Don't Labor in the Kitchen on Thanksgiving! Go Out to Dinner in Los Angeles!

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, you may be thinking about what to do for the holiday this year. If you are lucky enough to be invited to someone's home for dinner, good for you! Go and enjoy! Eat well! Drive safely! But if you are far from those who would invite you, and travel isn't possible this year, don't despair. Treat the holiday the proper way, and make the most of it. That doesn't have to mean buying tons of raw materials and preparing them yourself for days, though. In

Los Angeles, there are so many alternatives to the traditional cooking marathon that it will really give you something to be thankful about.

Going Out On Thanksgiving? How Could You? How Could You Not!

Recognizing that many people in Los Angeles do not have the desire, or in some cases, the ability to prepare or attend a traditional Thanksgiving meal, an increasing number of restaurants have begun opening on Thanksgiving and serving a special menu. These menus range from the traditional, with turkey and stuffing and cranberry sauce, to far-out meals with every course a new and interesting experience.

For the biggest bargain in Thanksgiving dining, try The Original Pantry. Located at 877 S. Figueroa St., this

Los Angeles classic hasn't closed since the 1920s, so you can bet they'll be open on Thanksgiving. They'll be offering a full Thanksgiving dinner, complete with all the traditional trimmings for $20 per person. Considering how much food you get for your money at The Original Pantry, you may have trouble getting out of your seat when you are finished, because you'll be so full.

At the other end of town, and the other end of the spectrum, is Melisse, located at 1104 Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica. This meal features things that your mom never thought about putting on the table at your Thanksgiving dinner, like Maine lobster ravioli, herb roasted free range turkey with chanterelle mushrooms, apple and brioche stuffing and pomegranate gravy; crispy eastern bass with roasted fall squash, and confit tomatoes in a Champagne-truffle reduction. This dinner is help from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and costs $68 for adults and $26 for children.

In a similar twist on the traditional, you can dine in pastoral comfort at the Saddle Peak Lodge, at 419 Cold Canyon Road
in Calabasas. For $65 per person, you'll get a four course meal with dishes like sauteed diver sea scallops, foie gras-stuffed quail, and, of course, free-range turkey.

Foie gras stuffed quail not your thing? Why not make your way to West Hollywood and visit La Boheme, 8400 Santa Monica Blvd. , where, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving you can get a three-course meal that includes seasonal oysters with Champagne mignonette, free-range turkey with stuffing, and pumpkin pie for $38 for adults and $20 for children.

Still not satisfied? Try Campanile at 624 S La Brea Ave. They are offering a four-course deal, with rosemary-charred turkey breast as the main course. Adults cost $60; children are half-price, at $30.

Another option? Try Jar, 8225 Beverly Blvd. A traditional holiday menu will be offered for $70 for adults, and $35 for children.

Okay, let me give you one more option. This one will knock your socks off. This is class fancy Los Angeles. Try Smeraldi's Restaurant in the Millenium Biltmore, 506 South Grand Ave. For $48 per person, you can get a four-course Thanksgiving menu from 11 .m. to 8 p.m. Or, should you want to dine somewhere else for dinner, but tea time is free? There will be a Thanksgiving afternoon tea in the hotel's Rendezvous Court including Champagnefrom 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. for $30 for adults and $22 for children.

All right, are you overwhelmed? Don't want to even eat in public? Frightened by the prices? There is a bargain alternative open to you, and it is as near as your local supermarket. Almost every supermarket chain offers some kind of Thanksgiving meal package to go for as many or as few people as you want. You can get a pretty standard type at Albertson's or Ralph's, or you can take a step upscale at Whole Foods or Gelson's. And, of course, you could really leap into the grand with a visit to Bristol Farms.

Can't even make it out the door? Oh yes, there is even an option that will fit your needs. It's what I do. I order a smoked turkey from Greenberg Turkey Farms of Tyler, Texas. It arrives at your door, you heat it up or eat it cold, and it's amazingly good. Check them out at www.gobblegobble.com.