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LONG ISLAND RESTAURANTS
DINING DETOUR / If You’re Going to Belmont Park

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

June 6, 2007

The best bet at the Belmont Stakes is having an Italian dinner after the race.

You can dive into a range of pizzerias along Hempstead and Jericho turnpikes. But there's a lot more, too. Respectable Italian restaurants cover the areas nearby like a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

In Elmont and nearby Bellerose, Floral Park and New Hyde Park, almost all the top restaurants culinarily fly the tricolor of green, white and red - and serve it in the arugula, endive and radicchio salad.

East of the track is King Umberto, which has reigned in the neighborhood for a few years longer than the last Triple Crown winner. It's a traditional, very satisfying spot that sometimes mixes a few nouvelle dishes among the familiar fare. The specials can range from strawberry salad to king crab legs oreganata, stuffed artichoke and beef braciola. And note that one of the best pizzerias near Belmont is the King's own, next door. 1343 Hempstead Tpke., Elmont; 516-352-3232.

Arturo's is a longtime favorite for Italian and Continental dishes. Go to the winner's circle with the torta primavera, a layered pie of vegetables, cheese and cured meats. Also, consider spaghetti carbonara, lobster fra diavolo, osso buco and the restaurant's essential dessert: zabaglione. Arturo's, 246-04 Jericho Tpke., Bellerose; 516-352-7418.

In Floral Park, the modest Fiore sends out assorted bruschetti, plus baked clams, pasta e fagioli and assorted Parmigianas, as well as shrimp risotto and chicken scarpariello. Fiore, 142 Tulip Ave., Floral Park; 516-775-8226.

Refined and dependable: Villa d'Este, a veteran for Italian-Continental fare. Sample the ample seafood salad; tagliatelle with artichokes, prosciutto and mushrooms; Dover sole finished with vermouth, lemon and shallots; and gnocchi Bolognese, or with pesto. Villa d'Este, 186 Jericho Tpke., Floral Park; 516-354-1355.

Pencenzo excels with robust Italian dishes. Consider beef braciola, escarole and beans with Italian sausage, tender pork loin with potatoes and vinegar peppers, steak alla pizzaiola, lamb chops with lemon and garlic, and gnocchi all'Amatriciana. Pencenzo, 1902 Jericho Tpke., New Hyde Park; 516-355-5656.

If the race leaves you feeling a bit raw more than red, there's an alternative: sushi. Isono excels with tuna tartare, special sushi rolls and the more traditional sushi, or uncooked fish on ovals of vinegared rice. Isono, 214 Jericho Tpke., Floral Park; 516-437-4552.