Change Is the Order of the Day at Cienega

New Shifts: Cienega, the restaurant opened in January by three former employees of Joachim Splichal, has undergone some serious staff changes. Only one of the original three partners still is there. First sommelier Bill Priestly left, and now chef Rainer Schwarz. That leaves ex-Patina chef Jon Fernow holding the spatula. Replacement sommelier Michael Jason Baker, who came in from the Water Grill when Priestly left, will take on the duties of general manager as well. Cienega will be open on Christmas Eve, serving two prix-fixe menus, a three-course ($38) and a four-course ($45).

* Cienega, 730 N. La Cienega Blvd., L.A.; (310) 358-8585.

Gourmet Gifts: In case you haven’t noticed (and most people haven’t), a new gourmet food shop has opened in Studio City. On a quaint little strip of Tujunga Avenue sits a store called Village Gourmet, selling caviar, canned foie gras, truffles in gnocchi, French cheeses, Italian salami and English jams and jellies. There are also local specialties like California wines, Dandy Don’s ice cream (a restaurant wholesaler based in the Valley--you’ve had his green tea ice cream at Crustacean) and fresh breads from a nearby baker. Village Gourmet makes sandwiches and salads for take-out as well as holiday gift baskets. It’s open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

* Village Gourmet, 4357 Tujunga Ave., Studio City; (818) 487-3807.

Musical Lunch: The Regent Beverly Wilshire hotel is having its 23rd annual Christmas Carol Luncheon on Dec. 18. The all-inclusive price of this fake-snow-filled musical feast featuring the Bob Gail Orchestra is $70 for adults, $35 for children under 12. The three-course lunch (includes Christmas cookies) begins at 11 a.m. Call the holiday desk for reservations: (310) 858-2384.

* The Regent Beverly Wilshire, 9500 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills; (310) 274-8178.

Holiday Menus: And now, a short list of places serving special dinners Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

At the Provencal bistro Pastis, you can join the French Christmas Eve tradition of eating and gaming. The game they play is like Bingo, and at Pastis the grand prize is two round-trip airplane tickets to Paris. Play begins after second seating (around 8:30 or 9 p.m.). The four-course menu for the night is canapes, lobster bisque, house-smoked salmon and blini, Calvados granita, filet of beef with red wine sauce or Maine lobster, and a Christmas log or poached pears for dessert. The price is $75 per person.

* Pastis, 8114 Beverly Blvd., L.A.; (323) 655-8822.

Andreas Nieto, who used to be the chef of Diaghilev, the Russian restaurant in the Wyndham Bel Age Hotel in West Hollywood, has moved to the Century Plaza Hotel and Tower in Century City. “It’s a very luxurious property,” he tells us. Nieto’s the big dog over there, in charge of all the hotel’s dining venues and a crew of about 80. That leaves him time to “do all the fun stuff.” For Christmas night, he’s offering a four-course meal in the Terrace Cafe with entree choices like smoked tenderloin of beef with a Gorgonzola potato gratin, and seared breast of capon wrapped in pancetta. The price is $48 per person. Dinner will be served from 4 to 10 p.m. In the future, the Japanese restaurant at the back of the property will be turned into a spa. Nieto hopes to put a spa restaurant in as well. In the meantime, you can taste his menu changes at the French-Mediterranean Terrace Restaurant.

* Century Plaza Hotel and Tower, 2025 Avenue of the Stars, Century City; (310) 277-2000.

A new Cafe Bizou, sister to the popular Cafe Bizou in Sherman Oaks, has just opened in Pasadena and will be serving Christmas Eve dinner. On the a la carte menu are those non-fussy Cal-French dishes you’ve come to know from the Valley location: roasted chicken breast with mashed potatoes, steak au poivre, rack of lamb, and roasted pork tenderloin. On Dec. 24, it opens at 5 p.m. Its regular days of operation are Tuesday through Sunday nights for dinner.

* Cafe Bizou, 91 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena; (626) 792-9923.

Asiatique, a brand-new restaurant in Studio City, will be open for dinner on Christmas Eve. Owner David Berechet was a waiter at Cafe Bizou before managing Out Take Cafe, both in the Valley. True to his Bizou roots, Berechet offers a $1 soup and $1 salad with any meal, and corkage is only $3. Asiatique got its name “because the food is a fusion of French technique with Asian influences,” Berechet told us, but the menu is mostly Asia, not so much -tique. Chef Raymundo Rodriguez, who used to be at the now-closed Papashon in Encino, turns out Thai vegetable spring rolls, crispy whitefish on jasmine rice and grilled halibut with orange couscous as well as seared rack of lamb and filet mignon. Prices are pretty low, with entrees topping out at $15.95. On Christmas Eve, Asiatique will serve its regular dinner menu.

* Asiatique, 12321 Ventura Blvd., Studio City; (818) 761-7696.

One Restaurant will be closed on Christmas Eve but open on Christmas night from 5 to 10. A four-course menu will be served for $65 per person. You begin with a foie gras pa^te with Moscato wine jelly; then on to lobster on couscous puree served in a banana leaf and the main course, venison with cabbage and porcini-truffle sauce. Dessert is a poached pear with an almond chocolate.

* One, 672 S. La Brea Ave., L.A.; (323) 692-0540.

For more Christmas dining choices: https://www.calendarlive.com.