KING UMBERTO, IN ELMONT
'Real Italian' Food Holds Court

BY PETER M. GIANOTTI
peter.gianotti@newsday.com

June 3, 2007
 

Four stars mean outstanding; three, excellent; two, very good; one, good; none, fair or poor.

King Umberto dominates restaurants along this stretch of Hempstead Turnpike the way Secretariat reigned at the Belmont Stakes.

The popular, dependable eatery opened in 1976, between the triple crowns of Secretariat and Affirmed, and it's still running strong. This year's Belmont is June 9. Eat here and you win.

King Umberto's fuel is mainly red sauce. The house's motto: "Real Italian ... Real Good." That applies to the adjoining pizzeria, too.

The restaurant kitchen does make a few updates with the daily specials, but a lot of diners know what they want before arriving.

When they get here, they're greeted by a wall full of photos of the famous and less-so, some autographed, all smiling. In a hallway at the back of the place, there are more pictures of Christmas parties. King Umberto has hosted plenty of everything.

The main dining room itself seems a time capsule, in neutral hues, with generic art of Italian scenes. Two others are a bit more modern. Each is named for a notable Italian: banker A.P. Giannini, conductor Arturo Toscanini, inventor Guglielmo Marconi.

So, enjoy a big red wine in their honor. Nibble on fried zucchini and eggplant rollatini; try the tripe sauteed with potatoes, peas and tomatoes; finish the minestrone and pasta e fagioli; and spend some quality time with the stuffed artichoke packed with capers, olives and garlic.

A special of "baci balls" combines fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers and prosciutto, covers them with bread crumbs and fries them till crisp. They're served with a tomato sauce loaded with olives and capers. Hearty stuff, very good.

"Risotto cakes" may remind you of updated arancini, or rice balls. Here, they're spiked with Gorgonzola cheese and roasted vegetables. Also worth sampling.

The king is less successful with dishes such as coconut shrimp and crab cakes in lobster sauce. Instead: calamari salad, Caesar salad, arugula salad with Gaeta olives.

Pastas short and long are available in 11 sauces on the regular menu, supplemented by specials. A favorite is orecchiette with cauliflower, shrimp and cherry peppers, in a sauce of white wine, olive oil and garlic, capped with oreganata bread crumbs for some crunch. The house's meaty Bolognese sauce also stands out, with cavatelli or rigatoni. Gnocchi are airy and good.

Main courses are an Italian-American greatest hits list, with Parmigianas, Franceses, marinaras, Marsalas. The full-flavored chicken scarpariello and light sole oreganata have basic appeal. Likewise, stuffed roast pork, with apples, pears, chestnuts and prosciutto; and, for a nouvelle twist, pistachio-crusted, pan-seared salmon with risotto.

For dessert, you can turn heretical and order peanut butter mousse or carrot cake.

But everybody knows the Italian cheesecake and the freshly filled cannoli, like King Umberto, have no competition.

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