SMALL BITES AU REVOIR, SEASHELL.

Byline: - Larry Lipson

The longtime French seafood house Seashell, 19723 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, currently in its 34th year, is saying goodbye.

Owned by maitre d'-manager Dieter "Michel" Wantig and chef Christian Desmet, who have also operated several other local restaurants during its tenure, Seashell has been sold, and its last day of service will be May 15.

According to Desmet, it will become a Japanese restaurant.

The two founding partners, who for a while played a sort of restaurant shell game by owning restaurants named Nutshell and Eggshell in addition to Seashell, also ran two restaurants in Santa Monica and one in Thousand Oaks, besides others nearby Seashell in Woodland Hills.

Any new restaurants for the twosome on the horizon?

No, says Desmet, who as a confirmed retiree will go back to his native France for a while, possibly to stay, while Wantig continues his sideline business of buying and selling antiques.

The popular Seashell, always known for its good bouillabaisse and other seafood, poultry and beef dishes, has enjoyed an established affinity with the local, mostly senior, early-bird crowd during the past few years.

The seniors, especially those on a fixed income who took advantage of the early dinner specials, will no doubt be unhappy to see it close.

For menu information and reservations during Seashell's final days, call [phone].

JAPANESE DONE BIG: The long-awaited Ed Debevic's replacement at 134 N. La Cienega Blvd. in Beverly Hills has opened.

Gonpachi is a two-story, Japanese restaurant seating 268 and featuring handmade soba noodles in a glass exhibition kitchen where "we grind, knead, roll, cut and cook our soba with pride, in-house," a sumiyaki bar that purveys charcoal-grilled, skewered goodies (much like kushiyaki) and, of course, sushi.

Diners enter Gonpachi through a 100-year-old gate into a Japanese garden.

Information: [phone]. www.globaldiningca.com.

SIPS AND NIBBLES: Set to open its fifth restaurant, at 9229 Winnetka Ave., Chatsworth, next month is Stonefire Grill. The first Stonefire opened in Valencia in 2000. Information: www.stonefiregrill.com. ... Dakota's, originally a barbecue restaurant, in its relocated facility in the Simi Valley Town Center, now calls itself "The Great Steak House," and features at least nine steak choices ($29 to $65), including two porterhouse options and three sizes of prime rib ($25 to $35). Information: [phone] or www.dakotassteakhouse.com.