A LA CARTE : CHRISTMAS DAY DINING.

Byline: Larry Lipson

If you worked in or owned a restaurant, you'd probably want to spend Christmas Day with your family like everybody else.

It isn't surprising, then, that most restaurants close on Christmas Day.

For those who want to out for a more upscale Christmas dinner than a 24-hour coffee shop provides, that leaves hotels.

Here are a few worth consideration:

Cafe Sierra

Address: Universal City Hilton & Towers, 555 Universal Terrace Parkway, Universal City.

Phone: [phone].

When: Noon to 9 p.m.

Menu information: Buffet. Honey-smoked ham, duck a l'orange, roast leg of lamb, poached salmon florentine, seafood newburg, shrimp, crab claws, soups, pasta, dim sum, mandarin barbecued chicken, cheeses, assorted pastries, yogurt.

Price: $28.50. Children under 12 $14.

Californias

Address: Sheraton-Universal Hotel, 333 Universal Terrace Parkway, Universal City.

Phone: [phone].

When: 4 to 10:30 p.m.

Menu information: Soup or salad; choice of roast leg of lamb, prime rib, roast half duck, medallions of stuffed chicken and salmon en croute; choice of mincemeat pie, Christmas trifle and bread pudding; coffee. (Entertainment by Doug McDonald and his jazz guitar.)

Price: $28. Children are $14.

Coast Cafe/Riva/Lobby

Address: Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, 1700 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica.

Phone: [phone].

When: Noon to 9:30 p.m.

Menu information: Variety of buffet delectables.

Price: $39.50.

Grand Ballroom

Address: Disneyland Hotel, 1150 W. Cerritos Ave., Anaheim.

Phone: [phone].

When: Noon to 7 p.m.

Menu information: Buffet. Roasted turkey, glazed ham, carved round of beef, salads, seasonal fruits, snowflake potatoes, pastries, desserts. Separate children's buffet includes macaroni and cheese, chicken fingers, hot dogs and hamburgers. Snow White-themed decor with Snow White, Seven Dwarfs, Merlin the Chrismoose, gingerbread characters on hand who will pose for photos.

Price: $39.75. Children 3 to 11 are $13.50, under 3 free.

The Grill/The Terrace

Address: Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel, 1401 S. Oak Knoll Ave., Pasadena.

Phone: [phone].

When: The Grill, 5 to 10 p.m.; The Terrace, 6 to 10 p.m.

Menu information: The Grill: traditional turkey dinner and a la carte menu with piano entertainment. The Terrace: traditional turkey or ham dinner plus a la carte menu with harp entertainment.

Price: $42 per person both rooms. A la carte menu varies.

Pangaea 

Address: Hotel Nikko at Beverly Hills, 465 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles.

Phone: [phone].

When: 6 to 9 p.m.

Menu information: Four-course dinner of double beef consomme with late harvest vegetables, mixed baby field greens with duck prosciutto or butternut squash fettuccine with scallops, roasted poussin over truffled potato risotto or pepper-crusted veal loin with eggplant tomato confit and wilted spinach or roulade of salmon with melted leeks and oyster sauce. Also a Viennese pastry table.

Price: $48 per person.

Polo Grill/Polo Lounge

Address: Beverly Hills Hotel, 9641 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills.

Phone: [phone].

When: Grill, 4 to 11 p.m.; Lounge, 6 to 11 p.m.

Menu information: Grill is a four-course, prix-fixe meal. Lounge offers four-course prix-fixe meal or a la carte menu.

Price: Grill: $55 (children under 12 $26). Lounge: $41 (a la carte varies).

The Restaurant

Address: Hotel Bel-Air, 701 Stone Canyon Road, Bel-Air.

Phone: [phone].

When: 11:45 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Menu information: Four-course dinner with appetizers, soups, several entrees including roasted goose or turkey, a variety of desserts plus coffee and mincemeat pie.

Price: $65 per person. Children under 12 $35.