By MERIDITH FORD
Journal Restaurant Critic

NORTH KINGSTOWN -- The cooks in Naples probably didn't know what culinary treasure they were embarking on when they invented the pizza. If they had, they probably would have patented it, because it has become one of the world's most ubiquitous dishes, and one with lots of renditions.

Many of these can be found in pizza joints all over Rhode Island. Martino's is a pizza (and pasta) house with a modern approach, although many of the ingredients -- pesto, prosciutto, tomatoes, basil, garlic -- are hardly modern. Like anything else worth having, good pizza is all in the interpretation.

In that sense, Martino's is a bit like the Little Engine That Could. It tries hard and in the end makes it, even if it could use some smoothing out of rough edges along the way.

The restaurant occupies a spot in the middle of a strip mall. Despite this cold, mundane exterior, it is a friendly place with a family atmosphere -- families with small children, high school students and elderly couples all seem equally at home here.

The large, open space has tall ceilings and an open kitchen toward the back. One wall is a standout, brought to life by three paintings of colorful, looming vegetables that burst from the canvas to the wall and back again, joining giant carrots to tomatoes to eggplants.

The kitchen does a good job of replicating this luminous, bold attitude.

Bruschetta, made with overly large slices of grilled focaccia, is smothered in thick slices of fresh tomato and melted mozzarella. All is well except for the healthy dose of pesto smeared over the bread -- heavy with oil and nuts, it lacked the bright flavor of basil and was ultimately overbearing. The dish's salvation comes from a fresh tasting tomato-and-basil cream sauce -- brimming with chunks of tomato and perfect for smearing tufts of the rustic bread.

It's always a harbinger of things to come when the restaurant presents a basket of hot rolls obviously made from the same dough as the pizza crust. This tells you ahead of time how good the pizza will be.

At Martino's, the chewy dough, crusty on the outside, is a good sign. There is a large selection of specialty pizzas -- from barbecued chicken to white clam -- and brick oven pizzas with toppings ranging from eggplant to anchovies. There are also grilled pizzas; a sausage with pesto, caramelized onions, mozzarella and goat cheese caught my eye.

Like the rolls, the crust has a chewy center that's delicately crispy around its delightfully misshapen edge. And although laden with too much of the pesto, the combination of the other ingredients -- the sweet, caramel flavor of the onions mixed with spicy sausage and tangy goat cheese -- was an easy fix to what ailed it.

This creative but heavy hand seemed to be the issue with many of the restaurant's dishes. A salad of leaf and romaine lettuces was pungent with a tangy honey balsamic vinaigrette tossed through thinly sliced purple onions, cucumbers and tender, sweet slices of roasted pears. Inviting, but I longed for something salty or crunchy to balance the dish's sweetness.

A dish of penne hit all the right notes: Tubes of perfectly al dente pasta blend with a mildly sharp tomato cream sauce with hints of basil and lots salty prosciutto.

For dessert, the restaurant proudly touts its creme brulee, and justly so. Under a caramel-flavored pristine layer of glass-like sugar is a warm, silky vanilla pudding subtly layered with the flavors of egg and cream.

Martino's, 1051 Ten Rod Rd., North Kingstown, 295-9382. Casual. No reservations. No smoking. Wheelchair accessible. Open Tue-Thu for dinner from 5 to 9 p.m., Fri from 5 to 10 p.m. , Sat from noon to 1 p.m. and Sun from 4 to 9 p.m. No credit cards, checks are accepted. Ample parking. Highchairs.

Appetizers, including salads and soups, are $3.95 to $8.95 Pasta dishes are $9.95 to $15.95. Pizzas are $9 to $16.95. Desserts are $4.95. There is a small selection of beer and wine, but there is not a full bar.