Holiday Help

As the Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year holidays approach, if you would rather not spend time preparing the feasts yourself, restaurants from one end of the San Fernando Valley to the other offer you two choices:

1. Eat out and let other folks worry about everything from the cooking to cleaning up.

2. Eat a catered meal at home.

* Cha Cha Cha Encino will cater a traditional Christmas dinner with turkey and all the trimmings, or you may select from among the menu dishes for which this place is known--a variety of fish and chicken dishes combining the tastes of California and the Caribbean.

If you have a really big celebration in mind for Christmas or the New Year, the restaurant can also supply tenting, music, entertainment, flowers, decorations and even valet parking.

Prices vary with the complexity of your party, of course. Cha Cha Cha is at 17499 Ventura Blvd., just east of White Oak Avenue, Encino, (818) 789-3600.

* Matterhorn Chef in Van Nuys--specializing in Swiss, German, Italian and continental cuisine--will offer a variety of gourmet entrees for Christmas Eve. On the menu are roasted goose with chestnuts, medallions of venison with spaetzle (dumplings) and poached pear, grilled salmon with large shrimp, veal steak with forest mushrooms, grilled New York steak with fried onions, mushrooms and gravy. Prices range from $22.50 to $24.50 per entree. Those wishing to dine at home should place their order a day ahead, if possible.

On New Year’s Eve, Matterhorn Chef will feature a gala dinner and dancing, including appetizer, soup, entree, dessert and midnight champagne toast, all for $60 per person (not including tax, tip or beverages). The entrees are sauteed veal steak with forest mushrooms, rack of lamb, seafood brochette on wild rice, young roasted duckling with chestnuts, roasted New York strip steak with green peppercorn sauce, and a duo of grilled salmon and lemon sole.

Reservations are a must. Those who prefer to ring in the new year with a quiet evening at home can order from the regular menu until 6:30 p.m.

Matterhorn Chef, which opened three years ago at the former Old Heidelberg restaurant site, is at 13726 Oxnard St., Van Nuys, (818) 781-9396.

* Latkes and macaroons--made from scratch--are among the Hanukkah offerings from Art’s Deli in Studio City. The venerable deli also has roasted chicken, brisket, noodle kugel and chicken soup, and will package it family-style for takeout.(In fact, these traditional Hanukkah foods are on the menu year-round.) During the holidays, the deli sells thousands of latkes, a dish that starts with the grinding of potatoes. Prices vary depending on the order.

Art’s Deli, which has been around for 41 years, is at 12224 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, (818) 762-1221. The restaurant will be open Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.