OGDENSBURG — Little Italy Pizzeria & Restaurant has opened in Ogdensburg on the corner of Canton and State streets, previously home to Homestead Dairy Store.

The outside still looks a lot like the former convenience store. Inside is another story.

It's beautiful! Classy tile floor, plants and vines all over the place, hip accent lighting along with judiciously placed strings of mini-lights. Classic Greek columns separate tables in the counter area from a slightly more formal dining room with a huge tree right in the middle of it.

You get a glimpse of the new stainless steel kitchen behind the counter. Vintage Tony Bennett was crooning from the ceiling speakers at just the right volume.

Little Italy opened in Ogdensburg in September. There's also a Little Italy in Potsdam, a much smaller version.

When we called to make reservations, we asked the voice on the other end of the phone if the two were affiliated. "They're kind of the same, but if you want my opinion, we're a lot better," we were told.

You gotta love a young person who's proud of where he works.

April arrived at our table, apologizing for the delay — she was the only waitress at the moment. Not a problem — it gave us a little more time to look over the menu.

There were just two of us on this review (ordinarily we go with a party of four), so we decided to try several things there and take some to go. After all, the menu sates "All items are available for dine-in or take-out."

Fresh rolls came first, and they were excellent, warm and slightly crusty on the outside, chewy on the inside.

Rather than order a whole pizza, we decided on slices. They charge $1.75 per slice; add 30 cents per topping.

Plain old cheese was just fine, with zesty sauce and a good amount of cheese. The dough was thin, yet crisp and firm on the bottom. A slice of sausage and mushrooms began with the same sauce and cheese base plus generous toppings.

We were surprised to see several different antipasto salads on the menu, each priced at $6.90: roast beef, turkey, tuna or Italian. We got the traditional Italian with fresh, crisp romaine, slices of salami and pepperoni, ham rolled around provolone cheese, black olives, big chunks of tomato and thin slices of red onion. Dressing was served on the side, a basic Good Seasons-type Italian.

Linguini with white clam sauce was a little disappointing. The clams were canned, which I expected, but they were pretty scruffy — almost shredded — and tasteless. There was way too much garlic — we could smell it five feet from the table as April brought it to us. The clam sauce just tasted like garlicky water. But it was attractively presented with a grape tomato nestled in the noodles and a piece of Italian parsley placed on top. The rim of the bowl was decorated with minced parsley and a dusting of paprika.

Our takeout dishes warmed up nicely the next day, as did the rolls.

Lasagna was very enjoyable, served with a hearty meat sauce made with pork and beef. Sometimes lasagna just tastes like a pile of wet noodles, but the taste of the cheeses was up front, especially the ricotta.

Eggplant Parmesan consisted of very thinly sliced and breaded layers, covered with a very tasty and tomato-y meatless marinara sauce and topped with melted cheese. The breading of each layers kept the eggplant from becoming mushy, as eggplant can sometimes be.

The majority of the pasta dishes are priced al a carte at $7.50, including ziti, manicotti, stuffed shells, tortellini, ravioli and the linguini and clams. Spaghetti is a little less, chicken and shrimp Alfredo a little more.

Salads are additional. A small tossed goes for $3.25, a large $4.75.

A good selection of hot and cold subs is available. Appetizers are limited to garlic bread or garlic knots. We were offered traditional Italian desserts like tiramisu and cannolis, but we declined.

Pizzas rule and are available with a large variety of toppings — even artichokes, anchovies (yum yum), eggplant and pineapple. They also make white garlic pizzas and offer Sicilian pies with a thicker, doughier crust.

Enough food for four came to $38. April's service was energetic, enthusiastic and efficient. Credit and debit cards are not being accepted at this time.

In addition to Potsdam, there are Little Italy locations in Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake. Menu choices and recipes vary slightly from location to location.

TIDBITS

A new restaurant has opened in the former Panda House location in downtown Gouverneur. Carolina's Greek & American Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can get gyros and souvlaki alongside burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. Breakfast is pretty all-American except for a spinach and feta cheese omelet.

There are dozens of Greek specialties for lunch and dinner including saganaki (flaming cheese), spanakotiropita (spinach-cheese pie), moussaka (ground beef and eggplant), dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), lamb chops, lamb shank, shrimp Greek style and much more.

You can contact Walter E. Siebel via e-mail: wsiebel@wdt.net.

Little Italy Pizzeria & Restaurant

900 State St. (corner of Canton Street)

Ogdensburg, N.Y.

713-0000

Good Italian pizza and pasta specialties. The former Homestead Dairy Store location has been transformed with a strikingly beautiful dining room.

HOURS: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday

11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Noon to 9 p.m. Sunday

Closed Monday

Credit and debit cards are not accepted at this time.

Rating: 3 and one-half forks