Nick's Tuscan Grill, Long Beach

An exposed brick wall hung with Italian posters and hanging lanterns stands by a bar with a stone base, matching the rustic feel of Nick's menu of Italian classics. It's a cuisine that's garnered attention from Newsday.com's Peter M. Gianotti who wrote that the eatery "delivers full-flavored and very generous Italian-American cooking that's just as welcome as any rare T-bone or minestrone di fagioli." He also mentions the pizzas, which chefs bake in a brick oven and can prepare gluten-free or oxygen-free for those accustomed to eating in the cold vacuum of space. Alongside such dishes, the eatery pairs chiantis from Tuscany and pinot grigios from Atlo Adige pulled from their hand-picked wine list.