Worthy replacement for Voorhees Italian favorite?

This is good news for lovers of irresistible trattoria cuisine, the kind of food you'd find in a lively, family-owned place on a corner in Rome.

WOULD YOU rather nibble tender coins of grilled octopus under an overpass or in a strip mall?

Now, you can have your cephalopod both ways, with the opening this year of Radicchio New Jersey, in the Echelon Village Plaza. A sister to the original Radicchio, which cozies up to the Route 676 overpass at 4th and Wood streets in Philadelphia, Radicchio New Jersey in Voorhees shares the same pedigree and culinary vision of owners Luigi Basile and Massimo Coscia.

You'll soon forget the suburban setting as this pair's successful partnership brings a warmth and brightness to Radicchio due that makes this little BYOB stand out in a restaurant landscape crowded with Italian eateries.

There's a little more to the story, however. Basile had been running La Locanda in the same Voorhees shopping center for the past seven years. When a larger space opened in the Echelon strip mall, with a chance for patio dining, the notion of transitioning from the more formal and slightly pricier La Locanda to Radicchio New Jersey took hold.

This is good news for lovers of irresistible trattoria cuisine, the kind of food you'd find in a lively, family-owned place on a corner in Rome. Radicchio New Jersey is the kind of place where you can bring a bottle of wine and tuck into a family meal for lunch or dinner, without fear of being rushed. The setting is rustic, with a new open kitchen accented in terra-cotta tile, ivory stucco walls and reclaimed wood.

Fans of La Locanda won't feel neglected -- the new menu shares many of the same dishes, although prices are 10 percent to 15 percent lower. Our ever-smiling server was both informative and attentive, guiding us through the menu with the grace of a strolling troubadour.

We adored the buttery buffalo mozzarella ($14), a tangy round of richness that wept whey and cream at every slice, served warm with thinly sliced ovals of grilled zucchini. A beet salad ($11) was bracingly fresh, studded with bits of mint, crumbled goat cheese and caramelized pecans, subtly seasoned and beautifully presented, the intermingling beet hues as bright as a sweetheart's bouquet.

A special of tuna crudo ($19) delivered a round of thinly sliced fresh ahi, sprinkled with sea salt and topped with a tangle of arugula and nibs of avocado. Roasted long hots ($7) married gorgeously with, well, everything, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and served with crusty peasant bread on the side. The Spanish octopus ($17), a Radicchio classic, is heartbreakingly tender, grilled simply with black olives, capers, lemon and olive oil.

Pasta, both semolina and gluten-free (for $2 extra), comforts under an array of sauces from meat-fueled Bolognese ($17) to a bounty of veggies primavera ($18). Spaghetti Garda ($22) is tossed with pearls of lump crab, arugula, slices of garlic and diced fresh tomatoes, a savory intersection of light and elegant.

Chicken saltimbocca ($21) replaced the pricier $27 veal dish at La Locando. Although the chicken was a bit overcooked, it arrived sauteed in a familiar white wine garlic sauce contrasted with a briny prosciutto and a melt of creamy mozzarella.

A delicate branzino ($30) was served grilled with white wine, lemon and garlic, filleted tableside with deft aplomb. This is seafood at its best, tasting like a fisherman's catch served in a seaside village on the Mediterranean. Carnivores will approve of the lamb chops ($28), again grilled simply with herbs to let the flavor of the meat steal the show.

A house-made double chocolate mousse cake ($7.50), layered with whipped cream adorned with chocolate shavings, added the perfect note of sweet indulgence to a meal already replete with high points.

We like the idea of enjoying Radicchio New Jersey on this side of the Delaware, a slice of Italy with a Garden State address.

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