Long Island Restaurants

Geri's

Andrew Piselli bakes biscuits every night. They're crisp outside, flaky within, and served hot - reason enough to visit Geri's, the Long Beach restaurant he and his partner, Darlene Barone, recently opened.

My first time there, however, I might have missed out on those golden brown disks had my husband not observed people at a neighboring table contentedly buttering some.

"Oh, did you want biscuits?" our rather absentminded waiter asked. Er, yes. But at least on my second visit to Geri's, the bread basket arrived right away. This time, the biscuits were flecked with herbs. Piselli likes to change things regularly. In fact, his entire New American-Mediterranean menu varies from one night to the next, driven by whatever he finds in the market.

Piselli was a stickler for seasonality years earlier, too, at his previous Long Beach restaurant, Josie's, a more romantic place. Geri's, however, is a casual spot, its walls hung with art depicting the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe and Ludwig van Beethoven.

An ideal starter, one chilly evening, was braised short ribs of beef, softly stewed in a rich home-style gravy, plated with roast parsnips and carrots. Another appetizer, pan-seared sea scallops, paired well with a Gorgonzola-accented sweet-potato puree. While the interiors of the pretzel-crusted crab cakes seemed too smooth - almost puréed - I had no reservations about the crunchy carrot-cumin slaw sharing the plate. I liked the lively juxtaposition between a mound of creamy house-made mozzarella and a sprightly pesto mingled with tomatoes and just a touch of balsamic vinegar.

Piselli's al dente house-made cavatelli in a creamy Bolognese sauce was a lush dish topped with a liberal amount of grated Parmesan. There was much cheese as well, both atop and mixed into, Geri's "Almost Famous" meatballs over linguine. The recipe for the light, savory spheres belonged to Piselli's late sister-in-law, for whom the restaurant was named.

The traditions of Italy and the American South came together in Piselli's pulled-pork "osso buco" served over polenta along with braised vegetables (carrots, peppers and onions) and black olives, which imparted a salty kick. Another winning pork dish, honey-mustard-marinated medallions, featured lightly breaded pan-fried cutlets with a caramelized onion sauce and Gorgonzola-laced mashed potatoes. But I missed the point of slicing up for presentation a very good, properly rare shell steak. Had the steak been served whole, it would have retained its heat and juices longer.

A thick salmon filet arrived slightly rare at the center, the way I like it, pan-seared with a Mediterranean-style mélange of fennel, tomatoes and black olives. It was a hit. So, too, was the snowy-on-the-inside pan-roasted codfish with stewed cauliflower, mushrooms and white-truffle oil. The bread-crumb topping on my pesto-crusted St. Peter's fish had been virtually singed, the fish itself a bit overdone. I focused, instead, on the lovely corn, fennel, and zucchini chutney underneath. A surprise success was a classic that's often a cliche - crabmeat-stuffed shrimp served with spinach and a bright lemon-caper sauce.

Crepes slathered with bittersweet chocolate and topped with caramelized bananas and vanilla ice cream made for a fine conclusion, but warm ricotta zeppoli (strips of fried ricotta dough) were a bit too oily for me. And while a chocolate terrine with freshly whipped cream wasn't as intensely bittersweet as I'd hoped, I liked the combination of fresh strawberries and blueberries topped with mascarpone cream, caramelized in the oven.

But I wouldn't expect to find the same desserts night after night. The impromptu element is just one factor that should keep this restaurant interesting for some time to come.

Reviewed by Joan Reminick, 4/1/08.

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