Winning Gingerbread House Would Be Icing on the Cake

House for Sale: Pastry chef Merilee Atkinson has created a gingerbread house for charity. The edible edifice, on display at Cayo restaurant in Pasadena, will be given away at lunch Friday in a drawing. Tickets ($10) can be purchased during restaurant hours until the drawing. Proceeds will benefit AbilityFirst in Pasadena.

* Cayo, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena; (626) 396-1800.

Goodies of the Season: Figaro Boulangerie, next to Figaro Brasserie in Los Feliz, has pain de Noel, a French bread speckled with candied fruit ($3.75). A 32-ounce panettone is $16.50. Bu^che de Noel cake ($16) is made with chocolate or Grand Marnier mousse. There are also baba au rhum ($3.75) and dried apricot bread ($3.75).

* Figaro Boulangerie, 1804 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz; (323) 662-5864.

A Portable Christmas: If takeout is your idea of happiness on Christmas Day, these two places offer holiday eats to go:

Zov’s Bistro in Tustin has complete dinners for 12, with such choices as Diestel turkey, beef tenderloin and prime rib. The price tag is $350. Dinners must be ordered by today and picked up between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday.

* Zov’s Bistro, 17440 E. 17th St., Tustin; (714) 838-8855.

Dining With Andre in South Pasadena has a three-course Christmas menu: salad, stuffed pork roast or turkey roulade and individual bu^ches de Noel; $22 per person. Orders must be placed by Friday and picked up between 1 and 3 p.m. Christmas Eve. It’s open 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. until Christmas Eve.

* Dining With Andre, 1000 Fremont Ave., South Pasadena; (626) 799-5052.

Season’s Eatings: Here are other holiday dining options:

Rockenwagner has a three-course Christmas Eve menu with choices including air-dried duck, Scottish salmon and Mediterranean turbot. The price for the night is $47.50. New Year’s Eve will have two seatings: at 5:30, with a five-course meal centered on a pancetta-wrapped pheasant breast ($85), and at 7:30, with seven courses ($125).

* Rockenwagner, Edgemar Complex, 2435 Main St., Santa Monica; (310) 399-6504.

Rock restaurant in Marina del Rey is serving a four-course meal Christmas Eve with plenty of choices, including pumpkin seed-crusted salmon and honey-roasted ham. The tab is $29.95 plus tax and tip. New Year’s Eve brings another four-courser featuring consomme with polenta dumplings and a grilled portabello mushroom. It costs $45 plus tax and tip.

* Rock, Villa Marina Marketplace, 13455 Maxella Ave., Marina del Rey; (310) 822-8979.

Jozu greets the New Year with a four-course omakase (chef’s choice) dinner with your choice of entree. Wine, sake and champagne are paired with the meal. There are two seatings and the price for either is $90.

* Jozu, 8360 Melrose Ave., W. Hollywood; (323) 655-5600.

Lavande’s new chef de cuisine, Jeffrey Nimer, gets to make dinner for his guests on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. For Christmas Eve, he’ll offer a tasting menu ($55) in addition to the regular menu. On Christmas Day, a four-course menu ($55) will be served from noon to 8 p.m. On New Year’s Eve, Nimer will serve a four-course menu at both seatings, but the menu at the second seating will be slightly fancier and will include a champagne toast. The first seating costs $70. The second seating costs $135.

* Lavande, Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, 1700 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica; (310) 576-3180.

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Angela Pettera can be reached at (213) 237-3153 or at [email protected].