"Opened by Francesco Zimone and inspired by his partner’s Long Beach roots, the Belmont Shore outpost was imagined as an Italian piazza: Zimone adjoined the shuttered Papalucci’s and Babette’s Feast, installed a 25-foot skylight, and lined the Second Street entrance with olive trees and other plants. The sprawling 8,000-square-foot space seats 250 with additional outdoor patios (each with fireplaces) and features a green-tiled indoor fireplace, a dining-room-facing custom pizza oven imported from Positano, custom wood tiles, a Venetian marble bar, curved banquette seating, and a 10-person chef’s tasting area. The menu highlights wide, thin-crust Neapolitan pizzas cooked in a customized oven in under a minute and also includes arancini, beet salad, pappardelle Genovese, chicken Milanese, ribeye steak, and grilled branzino; a smaller café menu with breakfast, coffee, and daytime bites and weekend brunch will begin once service settles. The restaurant opened Friday, January 5 and is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m." - Mona Holmes