Polo Lounge’s New Chef Cultivates Own Menu

Garden Variety Polo: The Polo Lounge in the Beverly Hills Hotel has a new chef. Suki Katsuo Sugiura (who goes by the handle “Chef Suki”) says he aims to use California ingredients (an herb garden is being planted outside the restaurant) with a touch of Asian flavor. He even has a theme for the lunch menu: Home Garden Oak Grill Cooking. Sugiura uses minimal amounts of butter and cream: “A lot of people really care what they eat, and we have to do honest cooking for the guests.” Some new menu items, which for now pop up as daily specials, will include vegetarian pot stickers served with grilled portabello mushrooms and honey-pepper rosemary-cured smoked salmon. The new lunch and dinner menus will be fully implemented about the second week of January. Prices will be moderate.

* The Polo Lounge, the Beverly Hills Hotel, 9641 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills, (310) 276-2251.

Floating Gingerbread Village: Pastry chef Washington Caceres has created his latest annual gingerbread village aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach. Not just a gingerbread house, mind you: It includes 11 Victorian houses plus a church, a train depot (modeled after Victoria Station in London), a pond with skaters, deer, pine trees and sleighs filled with candy. A toy train circles the village. Says Caceres, “I make a few extra sleighs and railroad crossing signs because I know what’s going to happen.” He’s referring to people (even adults) not being able to control their urge to snack on his creation. The village will be on display through Dec. 28, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $7 for children ages 4 to 11. And for heaven’s sake, control yourselves.

* The Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach, (562) 435-3511.

Parade of Food: At Newport Landing Restaurant in Newport Beach, you can stuff your face with four courses while you watch the 89th annual Parade of Lights, the Newport Christmas boat parade. The restaurant offers two seatings from Wednesday through Dec. 23. The first (from 5 to 7 p.m.; $28.95) gets you out before the parade begins. The 7:30-9:30 p.m. seating ($32.95) gives you a view of the boats from the restaurant. If you want to sit upstairs in the more casual Oyster Bar & Grill, it’s first come, first served.

* Newport Landing Restaurant, 503 E. Edgewater, Newport Beach, (714) 675-2373.

DIVE! Drive: If you bring an unwrapped toy to DIVE! Restaurant at the Century City Shopping Center through Dec. 22, you’ll get 10% off your lunch or dinner bill. Toys are being distributed by Vista del Mar Child and Family Services in L.A.

* DIVE! Restaurant, at the Century City Shopping Center & Marketplace, 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A., (310) 788-3483.

Munching With the Mouse: Disney is offering plenty of options for holiday food fun. From Dec. 20 to Jan. 4, you can have a Practically Perfect Tea with Mary Poppins at the Disneyland Pacific Hotel or a buffet dinner with Goofy and his pals at the Disneyland Hotel. The tea is held at 12:30 p.m. on weekdays and at 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. on weekends: $18.50 for adults, $11.50 for kids 3 to 11, free for kids under 3. Goofy’s Holiday Feast runs from 5 to 9 p.m.: $18 for adults, $8.95 for kids 3 to 11, free for kids under 3. Goofy’s has New Year’s Day off; Mary Poppins is off Christmas Day as well. On Christmas Day, though, you can dine buffet-style with Snow White in her winter wonderland in the Grand Ballroom of the Disneyland Hotel from 1 to 7 p.m.: $42 for adults, $13.50 for kids 3 to 11, free for kids under 3. Reservations for all the above can be made by calling the central reservations line at (714) 956-6755.

Christmas Eve Menus: It’s time to start booking those reservations for Christmas Eve dinners. Here are a few establishments serving special menus for the night.

La Cachette is seating from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. and serving four French courses heavy on the truffles, with choices of venison, beef or bass for entree. Price is $60 per person, food only. 10506 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.; (310) 470-4992.

Chez Gilles is seating from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. and serving three French courses heavy on the seafood. Entree choices include monkfish, salmon, venison and lamb shank. Price is $45 per person. 267 S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, (310) 276-1558.

Patina is serving two six-course menus from 5 to 10 p.m. The price is either $69 or $79 per person, depending on which menu you choose. 5955 Melrose Ave., L.A., (213) 467-1108.

Joachim Splichal’s entire empire of Pinot restaurants is open for Christmas Eve. Prices range from $39 to $52 per person depending on where you eat. Call for individual times and menu options. Pinot Bistro, 12969 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, (818) 990-0500. Cafe Pinot, 700 W. 5th St., L.A., (213) 239-6500. Pinot Hollywood, 1448 N. Gower, Hollywood, (213) 461-8800. Pinot at the Chronicle, 897 Granite Drive, Pasadena, (626) 792-1179.

Siamese Princess Ginger Grill (which remains open pending a suitable buyer) is going full bore for the holidays. You can either have the regular menu or one of two special menus by chef Victor Sodsook. The Basic Intro Menu is for Thai lightweights and features four courses. The cost is $40 for two people. Victor’s Advanced Menu is a lot spicier and costs $55 for two people. 8048 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, (213) 653-2643.