Enter, A Chef Extraordinaire!

The owners of Stresa in Manhasset and Stresa East in Woodbury, Giorgio Meriggi, Pasquale Cervera and Tony D'Arcangelo, are consummate restaurateurs.

One of them is always in the dining room: graciously seating diners, reciting the enticing specials and seeing that every aspect of service is smooth. One of them makes the desserts for the two top-notch Italian restaurants, and oh, what desserts they are. The flourless chocolate cake is the best on Long Island. Those who love lemon never pass up the lemon cake, a tangy tartlike delight.

Another of the owners arranges the flowers. These are not ordinary bouquets but floral extravaganzas, reminiscent of those in the lobby of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The owners' greatest talent, however, may be their ability to pick outstanding chefs. This fall there was a shakeup in the restaurants' kitchens. Roberto Calabrese, who had been the opening chef at Stresa East, has left, and a new chef has been tapped to take his place. He is Leo Tarcuri, whose impressive résumé includes posts as head chef at Papa Bacus in Rome, Harry's Cipriani in Venice and Cipriani in Manhattan.

His experience shows. Recent meals at Stresa East were nearly flawless. A few Stresa standards have been retained (the Charlotte salad, bistecca alla King, the roast baby chicken and the famous four bean soup), but the vast majority of dishes are Mr. Tarcuri's specialties.

Especially impressive were the pastas and risottos. The rice dish with baby artichokes on the menu was greeted with cries of "best ever" from a risotto aficionado at our table. The texture was creamy, not soupy, and it was full of flavor. The same was true of a risotto of the day laced with chanterelles.

The pasta I would return for is strozzapreti all'amatriciana, an eggless homemade treat similar to long, fat penne in a tomato sauce rife with bacon and onions. Bucatini in a traditional carbonara sauce was creamy perfection.

A special of house-made linguine in a lush lobster-tomato sauce chock full of shrimp and lobster also was a five-star dish. Even the simple spaghetti with hot pepper flakes, garlic and oil was just what it should be. At $16.50 it is the least expensive entree on the menu.

A word about prices: Stresa East is not inexpensive, but it is a bargain. All of the pastas are under $20 and the risottos are $20.50. A few chicken dishes are under $20. The rest of the entrees are in the 20's and low 30's (none over $32.50) with more in the 20's than the 30's.

Stresa East is one of those generous Italian spots where a complimentary opener is brought to everyone (a circle of breaded, fried and sauced eggplant one night, polenta stuffed with Gorgonzola another). A free plate of homemade biscotti ends the meal. Diners on a budget could get by if they just order an entree.

Still, they would miss some superb appetizers and those marvelous desserts, including a first-rate raspberry tart with cookie crust and an airy melt-in-the-mouth chocolate soufflé.

Starters that excelled were baby shrimp surrounded by a cucumber and frisée salad; the wonderful Charlotte salad, a chopped beauty that included asparagus, mushrooms, tomatoes, roasted peppers and mixed greens; and a delightful pairing of steamed asparagus and sautéed chanterelles. A special of assorted mushrooms touched with truffle oil was also irresistible.

If Dover sole is offered as a special, go for it. No one does it better than Stresa and Stresa East. We also gave thumbs up to the sautéed chunks of monkfish surrounding a zucchini cake and ribbons of carrot.

Meat lovers were wild about the sautéed filet mignon crowned with a luscious and generous slab of foie gras in a port wine sauce. Other hits were a succulent veal chop with wild mushrooms and very tender, thinly sliced scaloppine in a tangy lemon sauce. It was a classic done well.

The same could be said of Stresa East itself.

Stresa East

7940 Jericho Turnpike,

Woodbury

(516) 364-1565

Excellent

ATMOSPHERE Northern Italian beauty.

SERVICE Impeccable.

SOUND LEVEL Comfortable.

RECOMMENDED DISHES Charlotte salad, baby shrimp with cucumber and frisée salad, sautéed mushrooms with truffle oil, duo of asparagus and chanterelles, bucatini carbonara, risotto with baby artichokes, risotto with chanterelles, strozzapreti all'amatriciana, spaghetti with red pepper flakes, garlic and oil, linguine in lobster sauce, Dover sole, monkfish, veal chop with wild mushrooms, filet mignon with foie gras, veal scallops in lemon sauce, all desserts.

WINE LIST The list of 77 still wines ($21 to $195), mostly from Italy and California, proves that even luxury restaurants can offer good wines at modest prices. More than a fourth of them are under $30.

PRICE RANGE Lunch entrees, $14 to $28. At dinner, appetizers, $7 to $14; pastas and risottos, $16.50 to $20.50; entrees, $18.75 to $32.50; desserts, $7.50 to $9.

HOURS Lunch, noon to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday. Dinner, 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday, to 11 Friday and Saturday and 5 to 10:30 p.m. Sunday.

CREDIT CARDS All major cards.

RESERVATIONS A must.

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBILITY Fully accessible.

REVIEWED BY THE TIMES Dec. 11, 2005.

RATINGS Extraordinary, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Satisfactory, Fair, Poor. Ratings reflect the reviewer's reaction to food, ambience and service, with price taken into consideration. Menu listings and prices are subject to change.

©2006, The New York Times