Discreet Diner: Ristorante Fieni's

Eating at Ristorante Fieni's is like eating at home - probably because it is a home, complete with a fireplace in one dining room.

The converted rancher opened 13 years ago as a cozy 60-seat restaurant down the street from the former Echelon Mall (now Voorhees Town Center). It has consistently served sophisticated Italian fare ever since.

A friend recently invited the Discreet Diner for lunch at Fieni's, and we had fun rediscovering this South Jersey favorite, owned by Lucio and Angela Fieni.

Fieni's menu offers nearly every traditional Italian dish - rigatoni, fettucine, tortellini, gnocchi, ravioli, risotto. But chef Lucio is especially known for his seafood, mixing filets or shellfish and homemade pasta into delightful blends.

He's also beloved for his "scrappelle," an Italian chicken soup loaded with herbs, carrots, onion, celery and, of course, homemade pasta.

Our lunch began with a basket of fresh-baked crusty bread and Caesar salad, pungent with anchovy flavor.

At the server's recommendation, I opted for the veal of the day ($14.95). What a treat. Veal medallions pounded thin were smothered in lump crab, roasted red peppers and sun-dried tomatoes, held together with a white-wine lemon sauce. Mashed potatoes were creamy and light and string beans steamed to bright green perfection.

A giant serving of eggplant parmesan ($12.95) overwhelmed its plate, but the "can't get enough" delicacy in my partner's order was the side of crab ravioli in tomato cream sauce.

Before you're filled by Fieni's ample portions, box some leftovers so you don't have to pass on the "pasticceria." The round dessert tray, created daily by Angela Fieni, is packed with a dozen temptations - cakes such as tiramisu, whiskey walnut and chocolate; cheesecakes, including pumpkin and chocolate chip, and puddings. My dining partner has loved Italian rum cake since childhood, so we split a slice. Three layers of moist sponge cake ($4.95), divided with chocolate, cream and a hint of rum, more than satisfied our sweet cravings.

Fieni's offers an exquisite taste of Italy in relaxed, comfortable setting.

800 S. Burnt Mill Rd., Voorhees.

856-428-2700.

Hours

: Lunch, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday; dinner 3 to 10:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 3 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 3 to 9:30 p.m. Sundays.

Parking lot

: Around the back and side.

Reservations:

Recommended

Children's menu

: No.

Cocktails

: BYOB.

On the Web

:

» READ MORE: www.fieni.com

.