signing purchased copies of her book.

The Canyons Resort will host the "Four Chefs, Four Seasons," dinner series at 6 p.m. Oct. 21. Chefs Houman Gohary of The Canyons, David Jones of Log Haven, Robert Barker of Bambara and Mikel Trapp of Fresco Italian Cafe will each present a course of the dinner. Cost is $65 per person. (435-649-5400)

Thanksgiving Point is opening a new restaurant called Harvest on Friday. It will feature contemporary twists of American classics, including grilled entrees, salads, soups and desserts. Overseeing the operation is Kendall Wimmer, director of food services, who has worked at Sundance and Magleby's. Executive chef is Rick Allen. The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner.

The Metropolitan is offering a "New Metro Math" early bird special — a three-course dinner for $25, with a guarantee to be in and out the door within one hour. (364-3472 or themetropolitan.com)

The Garden Cafe at the Grand America is running a three-course Fall Harvest special from Oct. 22-28. It includes roasted butternut squash soup, braised Colorado lamb shank with caramelized vegetables and twice-baked pears for dessert, for $25. (801-258-6707)

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Submit restaurant announcements to Valerie Phillips, Food Editor, Deseret Morning News, 30 E. 100 South, P.O. Box 1257, Salt Lake City, UT 84110; by fax to 801-237-2550; or by e-mail to vphillips@desnews.com.