The old saying "don't judge a book by its cover" is certainly true when it comes to Little Venice. Located in the Gleneagles Shopping Center on Ridgefield Road in the West End, the restaurant's exterior doesn't begin to hint at the culinary treasures hidden within.

You'll be surprised immediately at the warm elegance of this cozy eatery as you enter through the front bar, full of warm woods and vibrant art, and ascend to the peach-toned and dimly lit main dining room. While the décor hints at Mediterranean influences, you'll find no faux Italian accents here. The same rule applies to the food, which is prepared with fresh ingredients from scratch.

Brothers Alberto and Peppino Mastromano hail from the Isle of Capri, and have a long and successful history with Richmond diners (Capri on Grace & Foushee, Sal Frederico's on Staples Mill, and the Gray Swamp Inn on Patterson). Alberto runs the front of house and Peppino handles the cooking, something he has done since childhood, according to Alberto.

"He was a natural, always cooking up something, and he really has a passion for it," Alberto says.

One of Albertos' best contributions to the dining room is his policy of team service: since servers share in the tip pool, you'll have not one dedicated waiter or waitress, but every single one of the servers on duty will be popping by your table to clear dishes, refill drinks or answer questions.

The menu touches on all of Italy, but specializes in the regional cuisine of Capri and Naples, with standouts like Pollo (chicken) Saltimbocca, four preparations of veal scallopine including Vitello al Marsala, alla Emiliana, Lucullus, and alla Veneto, as well as the brothers' popular appetizer recommended to me by a regular customer, Fried Lobster Tail. Little Venice has a large following of West End residents, and the table next to ours told us "You can never go wrong with a veal dish here."

You have to ask for the Fried Lobster, which is not listed on the menu, but is featured daily as a special. While the Mussels San Marco in a spicy marinara sauce were tantalizing and the Clams Veneziane (little necks in garlic, white wine and olive oil with fresh tomatoes) were calling my name, I had to try the South African lobster tail that everyone, including our neighboring table, raved about.

My sister-in-law went for the Spaghetti Little Venice, a baked version loaded with cheese and a really good meat sauce, while my brother opted for the Chicken Cacciatore, which was fork-tender and topped with fresh plum tomatoes, onions, and peppers.

On the pasta list, the Tortellini Genovese filled with cheese and topped with Peppino's homemade pesto cream sauce looked like a winner for those prefer white sauces to red. I'll definitely try the spicy Gamberoni Fra Diavola next time as I love this dish of jumbo shrimp sautéed in white wine with a kicking plum tomato sauce. Meat and seafood are accompanied by a vegetable and a starch of the day (fresh zucchini and potatoes when we were there), in addition the house salad, and you'll get a complimentary refill of the basket of warm, crusty bread that is delivered with your salads. Entrées range from $15.95 to $34.95.

Little Venice has more than 190 bottles in its cellar and red wine drinkers will feel like it's Christmas morning when they see the list of small production vintages that include some of the great wines of Campagna (also called Campania), with special "presents" like the ancient Greco di Tufo grapes which flourish in the region's volcanic soil. More than 30 Super Tuscans, along with the 40-plus list of Montepulciano's, Sangiovese, Merlots, Pinot Noirs and Cabernets, make it tough to choose, and that's without considering the American, French and Australian offerings. But hey, when in Rome…

While the reds definitely outnumber the whites, there's a nice selection of Italian Pinot Grigio and California Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, as well as a couple of standouts from New Zealand and tried-and-true Pouilly Fuisse and Montrachet from France. Even though there are more than 30 choices on the by-the-glass list (starting at $6.95), you'll need to find a couple of friends to share a bottle of the hard-to-find fabulous reds on this list. It's a sad fact that every time I go to Italy, I find great wines from the small production vineyards that the Italians don't export -- they keep the good ones for themselves -- so it's great to find some regional vintages here in Richmond.

Although there are a few token steaks on the menu, two filets and a New York strip, I would follow the lead of the regulars and eschew the beef for the veal dishes of Peppino's homeland.

The place was packed on the Tuesday night I visited, and the owners told me that they are frequently fully booked even on weeknights during the summer, so definitely make an advance reservation. There were no children at the restaurant when I visited, but I'm certain well-behaved diners of any age are welcome, and you can get a good-sized side of pasta with marinara sauce for just $3.95, which would make a perfect kid-friendly entrée. They'll also love the dessert list with Cannolis, Tartufo and Bomba Sorbet (mango and passion fruit sorbet around a raspberry sorbet core, surrounded by a white chocolate shell and drizzled with dark chocolate).

While I know that many Richmond diners are very familiar with the Mastromano brothers' culinary contributions to our city, for newcomers like myself, finding Little Venice in a strip mall, of all places, was a delightful and delicious surprise. Ciao!