A slice of Deluxe Pizza ($3.15) from Stefano's Ristorante, 11680 Commercial Dr. Ste 1000, Fishers. (Tom Klubens / for INtake for The Star)

Stefano's Ristorante towers above the rest of the tenants in a Fishers strip mall. And its impressive appearance continues on the inside. My friend Jen has named this Italian restaurant one of her favorites and was kind enough to let me in on the secret. Now I can share it with you.

The mood

Walking into Stefano's makes you rethink strip mall decor. A spacious, bright dining room surrounded by large windows was inviting, and so was our server, who quickly seated us and brought our drinks.

The walls were painted a rich eggplant, and hardwoods covered the floor. Artistic lighting fixtures drew my eyes to the industrial ceiling. The contemporary space is filled with tables and chairs, with comfy booths placed around the perimeter.

I have to add that I've never seen such a clean establishment. Not a speck of dirt or a runaway olive to be found.

The food

Pizza is on the menu here, but there are many other options. Stefano's prides itself on offering authentic New York-style Italian food. Calzones and pasta favorites share menu pages with shrimp scampi, spinaci y bistecca (steak and spinach with garlic), and bistecca e gambero sobra la pasta (steak and shrimp, garlic sauce, mushrooms and spaghetti).

The lunch menu presents many of the attractions that appear on the dinner menu, just pared down. The lunch special on the day we visited (served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) was two slices of cheese pizza and a side salad for $4.99.

Jen waffled between the lasagna and pizza pie. She selected a slice of the Deluxe, which was loaded with sausage, pepperoni, onion, green pepper, black olives and mushrooms. To add some more veggies to the mix, she had a simple tossed salad on the side ($.99).

I preferred my toppings as innards -- wrapped up in a calzone. The stromboli arrived steaming and stuffed with pepperoni, ham, sausage, mushrooms, onion and cheese ($6.50). I could have taken some more pepperoni and less sausage, though. A Caesar salad completed my lunch (99 cents).

Along with what we ordered, we were treated to Stefano's own creation: garlic knots. These twisted bread rolls were brushed with garlic butter and satisfied my crunchy, chewy bread craving.

Had I been better at my addition, I would have noticed that we had more than enough dough to cover dessert. Cheesecake, cannoli, tiramisu, or chocolate cake...yes, please.

The drinks

A Sprite for Jen, a Coke for me ($1.50 each). We needed a little sugar pick-me-up.

The damage: $15.65

Stefano's provided a pleasant, well-rounded dining experience. Fast and courteous service and hearty entrees in a comfortable setting -- now that's hard to beat.