A TASTE OF THE SOUTH BAY: Dining Spots in Your Area

If you celebrated too much last night and have no energy left to cook--or if you don’t like football and need to get out of the house--here’s a brief list of places to get a good New Year’s Day meal in the South Bay:

The Hot n’ Tot coffee shop, a Lomita landmark since 1946, serves satisfying meals throughout the day at very good prices. Highlights at breakfast are the buckwheat pancakes (four for $2.55), and the Country Western, which consists of sausage, two eggs, and biscuits and gravy ($4.25). At lunch and dinner, this popular family restaurant features a grilled 16-ounce T-bone steak served with soup or salad, potatoes and vegetables ($7.95). Today’s lunch and dinner special is orange roughy sauteed in olive oil and lemon ($6.95).

Hot n’ Tot, 2347 Pacific Coast Highway, Lomita. Open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m daily. (310)325-3924. Keno at the table.

For the truly hungry, Todai in Old Torrance offers an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet. As many as 20 varieties of sushi, including salmon and shrimp, are offered. Other items include baked swordfish, tempura shrimp, and beef and chicken teriyaki. Lunch is $7.95 and dinner, which also includes freshwater eel sushi, baked large shrimp and baked fresh New Zealand mussels, is $14.95. Although the restaurant seats 300, there is often a wait at this popular buffet.

Todai, 1925 W. Carson St., Torrance. Open seven days, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5:30-9 p.m. (310)787-1632.

If you decide to stay home and watch the games, football and pizza are a classic match, and Lomeli’s Italian Restaurant in Gardena and Hermosa Beach serves one of the best pizzas in the South Bay. A large pepperoni and mushroom is loaded with fresh mozzarella ($12.40). The menu also features a wide variety of pasta, including lasagna with sausage ($6.25) and fettuccine Alfredo ($5).

Lomeli’s Gardena location: 2223 W. Redondo Beach Blvd. Open Sun. through Thurs., 11 a.m.-10 p.m., and Fri. and Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m. (310)324-9910. Hermosa Beach location: 500 Pacific Coast Highway. Open Sunday through Thursday 4:30 p.m.-10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 4:30 p.m.-11 p.m. (310)374-3024.

To start the New Year adventurously, try Al Watan, a tiny Pakistani restaurant in Hawthorne. The big attraction here is the chicken tandoori, a skewer of chicken baked in a clay-lined, charcoal-filled 50-gallon drum. The tender chicken is served with rice and naan ,the tandoori-baked bread that is like thick pita. Another specialty is haleem ($4.99), featuring beef chunks simmered for 24 hours with wheat, barley, rice, lentils and beans. The grains meld into a healthy paste.

Al Watan, 13619 Inglewood Ave., Hawthorne. Open 11-7 daily. (310)973-4362.