Williston Park dining: 4 favorite spots
Sambooseh is an appetizer of empanadas, Persian style. The dish is seen here on June 12, 2010, at Miraj Healthy Grill, a Persian restaurant in Williston Park. Credit: Yana Paskova
Go along Hillside Avenue in Williston Park, and you'll start getting hungry. Here are four destinations on the stretch to satisfy any appetite.
LA MARMITE, 234 Hillside Ave., Williston Park; 516-746-1243
At first, the traditional, continental restaurant makes you think the calendar hasn't flipped for a few decades. But there are surprises, plus very good service. Regulars abound. Recommended: sole meunière, double-cut pork chop, sauteed calf's liver, braised beef short ribs, anything from the dessert cart.
HILDEBRANDT'S, 84 Hillside Ave., Williston Park; 516-741-0608
Luncheonette, ice-cream parlor, confectionary -- Hildebrandt's handles each role with flair. The menu is varied and wide-ranging. Recommended: BLT, apple-endive salad, burger and fries, stuffed eggplant, banana split (two scoops), banana royale (three scoops), Hildebrandt's special (four scoops), malted and shakes.
SRIPRAPHAI, 280 Hillside Ave., Williston Park; 516-280-3779
The Nassau offspring of the Queens original ignites the palate and spurs the appetite. The long menu is loaded with hits, from papaya salad to larb salad with ground meat, mint, chilies and lime juice; curries in many hues; fried whole red snapper with chili, garlic and basil; sour-and-spicy noodle soup.
MIRAJ HEALTHY GRILL, 171 Hillside Ave., Williston Park; 516-747-3181
Start with hummus and baba ghanoush and move on to beef kebabs, beef-and-kidney bean stew, vegetable-and-chickpea turnovers, Cornish hen with braised lentils, stewed lamb shank, rice pudding, and baklava.
