If he could eat only one thing for the rest of his life, chef Mario Batali would choose linguine with clams or spaghetti pomodoro. Anthony ''Kitchen Confidential'' Bourdain would go with sushi. We are unclear on what Gore Vidal would prefer, but we can be sure he won't be eating it with George W. Bush.

It was hard to say which of the two ''Evening With . . .'' events Thursday at Miami Book Fair International was the main course and which was the appetizer. Think of the night, then, as the first of two hearty courses during one of Batali's beloved Italian dinners. First up, the TV-famous foodies, who talked about their favorite international cuisines, future trends in food and their guilty pleasures. (Who knew Bourdain favored ``that bright orange macaroni and cheese out of a box with lots of black pepper''?) Next came a chat with the famous -- and famously persnickety -- novelist and National Book Award winning essayist Vidal, who was interviewed by Mitchell Kaplan of Books & Books.

Thursday was the week's first double ''Evenings With . . .'' event, and despite muttered complaints about the lack of tickets earlier in the week, the transition from one event to the next went smoothly, with Bourdain and Batali heading downstairs at the Chapman Conference Center to sign their books as the fair staff scrambled to set the stage for Vidal. The ease with which all this happened bodes well for the busy weekend ahead, when fair-goers will need free tickets to get into Chapman.

Both events drew packed houses and long lines but no complaints; everyone who showed up, even those without tickets, managed to get a seat, according to fair staff.

Still, crafty fair-goers without tickets were willing to make sacrifices just in case seats were hard to come by.

Steve Gordon and Jessica Garcia Iniguez arrived at Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus at 3:30 p.m. to line up for the first program.

''Are we foodies? Yes, we are,'' Gordon said.

`I TRUST HIM'

Iniguez, who proclaimed herself more of a Bourdain than Batali fan, said she would try any of the myriad grotesque tidbits that the star of No Reservations braves, no matter how disgusting.

``If he eats it, I trust him.''

There was speculation about where Batali and Bourdain might eat after the event. Joe's Stone Crab? Michael's Genuine Food & Drink? Hard to say, but both men lamented Miami's loss of Norman Van Aken's presence and praised the work of chef Michelle Bernstein. They chatted casually, joking and trying to put each other on the spot, a competition Bourdain won by asking Batali who his least favorite Food Network personality was. (Batali, after hedging, said Sandra Lee. Bourdain went with Robin Miller).

Their demeanor was relaxed, with Batali in shorts and his trademark orange Crocs and Bourdain in jeans and flip flops, both sipping -- perhaps for the first time in fair history -- Heinekens.

PALIN IMPERSONATION

Vidal, sharp in suit and tie, was not to be outdone in the humor department, offering a quick Sarah Palin impersonation but a better one of his late friend Tennessee Williams. Asked why the country was so taken with the Alaska governor, he replied tartly: ``You know, we're a morbid people. Look at Liberace. We are very weird.''

Bashing Republicans is Vidal's favorite pastime, and he did his fair share of it Thursday. He earned hearty applause when Kaplan asked him about the state of our union. Vidal took a deep breath, let it out, and replied: ``The terrible time is over.''

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