Gia Bella's entrees include capellini alfredo (above) and the Italian sausage sandwich (left).

While independently owned Italian eateries might not be as locally prolific as, say, Mexican or Chinese restaurants, alternatives to the big chains continue to crop up. One of the newer offerings in this category, Gia Bella's opened at the intersection of South Meridian Street and Hanna Avenue, site of a former bar.

It's a short drive from Beech Grove, where my former college roommate, Mary Lou, was staying during a visit home from Washington state, so we decided to give Gia Bella's a try. Turned out it was a great place to gab; we showed up at 3 p.m. for a late lunch and had the dining area to ourselves.

Garlic bread and gossip

There's plenty of table seating surrounding the restaurant's horseshoe-shaped center bar, along with booths along two walls. We settled in at a table and studied the lunch menu (choices switch to dinner selections at 4 p.m.), and decided that garlic bread ($4.95) would be a tempting starter as the gossip got going.

The appetizer -- four thick slices of Italian bread topped with garlic sauce and parmesan cheese -- was a perfect size for two. A bowl of sweet marinara sauce for dipping or spreading accompanied the carbs.

Mary Lou ordered Gia Bella's house salad ($2.95) next, a basic offering of iceberg lettuce with modest toppings of tomatoes, red onions, carrots and mozzarella cheese (the latter a nice touch, according to my ex-roomie, who thought the salad size was a bit larger than most standard sides).

My pasta dish came with a choice of soup or salad, and I went with a cup of classic minestrone ($2.50 if ordered separately). I could easily have made a meal out of a larger portion of this yummy soup along with a salad or the garlic bread. A thick, savory base supported shell-shaped pasta, peas and beans for a treat that pleased even on a humid summer day, thanks to the cool air conditioning inside.

Prompt arrival

Our entrees arrived promptly at the conclusion of the salad/soup course. Mary Lou's Italian sausage sandwich ($8.95) featured homemade sausage tucked between slices of a hoagie-style roll, topped with plenty of marinara sauce, provolone cheese, onions and red peppers. Mary Lou said the sauce seemed to have a bit more spice than the version that accompanied our garlic bread and that the overall product stood up to similar offerings she'd enjoyed elsewhere. Ruffled potato chips were served up alongside the sandwich, a lighter -- and more appropriate -- choice than fries to pair with a filling sandwich, she said.

Meanwhile, I was working my way through a bowl filled with plenty of "capellini your way" ($6.95), meaning I could choose from four types of sauces (marinara, olive oil, pesto or garlic and butter). Throwing nutritional sense to the wind, I ordered the latter. The plentiful portion size could have served at least another person; I felt somewhat guilty for barely making a dent in the meal. The sauce-only option made sense for lunch, but for a dinner entree, I would have added chicken or shrimp for $2 or $3 more.

Throughout the lunch, our server, Jodi, was pleasant and attentive, efficient without making us feel conspicuous as the only off-hours diners. The atmosphere -- dark table coverings, wood floors, no overbearingly loud background music -- was conducive to conversation, a plus when you're catching up on a year's worth of happenings.

You won't find anything above and beyond the ordinary on Gia Bella's menu -- nor, for that matter, will you find pizza, a staple of many Italian places. At lunch, in fact, some decidedly non-Italian offerings (chicken fried steak, beef or turkey Manhattan, Mississippi catfish) mingle among the pastas.

If you're on the Southside and looking for a change of pace from the chains, give Gia Bella's a try.

-- By Julie Cope-Saetre / INtake Correspondent, 07/12/2007