Newsday from New York, New York • B17

exploreLI.com restaurants HEMPSTEAD BRANCH i i NEWSOAY PHOTO ALEJANDRA VILLA created with a light touch at this 21-year-old restaurant. with some salads and grilled items. George Martin's Coastal Grill, 40 E. Park Long Beach, 516-432-2690. gjorgemartingroup.com.

uisine: American. Popular restaurant for classics, emphasis on seafood. Ay Caramba! Bar and Grill, 26 E. Park Long Beach, 516-208-6636. Cuisine: Latin American.

Upscale sibling to Ay Caramba! Express a few doors down. Five Guys Burgers and Fries, 2-4 W. Park Long Beach, 516-431-1999, fiveguys.com. Cuisine: burgers. The burgers may disappoint if you like meat medium-rare or rarer, but the hand-cut, fried-to-order fries are beyond reproach.

Ay Caramba! Express, 6 W. Park Long Beach, 516-670-8100. Cuisine: Latin American. Large menu featuring Mexican (gordi-tas), Tex-Mex (burritos) and American (chicken Caesar wrap) specialties, plus soups salads and smoothies. Gino's Restaurant Pizzeria, 16 W.

Park Long Beach, 516-432-8193. Cuisine: Italian. Established in 1962, this sprawling pizzeria-restaurant is a Long Beach institution. Abe's PHaria, 32 W. Park Long Beach, 516-897-3582, abespitaria Cuisine: Middle Eastern.

Blue-eyed charmer Aaron "Abe" Friedman, owner of this and the original Wantagh location, makes a gyro with the skill of a surgeon but with much more good cheer. Excellent Moroccan eggplant salad and spicy falafel. Ocean Park Diner, 44 W. Park Long Beach, 516-889-8200, oceanpark diner.com. Cuisine: diner.

Diner standards and a wide range of dinner entrees, plus a rare commitment to fish. Look for local bluefish in season. El Patio Cat radio Restaurant, 66 W. Park Long Beach, 516-889-0124. Cuisine: Latin American.

"Steaks are our specialty," says the menu. Don't miss the fat, griddled stuffed corn tortillas called "pupusas." The "frijoles and queso" (stuffed with beans and cheese) are even better than "chicharron and queso" (pork belly and cheese). Nick Diangelo, 152 W. Park Long Beach, 516-889-3366. Cuisine: Italian.

Huge portions of gutsy Italian-American favorites and thick, flavorful steaks. Lola's Kitchen Wine Bar, 180 W. Park Long Beach, 516-431-0044. Cuisine: New American. An upbeat eatery with a comfortable and comfortably priced menu and wine list.

FLORAL PARK Deseo, 144 Tulip Floral Park, 516-502-2288, deseocuisine.net. Cuisine: Latin-fusion. Chicken with rice to paella, nachos to Cuban sandwiches, shrimp seviche to jalapefio poppers. Flora, 142 Tulip Floral Park, 516-775-8226, fiore restaurant.com. Cuisine: Italian.

Soups, salads, pastas, fried calamari, baked clams, crab cakes, Parmesans. Jack Duggan's Pub, 145 Tulip Floral Park, 516-358-3690, jackduggan spub.com. Cuisine: American, continental. Sandwiches, wraps, burgers, chicken potpie, shepherd's pie, Irish specialties. Jameson's Bar Grill, 157 Tulip Floral Park, 516-326-8300.

Cuisine: American. Sandwiches to steaks, with some pasta dishes, too. Village Pizzeria, 169 Tulip Floral Park, 516-775-0612. Cuisine: Italian. Pizza and Italian specialties.

STEWART MANOR No restaurants NASSAU BOULEVARD No restaurants GARDEN CITY La Nonna Bella, 660 Franklin Garden City, 516-248-0366. Cuisine: Italian. Casual, familiar selection of pastas, seafood, meat dishes and a popular bar. B.K. Sweeney's Uptown Grille, 637 Franklin Garden City, 516-746-3075, bksween eys.com.

Cuisine: American. Burgers and wraps, salads and steaks, plus sauerbraten, chicken pot-pie. Garden City Hotel, 45 Seventh Garden City, 516-747-3000, gardencity hotel.com. Cuisine: New American. Restaurants include Polo, formal and elegant; Rein Bar Grill; and Atrium Cafe.

COUNTRY LIFE PRESS No restaurants HEMPSTEAD China Garden, 108 Main Hempstead, 516-486-3331. Cuisine: Chinese. From assorted chow mein and lo mein to General Tso's chicken and Hunan beef, all in traditional style. El Porton, 88 N. Franklin Hempstead, 516-565-1234.

