DINING BEAT FOOD FIT FOR THE OSCARS.

Byline: With Larry Lipson

Ever wonder what the Oscar winners - and losers - nibble on after the awards ceremony? Wolfgang Puck offered a taste of what will be served at the post-Academy Awards Governors Ball. And some of the goodies are even shaped liked Oscar.

There will be matzos topped with Oscar-shaped smoked salmon. And for the sweet taste of Oscar success, there's a tiny golden chocolate statuette. It is fashioned by Spago pastry chef Sherry Yard.

The Governors Ball is a caviar and truffle affair beginning with roasted new potatoes topped with sour cream and a dab of Beluga. There are numerous additional tray-passed appetizers and then sit-down hors d'oeuvre items such as artichokes with a white truffle vinaigrette, tuna tataki and marinated lobster salad.

Black earthy truffles will be served with a roasted chicken course that has a wild mushroom and sweet pea risotto accompaniment.

Puck calls the event his ``biggest challenge of the year.'' It is the sixth consecutive year the celebrity chef has created a special menu for it. But it will be the first time his new company, Wolfgang Puck Special Events, will handle the dinner.

Super Italian steaks, fare

Celestino Drago's new restaurant Celestino Italian Steakhouse, which he previously called L'Arancino, is now open at 8908 Beverly Blvd. in West Hollywood.

Drago evidently turned to USDA-certified Piedmontese beef because he couldn't lure enough customers into L'Arancino for unfamiliar, upscale Sicilian fare, despite its recognized excellence.

The steaks, Drago assures, are lean but still full-flavored. They run from 10 to 20 ounces each at $26 to $28, plus a 32-ounce porterhouse for two at $52.

There are several pastas, a veal chop, rack of lamb, roasted chicken and grilled swordfish in addition to the steaks.

Information and reservations: [phone].

Boulevard's new ventures

Look for a couple of shuttered restaurants to reopen soon on Ventura Boulevard.

The closed Moonlight, 13730 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, will be unveiled in approximately two months as Arlequin. It's a supper club under the same ownership as Moonlight, according to its general manager, Barry Jones.

And Cafe 8 1/2, briefly ensconced at 18588 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana, and currently dark, will be replaced around mid-April by a second location of Paul's Cafe. The successful Sherman Oaks California-French eatery is owned by Paul Lloyd. The partner in Lloyd's new venture is Eddie Bowz, whose wife is actress Stacy Edwards, formerly a television series regular on ``Chicago Hope,'' who will cook some of the new restaurant's desserts.

Napkin notes

Those grand breakfasts of the late 19th-century French market in New Orleans will be reproduced at Big Mama's Kitchen, 22526 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, [phone]. They will be served on Sunday as a Creole Mardi Gras jazz brunch featuring eggs Hussarde, eggs Sardou, pain perdu, grillades and grits, and both crawfish and okra omelets ... .