DINING BEAT : SUNSET ROOM ON HORIZON.

Byline: With Larry Lipson

Never a dull moment on the L.A. restaurant scene.

Chef Claude Segal, previously at West Hollywood show-biz dineries Drai's and Pagani, both now closed, brings his cooking talents to the soon-to-open Sunset Room, 1430 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood.

A restaurant and lounge that will feature entertainment and dancing along with a separate dining room and outside patio, the Sunset Room is targeting a mid-October opening, according to Segal.

The menu, still in the planning stages, will feature Segal's signature mix of California, French, Asian and Italian-accented dishes, he said. Prices have yet to be determined.

Also on the horizon is a Woody's BBQ restaurant, set to debut later this month in a former Denny's site at 16624 Ventura Blvd., Encino. Information: [phone].

And Spazio, presumably an Italian-accented dinery, will replace the shuttered Signature Grill, a second-floor restaurant facility at 14755 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. Information: [phone].

Meanwhile, Simi Valley now has another Panda Express, this one at 2667 Tapo Canyon Road. There are now 320 Panda Express locations across the country, in Puerto Rico and Japan. Information: [phone].

And Islands, a 30-unit chain of full-service restaurants in Southern California, Arizona and Texas, with local outlets in Encino, Woodland Hills, Burbank and Glendale, has announced it will open its first Conejo Valley restaurant in Agoura Hills in the Agoura Pointe shopping center early next year.

Bali nights

The closing of Sudi Mampir in North Hollywood earlier this year left a vacuum for local fanciers of Indonesian food.

But this interesting cuisine can be appreciated soon in, of all places, a furniture store.

Warisan, a retail store specializing in Asian antiques and furniture at 7470 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, will present a monthly ``Bali dinner party'' beginning Oct. 4, which features an elaborate rijstaffel Indonesian feast along with Indonesian musical entertainment.

The party is limited to 16 people and costs $75 per person. Information and reservations: [phone].

Lobster bargain

Lobster lovers have found an ongoing bargain at L.A. Seafood, 18530 Sherman Way, Reseda.

The no-frills, order-at-the-counter cafe serves char-broiled Brazilian lobster tails weighing over a half-pound, served with garlic-butter sauce and a choice of fries, coleslaw, rice or vegetable for $16.99.

Information: [phone].

Napkin notes

Happy anniversary to Morton's, the famed show-biz haunt at 8764 Melrose Ave., its 20th (Sept. 26) and to Paradise in Torrance, its 10th (Sept. 24). . . . At the annual Taste of Encino on Sept. 25 and 26 at the Naval & Marine Corps Center, 6337 Balboa Blvd., Buca di Beppo restaurant, 17500 Ventura Blvd., Encino, will try to recapture top honors for its booth, a mini-duplication of its restaurant interior. It won last year. . . . The Conga Room, a Latin music and dance club partly owned by actors Jimmy Smits and Jennifer Lopez and comedian Paul Rodriguez, will add a downstairs restaurant called La Boca and an upstairs cafe called Conga Cafe. They will debut Oct. 21 at 5364 and 5370 Wilshire Blvd. Information: [phone].