DINING BEAT TAKEOUT, SIT-DOWN - EITHER WAY, YOU'RE STUFFED.

Byline: Larry Lipson

Increasingly, Americans are celebrating Thanksgiving with a turkey dinner cooked by professionals.

This means that they either dine out at a local restaurant or pick up the whole kit and caboodle in ready-to-serve fashion, possibly at that very same restaurant.

And yes, there's one other scenario. Spend some big bucks by choosing a caterer who will provide everything, including a full service staff.

GOBBLE GOBBLE TO GO: The to-go opportunities include your nearby Koo Koo Roo, which offers fresh roasted turkeys with mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce as a large feast for 16 to 20 persons at $139 or a smaller feast for eight to 10 person for $79.99. Side dishes of butternut squash, creamed spinach, corn, yams, baby carrots and Caesar salad may be purchased separately.

A more expensive version (feeds six to eight) comes from the Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel, 1401 S. Oak Knoll Ave., Pasadena, for $120. Call your order to [phone], Ext. 40.

There's a festive turkey dinner from BG To Go, 12930 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, for $24.95 per person. Ordering information: [phone].

A dinner for six people is available from Sisley Italian Kitchen (Sherman Oaks/818-905-8444, West L.A./310-446-3030, Valencia/661-287-4444 and Thousand Oaks/805-777-7511). Sisley is also serving turkey plates for $17.95 (children $8.95) in its dining rooms.

Whole turkey feasts are $79.95 from Marie Callender's with ham feasts available from this bakery-restaurant chain for $10 less.

And for vegetarians and vegans, Real Food Daily, 414 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, (also in Santa Monica) presents its annual Thanksgiving meal to go for $24.95 per person. Information: [phone].

For the catered affair, Paragon Catering, [phone], charges $250 to feed 10 to 12 plus a ``nominal'' fee for a wait staff.

FAMILY-STYLE MEAL: The regular turkey dinner specialty of Tallyrand, 1700 W. Olive Ave., Burbank, where some 200 pounds of turkey are roasted daily, is $9.60.

For Thanksgiving, the dinner will be enhanced with yams and include a choice of dessert (pumpkin pie or pumpkin mousse pie) and will cost $11.25.

Tallyrand, a family restaurant, has been cooking turkeys since 1959. It also serves steaks, chicken and seafood, and breakfast is offered all day.

Information: [phone].

TRULY THANKFUL: Charitable endeavors by restaurants often pop up on Thanksgiving.

Notable this year is Senor Fish, 4803 Eagle Rock Blvd., Eagle Rock, where owner Keith Pylant has announced he's serving free turkey dinners to the homeless and giving away turkeys to needy families. Information: [phone].

At the House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 500 homeless and at-risk youths will be fed turkey meals from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and at 1 p.m. will be entertained by three gospel vocal groups.

BACK FOR SECONDS: Numerous hotels and independent restaurants prefer to put on a lavish buffet for Thanksgiving rather than provide regular table service.

The Century Plaza Hotel's Cafe Plaza, 2025 Avenue of the Stars, Century City, promises an elaborate buffet feast from noon to 9 p.m. priced at $32 (children 12 and under $16).

Reservations needed: [phone].

Bistro Italia, 8635 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, provides an Italian-accented buffet meal from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. featuring loads of cold and hot dishes (turkey, roast beef, chicken, lasagna, salmon, mussels, fresh vegetables, salads) for a $19.95 tab (children under 12 $9.95, under 5 free).

Reservations requested: [phone].

Even less expensive is the Thanksgiving buffet at Duke's Malibu, 21150 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, [phone], which features Portuguese sausage, mahi-mahi, hula pie and traditional turkey with the fixin's for $16.95 (children 10 and under $12.95).

Also presenting extravagant buffets are the Beverly Hills Hotel's Polo Lounge, 9641 Sunset Blvd., [phone] ($65); the New Otani Hotel's Azalea restaurant, 120 S. Los Angeles St., downtown L.A., [phone], ($25.25, seniors $21.25, children under 10 $17.25); and the Fairmont Miramar Hotel's Starlight Ballroom, 101 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, [phone], ($48, children 6 to 12 $20, 5 and under free).

TABLE MANNERS: A variety of sit-down, full-service dinners run the gamut from the inexpensive $16.95 three-course meal at Taix, 1911 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, [phone] to the elegant four-course spread for $45 at Bistro Garden, 12950 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, [phone].

FOR ALL PALATES: A double-header of roast turkey with accompaniments at $22.95 (kids $7.95) and prime rib for $22.95 is featured at the Salt Creek Grille, 24415 Town Center Drive, Valencia, [phone].

Tacchinella ripiena con castagne e tartufo nero translates into the turkey stuffed with chestnut and black truffle dressing ($19.95) at Locanda del Lago, 231 Arizona Ave., Santa Monica, [phone].

And if a fish house like McCormick & Schmick's, 206 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, puts on a traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner (complete with berries and nuts, $15.95, children 12 and under $7.95), you may rest assured that there's an oyster stuffing available.

Information and reservations: [phone].

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Turkey basting taking too much of your time? Koo Koo Roo - and many other birds of a feather - will feed your family with a fresh roasted turkey and all the trimmings.