She doesn’t miss the Italian husband.

But my friend still holds memories near her heart -- not far from her tummy -- of her mother-in-law and the sumptuous Sunday dinners she cooked.

Even though my friend doesn’t sit at Mama’s table anymore, it doesn’t mean she must forsake marvelous Italian food. She can visit Ristorante Fieni’s Italian Cuisine, a sparkling new restaurant in Voorhees that combines very good food, stellar service and modest prices.

My friend and I visit Fieni’s on a wintry weeknight. We enter the converted ranch house, traipse through a marble-floored foyer, and hang our wraps in what originally must have been the hall coat closet.

Inside, Fieni’s is contemporary, yet homey, with a fireplace, comfortable chairs in muted grays and pastels and separate rooms for non-smokers.

Our waitress, Peggy, provides better service than even the most attentive mother. She is everything a professional server should be -- hospitable, efficient and informative.

First, she brings us a loaf of hot, crusty bread and recites the evening’s specials, listing the prices as she goes.

Peggy also presents us with a wonderful hot appetizer, Verdura and Gamberi ($5.95), a sauté of broccoli rabe, cannellini beans and plump, rosy shrimp in garlic and olive oil. Calamari Dorati ($4.95) brings not only crisply fried rings of squid, but breaded bundles of tentacles served with a zippy dipping sauce.

A list of entrees encompasses a who’s who of Italian familiars, such as chicken parmigiana ($10.95) and fettuccine alfredo ($8.75). Pleasantly unexpected choices are Bistecca E Carciofi ($14.50) -- that’s steak sautéed with artichokes and mushrooms, topped with cheese and Marsala wine sauce -- and rack of lamb ($18), sautéed with rosemary and served with a balsamic vinegar sauce.

Entrees are accompanied by the patron’s choice of soup or salad. On this night, a whopping bowl of pasta fagioli is thick with beans and egg noodles. A mountainous salad of baby greens is tender and gently bitter, dressed with a slightly salty vinaigrette.

If you wish to toast this bounty with wine, bring your own. Fieni’s does not have a liquor license.

We raise a glass to Vitello E Melanzane ($12.95), silken medallions of veal sautéed with grilled eggplant and enhanced with a hint of mozzarella. On the side are fragrant wedges of roast potatoes, perfectly steamed Brussels sprouts and pretty, underdone carrots.

Aragosta E Gamberi ($14.95) is the evening’s sole disappointment. What might have begun as a marvelous lobster tail and shrimp dish is dampened by a gloppy red gravy that also bogs down the linguine.

A dessert tray oohs and ahs with homemade delights, each priced at $3.25 and large enough for sharing. We sample a luscious flan, its custard quivering with coffee-tinged caramel.

Peggy is at the ready with steaming decaffeinated coffee ($1 per cup).

When we cannot consume another bite, our waitress wraps up the leftovers and the maitre d’ bundles us into our coats. The tab for our warm winter’s repast at Ristorante Fieni’s $50.14, plus a tip for exemplary service.