By LEAH WEATHERSBY

Touted as "More than just a bite," What's Cookin' is a community-wide dinner party featuring nearly 40 Wallingford restaurants who are inviting the public to sample their food for just $2.50 per serving. A wide range of international cuisine will be offered.

The What's Cookin' event is presented by the Wallingford Restaurant Association, a group of local eateries. This year's event is co-sponsored by Starbucks and Food Services of America.

Karen Buschow, who is helping to organize this year's event, describes What's Cookin' as an opportunity to show off Wallingford's distinctive culinary character.

"Sometimes you can't tell what city you're in because you see the same restaurants," Buschow said. "These are unique and independent restaurants and that makes (Wallingford) different than other neighborhoods in the world."

This year's What's Cookin' event will start at 4 p.m. and end at 9 p.m. Participating restaurants can be found along N. 45th Street, between Eastern Avenue N. and Stone Way and along N. 55th Street, between Meridian and Kensington avenues. Maps are available at participating restaurants.

Proceeds from What's Cookin' in Wallingford benefit FamilyWorks, a non-profit group which runs a food bank and other other family support services such as classes and workshops. Visitors are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item for the food bank.

FamilyWork's executive director is Jake Weber, a musician who will perform with the bluegrass band, "Lost in the Fog," during the event at the the Wallingford Center Main Stage. Also featured is the Beatles cover band, "The Nowhere Men." The stage is located at the corner of N. 45th and Wallingford Ave. N.

What's Cookin' is the brainchild of Jeremy Hardy, co-owner of the Jitterbug restaurant in Wallingford as well as several other Seattle eateries, who organized the first event in 1996. For details, call 632-0461.