BELLA NAPOLI: 107-02 Queens Blvd., Forest Hills; 793-8945

CUISINE: Italian

HOURS: 12 p.m. to 12 a.m.

CREDIT CARDS: All Major

HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE: Yes

Restaurateur Saverio Cosentino has not only been around the block, he’s been around the globe. Born, raised, and trained in Naples, he went on to own and operate restaurants throughout Europe, Manhattan, and even Texas.

Now, from the hills of Rome to Forest Hills, comes his newest culinary venture, Bella Napoli.

Standing out as a piece of the Mediterranean on Queens Boulevard, Bella Napoli boasts an airy dining room, decorated with 1940’s style Italian wine posters, a wood-burning brick oven, and a spacious sidewalk cafe.

But these amenities are of secondary concern to Consentino, whose self professed mission is to reverse the ravages of preservatives on the flavoring of our food. Consentino’s credo: nothing gets watered down.

While this sounds admirable in theory, it tastes even better in practice. Rediscover the richness of even the simplest of pasta dishes, and savor every last morsel of the house specialties.

We tried the Chicken Balsamico, which is sautéed in a delectably tangy sauce.

Napoli offers a wide selection of appetizers, like the Vongole Possilipo ($8), which is steamed clams, served with garlic, oil and fresh tomato. The chef also recommends the Grigliata di verdura ($7.50), which is grilled zucchini, eggplant, endive, and radicchio.

Napoli’s pasta specialties include linguini de Mare ($13), which is served with clams, mussels, shrimp, and calamari, and the Spaghetti Vongole ($13), which is a mix of zucchini, shrimp, radicchio, in a rich cream sauce.

For your main course, choose from an excellent menu of chicken, fish, and meat dishes.

The Pollo Rosmarino ($11), is a chicken breast, tastefully sautéed with garlic, oil, and white wine. The chef highly recommends the Camberoni alla Fra Diavolo ($15.50), which is jumbo shrimp in a spicy tomato sauce, as well as the Costoleta di Vitello ai Ferri ($17), a grilled veal chop.

You can also watch the chefs at Bella Napoli make your gourmet pizzas in their beautiful brick oven. Among the various pizza options, are the Pizza Quattro Stagioni ($9), which is topped with tomato, mozzarella, prosciutto, artichoke, mushrooms, and olives, or the Pizza Primavera ($9), topped with zucchini, eggplant, and onions.

All of Napoli’s desserts are imported from Italy, and after one taste you will agree that it is worth the journey. Don’t miss the Frutti Di Bosco, a popular dessert from Torino, or the Tosconella, a Tuscan specialty.