CHEF FRAGASSI - Cooks pasta dishes to order.

When we think of artfully prepared local, seasonal and organic cuisine, no doubt the image of a swank urban bistro comes to mind. Often run by an idealistic young chef, and featuring a menu of progressive American foods, these eco-conscious eateries rarely stray from a prescribed prototype.

La Campagna turns that notion on its head.

Tucked into a faceless Westlake shopping center, this tiny Italian restaurant is the converse of cool. Dusty wicker baskets line the walls. Faux cottage shutters attempt to introduce some charm. The only views are that of parking lots and busy roads. But tuck into owner Carmella Fragassi's lovingly prepared food and all those vexations melt away like a brief spring snow shower.

"This is not your typical restaurant," admits Fragassi. "I am not your typical restaurant owner."

Like many Italian Americans, she grew up cooking alongside her grandmother, and she had long harbored a desire to open a restaurant when she retired. That day came sooner than she anticipated: The former undercover cop lost her job four years shy of retirement. Leasing a small space in a strip mall as a temporary site, Fragassi began recreating for the public those cherished family recipes from Puglia, Italy. It has been 12 years, and she hasn't budged.

La Campagna has no sign; the original was three inches too big and the landlord disallowed it. Fragassi never bothered with a replacement. Confusing matters is the fact that from the outside, the space looks more like a retail shop than restaurant. Still, people manage to find it. Most nights, the 25-seat dining room is filled with regulars, many of whom have been weekly customers for years.

"I don't get a lot of press. I don't advertise. Mostly, it's word of mouth," says Fragassi. "It's people telling people telling people."

Fragassi doesn't mess with menus at La Campagna. She cooks different items every day so there is little point in reducing them to print. The nightly selection of soups, salads, entrees and desserts is built around the fresh ingredients that Fragassi gets from multiple vendors. Poultry, pork, lamb and beef come from an organic Ohio farm. Eggs, too, come from a small Ohio producer. Fish, while not local, is delivered directly to the restaurant by a scrupulous fishmonger. Frequent visits to area farmers markets provide a bounty of seasonal produce. And to extend that bounty throughout the year, the chef does as her grandparents did, drying, pickling, freezing and canning as much as possible.

A typical salad at La Campagna might feature warm sliced Ohio duck breast ($9.99), local greens, Cleveland-based Lake Erie Creamery goat cheese, some seasonal fruit and Fragassi's famous orange-hazelnut dressing. If you're a regular (and fortunate), Fragassi's brother, Mike, may drop off a few precious slices of his house-made prosciutto, which has been rubbed with sea salt and hung to cure for over a year.

La Campagna's eggplant parmesan ($16.99) makes most other versions seem clumsy and crude by comparison. Sliced razor thin, individually seasoned and fried, and layered basket-weave-style with tomato sauce and cheese, the eggplant takes on the consistency of firm noodles. The dish is served with al dente pasta topped with sautéed mushrooms, crushed tomatoes and aged ricotta cheese.

Fragassi bakes her own bread, makes her own pasta and hand-forms her own gnocchi and meatballs. Pastas are cooked to order, risottos finished last-minute and sauces assembled a la minute. "I tell people," Fragassi says, "if you're in a hurry, this isn't the place to come for dinner."

For the Neapolitan ravioli ($16.99), fresh sheet pasta is filled with cheese and presented with three different sauces, alfredo, pesto and marinara, rendering the dish an edible Italian flag. Another ravioli is stuffed with seasoned meat ($16.99) and capped with a walnut cream sauce.

In the fall, grilled Ohio pork chops ($17.99) are smothered in a sauce of pears and syrupy balsamic vinegar. La Campagna's meatballs are crafted exclusively out of beef or, if Fragassi feels like it, made in the Naples style with veal, raisins and pine nuts.

Fragassi encourages customers who "have a special taste for something" to call ahead so she can make it available. Even when they haven't, guests might still secure their favorite dish if the ingredients are on hand.

Asked why she goes through all this trouble when modern restaurant shortcuts produce more-than-acceptable results, Fragassi wastes no time considering the question. "If I wouldn't eat it that way," she says, "I'm certainly not going to serve it that way."

La Campagna also stocks a nice selection of Italian and American wines available by the bottle.

La Campagna: 27337 Detroit Rd., Westlake, 440.871.1771. Kitchen Hours: 5 to 9 p.m. Tues.-Sat.