Takeout With a Holiday Take

Season’s Eating: Special holiday foods are part of the fun at this time of year. If you want some tamales or lemon cookies for yourself or a friend, try the following places for seasonal takeout dishes. For more gift ideas, don’t forget that wine and liquor stores are stocking holiday bottles as well. After that, we have some Christmas dining suggestions for you.

Babita Mexicuisine in San Gabriel has chiles en nogada through the second week of January. Chef-owner Roberto Berrelleza takes poblano chiles, roasts them and stuffs them with either a fruit and nut mixture or a pork, tomato and garlic combo. He covers them with a semisweet sauce of goat cheese and ground pecans and almonds, then sprinkles them with pomegranate seeds. An order is $21.95.

* Babita, 1823 S. San Gabriel Blvd., San Gabriel, (626) 288-7265.

The Authentic Cafe is making Christmas tamales throughout December. They’re filled with yams and poblano chiles and come with a tomatillo salsa. An order is $5.50.

* Authentic Cafe, 7605 Beverly Blvd., L.A., (323) 939-4626.

Pacifico’s has added siete mares soup to its menu for the holidays. It’s red snapper stock swimming with seven kinds of fish and shellfish. It’s $12.95 an order.

* Pacifico’s, 9341 Culver Blvd., Culver City, (310) 559-3474.

Maggiano’s Little Italy has packaged its lemon cookies into a holiday tin for gift giving. The tin holds two dozen cookies and costs $10.

* Maggiano’s Little Italy, South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, (714) 546-9550; Westfield Shoppingtown Promenade, 6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Woodland Hills, (818) 887-3777.

Charitable Contributions: Give the gift of charity this year by purchasing a ticket for a drawing. The prize is lunch or dinner for two at all of these restaurants (you can dine throughout 2002): Border Grill, Broadway Deli, Casa del Mar, Chez Jay, Dhaba Cuisine of India, El Cholo, La Conversation, Lawry’s, Le Merigot Beach Hotel, Locanda del Lago, Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, Monsoon Cafe, Pacific Dining Car, Shutters on the Beach, the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Fairmont Miramar Hotel, the Lobster, the Regent Beverly Wilshire and Ye Olde King’s Head. The proceeds benefit Turning Point Transitional Housing, a 55-bed shelter in Santa Monica that helps the homeless get back into permanent housing. Call Ocean Park Community Center at (310) 264-6646, Ext. 235, by 5:30 p.m. on Monday to purchase tickets. They’re $10 each.

Reserve Ahead: Now’s the time to make reservations for dinner on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Here is a sampling of menus being offered around town.

Lee Hefter is working on Christmas Eve to offer a holiday tasting menu at Spago. Expect it to be three or four courses for $80 plus beverage, tax and tip. Carolers will sing while patrons eat.

* Spago, 176 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, (310) 385-0880.

Christmas Eve dinner at Mako starts with a champagne toast. The anchor of the four-course meal is an Asian-marinated prime rib. The price is $55 plus tax and tip.

* Mako, 225 S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, (310) 288-8338.

Andre Guerrero has his regular menu on Christmas Eve at Linq along with a special four-course meal with choices like Londonderry soup, baked oysters with creamed spinach, roast goose and prime rib with Yorkshire pudding. The tab is $45 plus tax and tip. A jazz trio will perform through the night.

* Linq, 8338 W. 3rd St., L.A., (323) 655-4555.

Reach Angela Pettera at (310) 358-7647 or pettera@prodigy.net.