SMALL BITES RESTAURANTS SERVE UP DISASTER RELIEF.

Local restaurants, including Leila's, Lunaria and Barney's Beanery are joining the effort to aid Indian Ocean tsunami victims.

Leila's, 752 Lindero Canyon Road, Oak Park, has scheduled a special benefit dinner on Jan. 24.

The four-course meal for gourmets includes food donated by Four Seasons Fine Foods, ice cream donated by Dandy Don's and wines (appropriate for each course) donated by Dan Phillips' Grateful Palate. The dinner will cost attendees $125 each with the entire amount going to the American Red Cross.

The total seating (60) of the restaurant will be allocated to this dining event. The staff is donating its time.

Detailed information and reservations, payable in advance: [phone].

Lunaria, 10351 Santa Monica Blvd., Century City, is co-sponsoring a wine tasting on Jan. 19 with proceeds going to Knightsbridge International, a relief organization providing medical assistance to the tsunami disaster.

Cost is $24.95. Information: [phone] or www.besteatz.com/winetasting/index.html.

And Barney's Beanery in West Hollywood at 8447 Santa Monica Blvd. and in Santa Monica at 1351 Third St. will donate 25 percent of Monday's dinner and bar receipts to the American Red Cross.

Both the restaurants' staffs and diners have been constantly watching the disaster updates on the many television screens (the Santa Monica location has 100) throughout both facilities.

``We felt it important to do our share,'' said Barney's co-owner David Houston.

Information: West Hollywood, [phone]; Santa Monica, [phone].

ITALIAN TALENTS: Former Gaetano's, Calabasas, chef Ottavio Palmeri, brother of founder Gaetano Palmeri, who sold his local restaurant and relocated to Henderson, Nev., has unveiled his own restaurant, Palmeri, at 11650 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood.

Chef Ottavio has developed a neat and comfortable dining place in an ex-Koo Koo Roo space. His full service Italian restaurant bravely goes head to head with the always crowded Toscana across the street and nearby Vincenti.

A recent late dinner visit with Westside and out-of-town friends confirmed Ottavio Palmeri's talents with tastes of his superbly crafted duckling crepes ($10), swordfish rolls ($11), sea scallops gratinate ($12), roasted beet salad ($9), trio of soups ($8), roasted Colorado lamb chops ($28), rotisserie duck ($23) and braised veal cheeks ($25).

There were also two delightful pastas sampled that evening, Palmeri's stamp-shaped eggplant and house-produced ricotta-filled francobolli ($14) and spaghetti Latini tossed with bottarga (cured tuna roe, $15).

For dessert fanciers, the house cannoli ($6) is the best I've experienced in this city to date, only equaled by versions eaten in Italy and San Francisco.

Palmeri is definitely not your everyday Italian restaurant, believe me.

Information and reservations: [phone].

NIBBLES & SIPS: Chef-owner Adriano Paganini has opened a second Valley location of his Pomodoro Cucina Italiana chain at 14622 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, in La Reina Plaza. The other Pomodoro is in Woodland Hills. Open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, its entrees average $8 at lunch, $10 at dinner. Information: [phone]. ... EM Bistro, 8256 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, now a jazz club too, also has Thursday night wine dinners (three courses, three wines) plus cheese plate, cookies, coffee or tea for $50 per person. Information and reservations: [phone]. ... Order a dinner entree ($26 to $38) at Cezanne at Le Merigot Beach Hotel, 1740 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, on a Friday or Saturday night this month and you get unlimited Brancott, New Zealand, wine with it. And on Thursdays here, there's a bistro dinner bargain of a New York steak frites entree with a house salad for $25. Reservations and information: [phone].