Celebration Time : Greek Bistro turns a year old; New Year’s Eve festivities abound.

Look for Peter Divris to host a big party in a month or so to celebrate the first anniversary of the opening of his Greek Bistro in Encino.

Divris recently opened a second-floor banquet room at the restaurant--just in time for New Year’s Eve, the biggest night of the year in the restaurant business. The banquet room accommodates 200 and boasts marble floors, paneled walls, and 3,000 square feet of space, all of which he may need for his anniversary party.

“This is it--our first year,” Divris says. “We’ve built a steady base of customers, including neighborhood people who come here all the time and others who come from farther away for special occasions.

“Our plans are still up in the air, and maybe we’ll have to do the party in early February. But we want to thank all our customers.”

The good bet, of course, is that Divris will use the occasion to serve up what people come to his restaurant for in the first place--the signature roast lamb, served with herbs, lemon juice, and a high-quality olive oil, plus a variety of other Greek dishes.

These include such appetizers as stuffed grape leaves, hummus, pan-fried cheese and tabbouleh--a mixture of parsley, cracked wheat, green onions, olive oil and lemon juice topped with diced tomato. Prices for these items range to $6.50.

In addition to the roast lamb, the entrees include a souvlakia of swordfish and another of beef, a moussaka with eggplant, potato, zucchini and ground beef, and a marinated and charbroiled lamb tenderloin. Prices go to $19.95.

Reservations are a must, of course. The Greek Bistro serves lunch and dinner seven nights a week. It is at 17337 Ventura Blvd., Encino, (818) 789-2888.

Restaurants from one end of the San Fernando Valley to the other host New Year’s Eve parties a week from today, and if you haven’t made reservations yet, get going.

Some options:

* Peter Divris himself offers a New Year’s Eve menu including no fewer than 18 items, for $49 a head, at the Greek Bistro in Encino.

* Benito Prezia offers a prix-fixe four-course dinner at his Ristorante Buon Gusto in Mission Hills. The appetizers: bufala mozzarella or carpaccio salmon. The pasta: farfalle Buon Gusto, which Prezia makes with cream, peas, mushrooms, olives and artichoke hearts. The entrees: a beef tenderloin with a brandy sauce, a veal roast and salmon. The dessert: flan, followed by coffee and a glass of Muscat. The price: $29.95. Ristorante Buon Gusto is at 15536 Devonshire, Mission Hills, (818) 893-9985.

* Le Petit Bistro in Sherman Oaks offers the restaurant’s signature lobster bisque for $7.95, a baked lobster tail for $19.95, a filet mignon with a port sauce for the same price, Peking duck for $15.95, and grilled Norwegian salmon for $13.95. Desserts include a fondant au chocolat, creme bru^lee, a chocolate meringue cake and a tarte tatin, each for $5. Le Petit Bistro is at 13360 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, (818) 501-7999.

* The Steak Joynt in North Hollywood, owned by Rona Newman, offers a mushroom bisque followed by a New York steak with a sauce of mushrooms and Dijon mustard, or a king-sized cut of prime rib, along with bread pudding and an amaretto gelato. The restaurant offers two seatings and a fixed price of $29.95 per person. The Steak Joynt is at 4354 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, (818) 761-9899.

* Meanwhile, at the Oyster House in Studio City, run by Rona’s husband, Herb Newman, the New Year’s Eve special includes an oyster shooter, a special salad, bouillabaisse and dessert, all for $19.95. The Oyster House is at 12446 Moorpark St., Studio City, (818) 761-8686.

* At Lenetta Kidd’s Moonlight supper club in Sherman Oaks, the four-course meal includes hors d’oeuvres, a forest mushroom soup with sherry wine, a salad of baby greens and either a filet mignon with shiitake mushrooms or grilled Atlantic salmon followed by dessert--chocolate truffle cake, tiramisu with a creme anglaise, or a white chocolate ice cream tostada with brandied fruit. Kidd will have two seatings, at 6 and 9 p.m. The price: $39. Moonlight is at 13730 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, (818) 788-2000.

* The Bistro Garden at Coldwater offers a four-course menu including no fewer than five appetizers, two soups, six entrees and four desserts. The entrees: steak with a peppercorn sauce, a rack of lamb, a double pork chop with applesauce and a sweet potato confit, a Texas elk steak with chestnuts, seared tuna with a tomato sauce, and a stuffed chicken supreme with spinach, mushrooms and mozzarella. The price: $115 per person. The Bistro Garden is at 12950 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, (818) 501-0202.

Juan Hovey writes about the restaurant scene in the San Fernando Valley and outlying points. He may be reached at (805) 492-7909 or fax (805) 492-5139 or via e-mail at JHovey@compuserve.com