Michael's on Naples Ristorante

Michael's on Naples Ristorante

Rating: **

Location: 5620 E. 2nd St., Long Beach; (562) 439-7080; www.michaelsonnaples.com.

Ambience: Contemporary Italian in Naples with roomy booths and a stylish open-air rooftop dining area. Far outclasses anything else on the island and attracts an affluent, Italian-food-mad crowd.

Service: Well-intentioned and friendly, but green and out of sync.

Price: Antipasti, salads and soup, $9 to $15; first courses, $13 to $19; main courses, $23 to $38; side dishes, $5.50; desserts, $9. Sunday evening "family night," three-course meal $38, children 12 and under free.

Best dishes: Octopus carpaccio, vitello tonnato, eggplant and zucchini alla parmigiana, lasagna capricciosa,salumi plate, paccheri alla Bolognese, roasted rack of lamb, baked branzino with peppers and olives, bunét or affogato with gelato.

Wine list: Savvy selection of Italian wines and a sommelier who knows them. Corkage fee, $20.

Best table: A booth toward the back of the room or a table on the roof.

Details: Open for dinner from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and for Sunday brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Beer and wine. Valet parking, $4.

To see a photo gallery, go to latimes.com/food.

Rating is based on food, service and ambience, with price taken into account in relation to quality. ****: Outstanding on every level. ***: Excellent. **: Very good. *: Good. No star: Poor to satisfactory.