Williston Park dining: 4 favorite spots

Go along Hillside Avenue in Williston Park, and you'll start getting hungry. Here are four destinations on the stretch to satisfy any appetite.

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.

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.

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.

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.