Cuisine: Mexican. Familiar specialties, casual atmosphere. Lynbrook: Specialty rolls are LONG BEACH BRANCH LYNBROOK Satsuki, 47 Atlantic Lynbrook, 516-599-1713. Cuisine: Japanese. Hisashi Manabe has been crafting simple, perfect raw fish creations for 21 years at this hideaway beneath the Long Island Rail Road trestle.

His fish is pristine, his touch extraordinarily light. Broadway Beanery, 23 Atlantic Lynbrook, 516-596-0028, broadway beanery.com. Cuisine: New American. Although the name says casual coffeehouse, this cavernous spot features stylized New American plates. Angelina's, 33 Atlantic Lynbrook, 516-872-3477.

Cuisine: Italian. An attractive pizzeria-ristorante specializing in wood-oven pies as well as pastas, Parmesans and entrees. Kenji Sushi, 427 Sunrise Lynbrook, 516-612-7219. Cuisine: Japanese. A bento-box-sized storefront offering sushi and kitchen specialties.

Pearsall's Station, 479 Sunrise Lynbrook, 516-887-8384, pearsall station.com. Cuisine: American. A friendly pub serving such specialties as crab PHOTO BY CHARLES ECKERT Floral Park: The chicken potpie is a standout bisque, chicken potpie and meat-loaf sandwiches. House-made fruit crisps for dessert. So Far So Good, 17 Broadway, Lynbrook, 516-599-2132, Sofarsogood Cuisine: Chinese-Japanese.

Peking duck and Alaska rolls compete for your attention at this popular Chinese restaurant with sushi bar. The verdict? So far, so good. Tofu, 443 Sunrise Lynbrook, 516-887-5231. Cuisine: Japanese-Chinese. A genial pan-Asian restaurant serving both chirashi and lo mein.

CENTRE AVENUE Centre Thai Bistro, 268B Atlantic East Rock-away, 516-612-4858, centre thaibistro.com. Cuisine: Thai. Pretty little restaurant with standard Thai menu plus six different preparations for whole fish. Littlebrick Catt. 12 Centre East Rockaway, 516-825-4202.

Cuisine: luncheonette. Breakfast and lunch is served at this modest little eatery adjoining the train platform. EAST ROCKAWAY Thai Station, 10 Davison Plaza, East Rockaway, 516-823-1168, thaistationres taurant.com. Cuisine: Thai. A new branch of the very good Merrick original.

OCEANSIDE Bad Bob's, 3112 Lawson Oceanside, 516-561-7427, badbobsny Cuisine: barbecue. The original LI location of the chain with branches in Port Washington and Manor Haven. Good baby back ribs, barbecued chicken, brisket sandwiches, baked beans, potato salad and house-fried potato chips. ISLAND PARK Da Vinci's Pizzeria Restaurant, 118 Long Beach Island Park, 516-889-3939. Cuisine: Italian.

Large, nicely appointed eatery with a huge menu of Italian-American specialties. Mar Tiara, 146 Long Beach Island Park, 516-432-2500, Cuisine: Latin American. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, El Salvador-style. Emphasis on seafood whole fried fish, shrimp in cream sauce, and a plato especial featuring chorizo, liver, grilled beefjobster, scallops, rice and salad for $13.95. LONG BEACH Nagahama, 169 E.

Park Long Beach, 516-432-6446, nagahamasushi.com. Cuisine: Japanese. Long Beach is long on sushi restaurants; Nagahama is one of the best. Mulberry Street, 157 E. Park Long Beach, 516-897-1886, dineatmul berrystreet.com.

Cuisine: Italian. Naples-born chef Tony Improta took over the kitchen at this small Italian eatery about a year ago, and he is making great use of the wood-burning oven. His favorite pie is the "Bleecker Street," fresh mozzarella, imported plum tomatoes and that's about it. He is also proud of his daily specials, which might include a simple seafood salad or stuffed veal chops. Fresco Creperie and Catt, 150 A.

E. Park Long Beach, 516-897-8097. Cuisine: cafe. Sweet crepes range from simple sugar and lemon to "hedgehog style" with coconut, almonds and dark chocolate; savory crepes include "the com- Rlete," stuffed with Gruyere, am, egg, onion. Also excellent chicken salad.

John Henry's American Pub, 150 E. Park Long Beach, 516-897-9551: Cuisine: bar. Good burgers, six beers on tap and many more in bottles. Steven's Pasta Specialties, 120 E. Park Long Beach, 516-897-7012, stevenspasta.com.

Cuisine: pasta. Pasta-heavy menu,.