Riodizio Churrascaria

Sharp as the mini-machetes wielded by its expert carvers, Long Island's newest version of vegan hell already is cutting a big niche for itself. Here's meat central.

The protein-fueled restaurant is brought to you by the owners of Plataforma, the theater district's long-running hit for Brazilian barbecue.

These establishments typically offer a serve-yourself appetizer bar followed by tableside service, when you're brought skewers of grilled and roasted meat, poultry and an occasional fish, plus side dishes. Dinner is $38.95, lunch $25.95.

Choose whatever you like. Eat as much as you want. Celebrate your last cholesterol test. Riodizio Churrascaria opens as the best of its flaming kind in Nassau and Suffolk.

Each diner has a coaster-size disc near the tableware. One side is circled in red, the other in green. When you want a carver to bring more, turn it to green. The temptation, of course, is to keep it on green.

This may sound like the ideal way to feed every football team, wrestling club and weightlifter in the neighborhood. But at Riodizio, it's all done with black-tie panache.

And the spot looks good, too, in earth tones with dark wood and polished terra cotta. Heading to your seat, you will pass a window on the kitchen, where skewers of beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey, sausages and more turn on a mega-rotisserie.

The centerpiece bar for starters stands out with a flavorful salt-cod "souffle," delicate whitefish with spinach, grilled and roasted vegetables, pickled red beets, white and green asparagus, mozzarella and tomatoes, good greens, and a wheel of nutty Asiago cheese. For anyone other than a vegetarian, the best advice: pace yourself.

And be sure to have the green disc showing when the cart with crisp-skinned, tender suckling pig rolls by. The grilled whole salmon also merits a stop, as does another trolley heavily laden with very tender, elephantine beef ribs.

You will use tongs to take just-sliced meats from the blade-like skewers, which are held straight as Excalibur. Try the juicy prime rib of beef, lean and light loin of pork, mellow Parmesan-crusted pork, an exceptional leg of lamb, turkey wrapped with bacon, and rounds of garlic bread that will tempt you to create an impromptu sandwich with links of pork sausage. The skip.pables: spare ribs, chicken legs, top round, all a bit dry.

A spirited vinaigrette, fried plantains, mashed potatoes, white rice and fresh cassava meal are among well-..chosen .accompaniments.

The fixed-price meal doesn't include beverages or desserts. Riodizio has a solid wine list, sangria, Brazilian beers, and, naturally, the caipirinha, the high-octane cachaca cocktail.

Desserts wheel by on a two-tier trolley. Sample the coconut custard, which looks like a giant sunny-side-up egg; the coconut and custard flans; a pudding-like chocolate mousse; or fresh fruit.

Leave some room.

Reviewed by Peter M. Gianotti, 8/13/06