Long Island Restaurants

Casa Rustica

Casa Rustica changed Italian restaurants on Long Island. It was among the first to celebrate regional cooking, and led the way through the '80s into the '90s.

There were a few dips later on. But the establishment now is on its way to reclaiming the four stars it held for so long.

The dining rooms are countrified and attractive, and the service is excellent. But the food is what can easily make you a regular.

The house's whole fish, perhaps porgy or snapper, baked in a salt crust and then drizzled with an olive oil-and-parsley dressing, is simple, refined, perfect. The kitchen prepares a superb Sicilian-style swordfish, with pine nuts and raisins.

Other favorites over the years have included almost all the pastas and risotti; calf's liver finished with balsamic vinegar; hearty chicken scarpariello; polenta with sausages; and the superior cold antipasto.

For dessert, consider the creamy cassata, zabaglione with sweet berries, and any of the fruit tortes. Accompany them with an espresso by which to measure others: a fitting finale in a restaurant you'll recall the same way.

Peter M. Gianotti

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