Bella luna owner barbara helish holdsstrong food opinions. She doesn’t use low-calorie ingredients, is virulently opposed to chain restaurants, and tries to buy exclusively local and organic products for her kitchens. “I want people to know when they come to my restaurants that we’re focused on the highest quality and good karma,” Helish says. “Food is very important to me.”

This is abundantly clear during dinner at the new Bella Luna location in downtown Cambridge (there is another more casual Bella Luna in Royal Oak). Everything, from gnocchi to salad dressings to a warm chocolate pudding cake served in a china cup, are house made.

“Anyone can open a can of something at home,” says Helish matter-of-factly. “Why come to a restaurant if it will be more of the same?”

Why, indeed?

For all the strong talk, however, both Bella Luna’s menu and dining room exude comfort. Familiar favorites like caprese salad and lasagna rub elbows with pasta primavera and ever-changing risottos. You’ll recognize most of the vintage Italian poster advertisements for spirits, and probably recognize the music, too, which mixes indie rock and classic R&B. Coupled with a staff that seems genuinely pleased to serve diners, Bella Luna could easily be your neighborhood go-to.

The only dish I sampled that fell short of expectations was the first that came to the table, homemade ravioli of the day; its mild, tarragon-scented whitefish and scallop filling was enclosed in a round of chewy and somewhat tough pasta. Other than that, the rest of the food shone.

I don’t expect much from a green salad other than freshness and a well-made dressing, but Bella Luna’s greens—served with roasted almonds and pine nuts, a generous wedge of tangy Shropshire blue cheese, and balanced balsamic dressing—was better than fine. If you order gnocchi “made Barb’s favorite way,” you’ll learn that she loves simplicity and why the plump, charmingly misshapen potato dumplings dressed in butter and cream and flecked with bits of prosciutto, basil, and tomato could be anyone’s favorite.

The made-in-house desserts at Bella Luna were some of the best I’ve had. A bread pudding made with panettone benefited from the bread’s chunks of dried fruit and chocolate, and I loved that the chocolate hazelnut pudding cake topped with a dollop of orange-spiked whipped cream was edgily bittersweet.

Bella Luna does have its quirks. On the night of our visit, the restaurant was out of chicken, one of the consequences of relying on local sources where supplies can be limited. And then there is the matter of size.

Unprompted, Helish told me that she’s heard criticism that her portions “don’t seem like enough,” and she counters this by pointing out that she gives diners “what [they] need” on their plate. I’ll admit that I was skeptical when each course appeared, and one of my dining companions even wondered aloud at what seemed to be a modest amount of food. But after three courses, each of us left the restaurant feeling sated but not uncomfortable.

Still, the quality of food and service make Bella Luna a real addition to Cambridge’s downtown. Coupled with Bistro Poplar, Bella Luna’s French neighbor, Cambridge is fast developing a dining scene that’s worth the trip.

Mary K. Zajac writes from Baltimore.