No sooner do I imagine that I've sampled every first-rate Italian restaurant in New Jersey, or at least every one with its own distinct identity, than I immediately step into another trattoria with a strongly individual cooking style.

How can there be so many signature variations on a single cuisine?

The latest such revelation is Madison's Broccolini's Cafe and Market, an unprepossessing roadhouse that pours out an unstoppable flood of potent, full-bodied Northern and rustic Italian dishes bursting with freshness and flavor.

Turin-born chef and co-owner Luca Villar, his American-born wife and co-owner Phyllis, and their staff put a robust stamp on generous, hand-wrought and notably inexpensive dishes that take advantage of daily marketplace availabilities. Entrees, most priced below $14, start under $10; the hand-crafted pastas average $8 to $9. Formerly the chef at East Hanover's Primavera, Villar turns out brilliantly fresh and boldly seasoned food that could be called refined rusticity. The dishes aren't precious or exquisite, but each is endowed with a vigorous, personalized lilt.


The heap of broccoli rabe served with a tender, seared-yet-rosy-centered veal chop special ($19.95) had been lightly honed with horseradish and studded with garlic chips, setting up a pungent counterpoint to the meat's delicate flavor.

There are minor shortcomings. The 40-seat dining room, while cozy, is a bit ordinary. (One idly wonders why the decor sports so many French accents.) The outdoor tables are too close to the parking lot for comfort.

On one visit we found the restaurant understaffed, leading to unexplained delays between courses. An occasional dish slips to the level of the merely very good. The lack of a liquor license and wine list will be an economy or an inconvenience, depending on your point of view.

Beyond such minor cavils, we found Broccolini ("Baby Broccoli") to be a treasury of gutsy, authentic food. One of our guests, recently returned from a dining tour of Italy, entered a skeptic and left a convert.

Even the complimentary hors d'oeuvres have a unique tilt. Instead of the familiar bruschetta — and Broccolini does serve a fine, lively bruschetta appetizer ($2.95) — we were given toasty crisps with a zippy green chickpea paste.

Appetizers ranged from the good to the superb. One knockout dish consisted of smoky, lightly grilled calamari atop arugula laced with a sophisticated cousin of Russian dressing ($5.95). Perfectly textured portobello slices, sauteed with sun-dried tomatoes and drizzled with rosemary garlic olive oil, were supplemented by a tasty if slightly dry wheel of polenta ($5.50).

Broccolini's moist and savory stuffed mushrooms ($5.95) weren't the usual warmed-over staple; a core of creamy, weightless crab meat was sparked by a lively lobster sauce.

Elegant if mildly oily eggplant rollatini ($4.95), the size of baby spring rolls, were crammed with ricotta and fontina speckled with minced spinach. They made a fine summery starter, as did a simple, flawless plate of roasted peppers, mozzarella and prosciutto ($5.95).

Though the extensive entree menu is further augmented by artful specials and a handful of "lo-cal" offerings, each handsomely presented dish is clearly prepared with the kind of care that atones for any delays.

That aforementioned veal chop, milky and tender, was smartly touched up with garlic and olive oil. A special of delicate Dover sole ($19.95) was brought to life by garlic, fresh rosemary and an airy white wine sauce. A "diet" dish of meaty pan-fried tuna topped with a warm, undressed mesclun salad ($11.95) made calorie-counting painless.

A cluttered-sounding special of chicken breast, lightly grilled shrimp, artichoke heart, baby asparagus and a touch of mozzarella in a light sherry sauce ($15.50) turned out to be impeccably balanced, even if Broccolini's treatment of poultry isn't quite up to its veal and fish.

Chicken Cote d'Azur ($9.50), a grilled breast topped with melted Brie and served over zesty spinach, was appetizing but a bit bland. By contrast our one pasta selection, rigatoni Genovese ($8.25), was memorably enlivened by a sauce of mascarpone, chopped sun-dried tomatoes and pesto.

For the table as a whole, there was a generous plate of twice-cooked potatoes and al dente broccoli with garlic. Homemade desserts included a piercingly sweet cannoli, ravishing tiramisu (served in a goblet) and a citrus-infused ricotta cheesecake that's a classic of its kind.

Our meal may have taken longer than we expected, but it was time well spent. At Broccolini, an ordinary dinner can turn into a country feast.

Broccolinis 91 Park Ave., Madison. (973) 408-9148. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. No liquor license; BYOW. All major credit cards accepted. Accessible to handicapped.