Newsday – Dining Out

Peter M. Gianotti

Rialto
588 Westbury Avenue
Carle Place, NY
(516) 997-5283

Rialto stays a bridge between excellent food and good times.

The cozy restaurant has many charms, very attentive service, and consistent quality. It's a vibrant advocate of regional Italian cooking, with Adriatic accents.

There are seasonal changes to the menu, but a year-round favorite is the antipasti table, with grilled and marinated vegetables, cheeses and sausage. The house's bresaola is terrific. Pansotti pasta, filled with ricotta and spinach, is delectable; risotto with mushrooms, its equal. Stewed artichokes Roman-style, veal with morels, and duck confit are first-rate.

The whole roasted snapper for two, drizzled with olive oil, garlic and herbs, is a stellar main course. Osso buco is meltingly tender. And the veal chop with peppercorns excels. Rialto's prepares soulful dishes with polenta, too.

The kitchen's singular tiramisu puts to rest any competitors: lush, delicate, barely sweet. There are lively sorbets and poached pears. You'll look forward to returning.

Peter M. Gianotti

Rialto, 588 Westbury Ave., Carle Place, 516-997-5283.
(Expensive) Cozy and comfortable, Rialto is a low-key establishment with high standards.
Excellent seasonal specials. Cold antipasti, spaghetti carbonara, pansotti in vodka sauce, gnocchi in pesto, fuzi pasta Istriana with veal sauce, lamb shank with lentils, mushroom risotto, venison with chestnut sauce, roast duck with green apples, red snapper Livornese are tops, as is the tiramisu.

“Hidden inconspicuously” in a Carle Place “neighborhood setting”, this “traditional”, “cozy”

Northern Italian is called “one of the best” by gratified guests who admire its “memorable” cuisine, “old-school”, “solicitous staff” and owners who are models of “graciousness and hospitality”; yes,

it’s “expensive”, but “the price isn’t painful” in light of the “wonderful, intimate” meal.