Newsday.com: Dining Detour: In and around Eisenhower Park

Dining Detour: In and around Eisenhower Park

BY ERICA MARCUS
erica.marcus@newsday.com

June 27, 2007

If you're looking for a place to take the kids before the festitivies get started, the streets around Eisenhower Park offer a number of family-friendly options. Café Baci, 1636 Old Country Rd., Westbury, 516-832-8888, features a menu full of old-fashioned red-sauce favorites, as does the venerable Borrelli's (established in 1955) at 1580 Hempstead Tpk., East Meadow, 516-794-0190.

Although it's a link in a national chain, Bertucci's, 795 Merrick Ave., 516-683-8800, does a better job than many neighborhood Italians, and it makes a particularly fine pizza Margherita. Other pizza-centric possibilities are Alfredo's Pizzeria, 163 Post Ave., Westbury, 516-333-7877, and Mario's Pizzeria, 596 Old Country Rd., Westbury, 516-997-3000.

Laguna Grille, 1610 Old Country Rd., Westbury, 516-745-1421, is an upbeat Latin-Caribbean-fusion restaurant with a menu full of tropic-inspired appetizers, salads, wraps, sandwiches and entrees (plus a few burgers). Right next door is Azerbaijan, 1610 Old Country Rd., Westbury, 516-228-0001, named after and serving the exotic cuisine of the republic bordered by Russia, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia and Iran.

Another exotic option is Mediterranean Kebab House, 190 Post Ave., Westbury, 516-333-8715, one of Long Island's leading Turkish restaurants and a great place for kebabs.

For sushi- (or tempura-) loving kids, there are two good Japanese restaurants in the area. Shogi, 584 Old Country Rd., Westbury, 516-338-8768, is presided over by mom Yuki Amano and pop Toshi Kazu Amano and the menu sticks to pretty standard fare. The cuisine is a bit more refined and challenging at Yuki's Palette, 611 Old Country Rd., Westbury, 516-334-5009, one of the few spots on Long Island for Osaka-style sushi.

The exceedingly kid-friendly Zorn's, 1939 Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadow, 516-357-7300, specializes in chicken which can be had rotisserie-roasted or Southern fried, and in quantities from a leg-thigh combination to a 24-piece family dinner. There are also sesame chicken tenders, grilled chicken cutlets and barbecue or hot wings, turkey dinners and barbecued spare ribs.

And if everyone wants to eat something different, head to the Colony Diner, 2019 Hempstead Tpke., East Meadow, 516-794-5159, where breakfast, lunch and dinner are always available.