A LA CARTE CHINESE NEW YEAR.

Byline: Larry Lipson

The upcoming Chinese Year of the Dragon will be celebrated in various restaurants in various ways.

Even though the official evening of honor is Saturday, many restaurants already have special menus in place. Look for the Chinese New Year celebration to last a week or more in many restaurants.

So sharpen up your chopsticking skills and join the party.

Here are a few local Chinese or Vietnamese restaurants where the Year of the Dragon will be celebrated with something out of the ordinary:

A&B SEAFOOD

Address: 18434 Devonshire St., Northridge.

Phone: [phone].

Special dishes: Only available for parties of eight or larger. Festive banquet-style seafood dinners are eight to 10 courses. The lowest-priced dinner offers assorted seafood soup, salt and pepper shrimp, the house special lobster, baked pork chop, crispy fried chicken, beef with Chinese broccoli, steamed fish and black mushrooms and other vegetables.

Price(s): From $138 to $258 total for eight persons.

When: Tuesday through Feb. 10.

Miscellaneous: Lion dancers will be performing. Check with restaurant for performance times.

CHINA CHEF WANG

Address: 5049 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood.

Phone: [phone].

Special dishes: By 48-hour advance order only. Whole fish, whole chicken, sticky rice cake, pork with skin on, red-dyed eggs, special carrots, table-cooked items.

Price(s): $15 to $20 per person for banquet-style dinners. Individual dishes vary.

When: Saturday through Feb. 19.

Miscellaneous: Special decorations and traditional signs. Staff will wear new outfits. Lanterns will be lit on final night (Feb. 19).

CHINA STAR

Address: 9250 Reseda Blvd., Northridge.

Phone: [phone].

Special dishes: Banquet dinners for 10 or more. Ten courses include Chinese cold cuts, seafood soup, lobster with ginger and onion, General Tso's chicken, crispy duck, pork with bamboo shoots, Chinese greens and black mushrooms, whole fish in sweet and sour sauce, Yang chow fried rice, choice of dessert. Also special whole Maine lobster (1 1/4 pounds) platter.

Price(s): $88 for 10 people. Lobster is $7.99.

When: Now through the end of February.

Miscellaneous: Special decorations. Karaoke bar Friday and Saturday nights.

JOSS

Address: 9255 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills.

Phone: [phone].

Special dishes: Most themed on the lucky number eight. Numerous appetizers include the eight-color suckling pig rendition, eight assorted dim sum platter and the eight steamed jade bundle Buddha's feast with eight variations of vegetable. There's the eight winter fruit pheasant soup and entrees like the eight-grain pilaf-stuffed Lohan duck and the eight-spice tilapia in Westlake ginger-vinaigrette. A dessert choice could be the eight precious rice pudding with honey wine sauce.

Price(s): Appetizers: $8 to $12; entrees $16 to $20.

When: Thursday through Saturday.

Miscellaneous: This is a special a la carte menu. Several regular menu favorites will be available as well.

KUNG PAO BISTRO

Address: 15025 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks.

Phone: [phone].

Special dishes: Prix-fixe dinner for two or more includes a glass of champagne, paper-wrapped chicken, barbecued beef stick, vegetables eggroll, crabmeat and asparagus soup, choice of entree (dragon and phoenix lobster, lemon scallops, sauteed crystal shrimp, grilled salmon, black pepper Chinese filet mignon, aromatic crispy duck) with a side dish of baby bok choy and black mushrooms plus steamed white or brown rice.

Price(s): $19.95 per person.

When: Now through Feb. 13.

LE COLONIAL

Address: 8783 Beverly Blvd., West Hollywood.

Phone: [phone].

Special dishes: Tet celebration prix-fixe dinner includes a choice of white asparagus and crabmeat or stuffed mushroom soup, a choice of five entrees served with rice cake and steamed rice, and coconut flan plus lychee and ginger ice for dessert.

Price(s): $65 per person ($8 extra for lobster entree).

When: Saturday through Feb. 12.

PANDA EXPRESS

Address: 3728 Cahuenga Blvd. West, Studio City. (Also in 306 additional locations natiowide.)

Phone: [phone].

Special dishes: Beef and string beans in black bean sauce, firecracker beef, fried bean curd country style.

Price(s): As party trays, by the pound and as regular or large servings according to type of outlet. Both beef dishes run from $4.79 to $7.99, bean curd from $3.49 to $5.49.

When: Now through Feb. 19.

Miscellaneous: Festive paper dragon and red and gold scroll decorations. Red envelope to customers that includes a coupon for a free entree item with purchase. Gift of tangerine Saturday only.

YUJEAN KANG'S

Address: 8826 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood

and 67 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena.

Phone: West Hollywood: [phone]; Pasadena: [phone].

Special dishes: Appetizers: garlic chive, steamed vegetable and steamed pork dumplings. Entrees (choose one): green jade prawns, crispy whole fish with spicy Szechwan sauce, chicken sauteed with black mushrooms and yellow chives, lion of lamb with glazed walnuts in spicy sauce, crispy aromatic duckling with steamed buns, gold coin tofu. vegetable (West Hollywood only): traditional New Year vegetable dish designated ``fulfill your wishes.'' Soup noodles (West Hollywood only): Chinese long life noodles. Dessert: warm red bean pancake with fruit and ice cream.

Price(s): West Hollywood (five courses): $38 per person; Pasadena (three courses): $28 per person.

When: West Hollywood: Friday though Feb. 6; Pasadena: Saturday only.

Miscellaneous: Chef Kang recommends the sharing of different main-course dishes.