Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Located on Long Island, Melville is approximately 23 miles west of Queens, New York. About 27 percent of Melville's population are of Italian heritage, reports City-Data.com, making it the largest ethnic group in the area. Consequently, a variety of Italian restaurants are among the town's many dining options.
The menu at Bellagio Pizzeria Restaurant begins with 16 starters, including the bruschetta and the Bellagio antipasto plate. Big enough to share, the appetizer consists of artichoke hearts, fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, Portobello mushrooms and asparagus.
The restaurant is known for its 12-inch pizzettes, a thin-crust pizza available with many different topping combinations. One local favorite is the Salsiccia Pizzette with roasted sausage, tomatoes, mozzarella and hot cherry peppers.
For dessert, try the Italian ice available in a variety of flavors, such as cake batter, chocolate, lemon, cherry and spumoni. Bellagio Pizzeria Restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner. Corporate accounts are available for local businesses that order lunch regularly.
Bellagio Pizzeria Restaurant
211 Airport Plaza
Melville, NY 11747
(631) 777-8282
bellagiopizzany.com
Bertucci's Brick Oven Restaurant is a chain with 90 restaurants nationwide. The Melville location is open daily for lunch and dinner. Appetizers include three-cheese focaccia bread and fried mozzarella with fresh basil. Featured for dinner are steaks, chicken and salmon roasted in a traditional Italian brick oven.
Pasta dishes also appear on the menu, such as lasagna rustica with meat sauce, ricotta and fresh mozzarella. Bertucci's also serves a children's menu with seven kid-sized entrees as well as a gluten-free menu for those with special diets. The bar serves a full range of beers and wines, including the house specialty of sangria.
Bertucci's Brick Oven Restaurant
881 Walt Whitman Road
Melville, NY 11747
(631) 427-9700
bertuccis.com
Established in 1987, Cirella's Restaurant got its start in Melville, N.Y, later opening a location in Bonita Springs, Fla. A dozen hot and cold appetizers lead the menu like the soppresata siberto, which is a spicy, sweet Italian luncheon meat served with olives and romano and provolone cheeses.
Among the house specilaties is the costoletta di vitello contadina, a breaded and fried veal chop covered with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and arugula. Pargmigianas are also a favorite at the restaurant and come in a choice of shrimp, chicken, eggplant or veal. The restaurant features a full bar. Cirella's is open Sundays through Fridays for lunch and nightly for dinner.
Cirella's Restaurant
14 Broadhollow Road
Melville, NY 11747
(631) 385-7380
cirellasrestaurant.com