Shame on me! Just when I thought I was familiar with every good restaurant in the area, I got my culinary comeuppance. Where have I been all this time when, for the last eight and a half years, a delightful little restaurant called Piccola Italia has been located just up the street and around the corner from my home? Granted, the restaurant is not on a main street that one would ordinarily travel, but once you know where it is and how to get there, it's no more than a ten minute drive for most of us. (Coming from South Orange Village on Scotland Road, take a right on Central Avenue, then the first left, and Piccola Italia is about a quarter of a mile down on the left.) If I, one of the area's restaurant cognoscenti, was unaware of this little gem, were others also in the dark? Evidently not, because when we visited Piccola Italia on a recent Wednesday evening, every table was filled with what turned out to be some very happy regulars - plus some obviously delighted newcomers.   And why shouldn't these diners be a happy lot. Here is a small, cozy and very classy (no checkered tablecloths or Chianti-bottle candle holders) restaurant that serves really terrific traditional Italian food. The Vivaldi playing softly in the background immediately sets the mood for a relaxing and enjoyable dining experience.

    Owner/chef Mario Ferra and his sister, Josefa, are responsible not only for the menu and food preparation, but also for the warm and friendly atmosphere.  "We're a homey, family place." says Mario. "Nothing fancy, just good food," a statement confirmed by Sue, our waitress, who told us that everything on the menu is made absolutely fresh to order. While it may not be fancy, Piccola Italia has a warm and inviting ambiance - and for a small restaurant, a very nice wine list that is currently being expanded and updated.  The house offered some wonderful-sounding specials the night we were there, ranging from an escargot appetizer to entrees of broiled veal or lamb chops, soft shell crabs, and more.  The standard menu, while extensive, never over-reaches by trying to soar into the realm of the ridiculous, a sin of many restaurants who believe that more is better, leaving hapless diners trying to distinguish exactly what hides under all that sauce. Instead, through the use of simple and imaginative groupings of complementary ingredients, the skillful kitchen takes a plain base and makes from it an elegant dish. Take, for instance, Vitello a la Carducci, in which a scallopine of veal is sautéed with asparagus, shiitake mushrooms and fresh chunks of tomatoes in a champagne sauce, elevating a simple cut of meat into an imaginative and delicious offering.

     Such attention to simplicity, elegance and, most of all, freshness, is evident right from the start with the appetizer offerings. A $7.95 appetizer special of the evening, portobella mushroom stuffed with crab, was an inviting beginning to our meal. At my urging, my dining companion chose, for $5.95, an appetizer portion of a pasta special, cheese ravioli - one of Mama Elena Ferra's many homemade pasta offerings. One reliable hallmark of a good restaurant is how they prepare a simple dish, and Piccola Italia's ravioli was terrific: light as a feather, filled with the creamiest ricotta cheese, and rather than being smothered in a heavy red sauce, complemented by fresh tomato and basil. Fresh is the operative word here, from the king crab legs to the beautiful tri-color salad of arugula, raddicchio and endive, served with tomato wedges, black olives and a balsamic vinegar dressing. But the next time, I intend to try the Calamari Fritti, fried calamari, served francese or in a ginger sauce, for $7.95. A heaping platter passed under my nose on its way to the next table, and it took all my willpower not to shoot out an arm and pick one right off the top.  Penne di Mario, penne pasta sautéed with arugula and mozzarella in fresh filetto di pomodoro sauce was for $11.95, a "take-some-home" size portion of a perfectly executed dish. But for chicken lovers, the sure-fire winner was the Pollo Arrabiatta, at $12.95 one of the best versions of this dish I've encountered. Tender chicken breast pieces in garlic, balsamic vinegar and white wine sauce with Italian spices make for a mouth-watering meal.

    Dessert selections are presented on a large tray and range from Italian and traditional cheesecakes to apple crumb cake, peanut butter fudge cake and a chocolate and white chocolate mousse cake that was divine. Tiramisu was cleverly served, looking like a scoop of ice cream, in a sundae dish, and was pronounced "really fine" by my tiramisu maven companion. Most desserts are priced at approximately $3.95.  While parking for the restaurant was somewhat of a challenge in the past, the recent addition of more parking in a lot across the street has made it easier to ride over, park and join the "regulars" at Piccola Italia.