CRANSTON — Looking for a lunch or supper like your mother used to make? Lisa's Cucina might just be for you.

Homestyle food at bargain prices is owner Lisa Natale's recipe for business success in this tiny spot in a strip mall on Atwood Avenue near Benny's. The mother of three sons, she knows how to cook for a crowd and give out hugs, too. But don't let that "cucina" tag send you looking for checkered tablecloths, or waiting for the music to start or in search of bottles of Chianti to sip. This is a no-frills, mostly take-out spot.

Yet, sitting at one of the only six laminated booths in what used to be Mr. Submarine, I watched a steady stream of customers warmly greeted. They were delivered seafood dishes like clam cakes and fish and chips; Italian specialties of lasagna; and no-nonsense sausage and peppers. It could be any home kitchen with loud voices and lots of food but it's her "cucina" that is busy this Friday.

She makes her own breadcrumbs with yesterday's leftover rolls and loaves, pounds veal into cutlets and won't serve coffee that's more than 20 minutes old.

"It's OK for me," she tells a customer. "But I wouldn't sell it to you." And just like home, she sometimes runs out of coffee before she can make another pot.

But there's a fridge full of $1 cans of soda to go with her bargain $3 meatball subs (a 5-inch size), so who could be disappointed?

Natale opened her doors Nov. 13, 2007, and by last summer, was dishing out her chowder at the Newport Yachting Center's International Schweppes Great Chowder Cook-Off. She offers both white and red on Wednesdays and Fridays. The cup of white chowder ($2.75) came with a layer of melted butter swimming on top, but it added a creamy flavor to the nicely textured soup. A little Tabasco sauce is her secret. It was smooth, not littered with an overabundance of clams and had just the right balance of potatoes.

Likewise the fish and chips was what mother might have served with a huge piece of fresh, flaky cod. The batter was generously applied on one piece, but another came out of the kitchen with less coating, just like might happen at home. The French fries come from real potatoes ("I don't have anything frozen," she says). They are free of any greasy aftertaste. Clam cakes are also fried with a light touch, and my small order came with a satisfying eight dumplings ($3.85). The large must feed an army at $6.95.

Don't forget your vegetables, says Lisa with an extensive group of items topped with rabe, her green of choice. Her sandwich of grilled chicken and rabe is topped with cheese ($5.50 for small).

Every day she offers a special, and on the day of my visit it was a hearty and satisfying lasagna with garlic bread ($5.95). With a homemade sauce, there were delicate layers of cheese and pasta and a generous layer of ground beef, so the dish covered all food groups. Her sauce was sweet and not acidic.

This is Natale's first restaurant, though she grew up with parents (Edna and Roland Tipple) who owned and operated a few eateries, including Roland's Café and the Celebrity Café, both in Cranston.

Natale also has a daily luncheon special of pasta and garlic bread for $3.95, which is all-you-can-eat for those dining in. But you have to finish your plate before you get more. Just like at home. Bill of Fare

A take-out dinner for two at Lisa's Cucina might look like this:

Clam chowder…$2.75

Clam cakes…$3.85

Fish and chips…$5.95

Lasagna…$5.95

Tax…$1.48

Total…$19.98

Lisa's Cucina, 160 Atwood Ave., Cranston, (401) 919-5505. Take-out with half a dozen tables. Parking lot. Wheelchair accessible. AE, D, MC, V. Serving Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; until 8 on Friday; Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sandwiches $3-$6.85; dinners $5.95 to $7.95; soups $2.75 (cup) to $5.95 (quart); sodas $1.