I dined at Palermo Ristorante based on a tip that it is like a little piece of North Beach, the lively, Italy-centric neighborhood in San Francisco.

I wish all of my sources were this accurate. The food, featuring the cooking of southern Italy, is bountiful and delicious, with an emphasis on fish and shellfish, along with pasta, just like they do it in Sicily.

Never mind that this restaurant, from the outside looking in, has all the panache of day-old Wonder Bread. Fifteen miles from downtown Sacramento, it is the centerpiece of an Elk Grove strip mall with a liquor store, a nail salon, a tax service and a chiropractor. Out front are a McDonald's, a Taco Bell and a Carl's Jr.

By appearances, this is the antithesis of North Beach and, for better or worse, there is no resemblance to the real Palermo in Sicily – no vibrant food markets, no bustling foot traffic, no wonderful view, and no Mafioso setting the prices for the fishermen.

Never judge a restaurant by how it looks from the parking lot.

Inside, Palermo Ristorante is another world altogether. It was almost shocking how charming and lively it was.

People arrive and they get hugs and kisses. You come here twice and you're a regular. You come again and they treat you like family. The chef walks out and says hello to folks. He shakes hands, he talks up the crowd. He even sang "Happy Birthday" the way they do in Italy, with an accent and a hint of operatic training.

Our host one night greeted us with a smile and the kind of Italian accent you could listen to all day. Later, we spotted her enjoying a glass of wine with customers – among the many she hugged and kissed as if they were family from the old country.

The host turned out to be Pina Toccagino, who has been married for 46 years to the chef, Giovanni. Their son, Giovanni Jr., also is a chef. Their daughter, Oriana, is a server.

Food came out from the kitchen and we couldn't take our eyes off it – a big bowl of steaming minestrone, an even bigger bowl of cioppino – zuppa di pesce – featuring a variety of fish cooked in tomato sauce.

I had the linguine Mondello ($16.95), nicely prepared pasta replete with swordfish, mussels and clams, cooked with fresh tomatoes and white wine with thinly sliced garlic. The seafood was delicious, the sauce subtle and soothing. The halibut was another seafood success, a thick piece of white fish plated with sautéed spinach and a serving of risotto. The potato gnocchi with a spicy though slightly bitter marinara sauce also was a satisfying dish, though our least favorite during our visits.

Then came the showstopper – the lasagna. It is six layers of ground veal, ground beef, and mild pork sausage, made the Sicilian way with boiled eggs, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and no garlic. It takes two hours to make, and a single serving is gargantuan – gigantesco – enough to feed you tonight and tomorrow. When people get up from the table and make off with their doggie bags, they should be reminded to lift with their legs.

All of the desserts are made in house, including the Sicilian cannoli, a light and moist tiramisu and our favorite, the lemon tartufo. The restaurant also makes its sorbets.

This is a fine dining spot suitable for a casual date night, but it's also a family-style eatery that's good for kids. It is a fun place, but not a romantic place. There are no candles on the tables. We were interrupted by a kid running by to show off the flashing lights on his sneakers.

The large open dining room will not win any interior design awards, unless there is a category for the baffling juxtaposition of enlarged photos on a restaurant wall – in this case, men playing football next to shots of coastal Sicilia. The harsh, washed-out lighting might make you look old.

It's all good and, somehow, it all makes sense at this place, probably because Palermo Ristorante makes you feel you are being welcomed into the home of an Italian family for dinner. They will make you whatever you want, make sure you get plenty to eat and they will let you know they love to do what they do. There is a passion here, a warmth and an authenticity, that I have rarely seen to this degree.

Giovanni Sr. is 70 years old and, when I called to chat, I wondered what keeps him going. Being a chef is hard on the body – on the feet, on the knees, and every chef worth his salt has an aching back.

I knew what he would say because it is the secret to success and happiness in any line of work. I knew because I could see it in his eyes at the restaurant and hear it in his voice when he sang. I saw it with his wife. I saw it with their daughter, who smiled at customers through the window as they were coming in from the parking lot. And I tasted it in the cooking of their son.

"I love what I'm doing. It's the passion of cooking. When you have this passion, you don't cook for yourself – you cook for others," he told me.

This is actually the second chapter in this family-owned restaurant's success story. For the first 15 years, it was a mainstay of the Palo Alto dining scene. When Chelsea Clinton attended Stanford University, she ate there. The restaurant served her parents, and Chelsea had her graduation dinner there. Joe Montana was a regular, along with many other 49ers. Back then, it was a white-tablecloth restaurant and tad more upscale.

When Oriana got married and moved to Elk Grove, she found herself driving to Palo Alto three times a week. This being a closely knit family, they resolved it the Italian way – they all moved to Elk Grove and reopened the restaurant there in 2005, just as Elk Grove was nearing the peak of a housing boom that would soon dish out a disproportionate serving of grief to the once-thriving suburb.

Six years later, the restaurant seems as if it has been there for generations, with legions of regular customers who cannot get enough of the good, honest Italian cooking and a very special brand of Italian hospitality.

Neither can I.

Palermo Ristorante

9632 Emerald Oak Drive, Elk Grove

(916) 686-1582

www.palermo-ristorante.com

Hours: 4-10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 4-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 4-9 p.m. Sunday.

Takeout? Yes.

Full bar? Yes.

Vegetarian friendly? Somewhat.

Overall 3 stars (good)

A gem of a family-owned Italian restaurant tucked away in an Elk Grove strip mall. Though the view from the parking lot won't draw you in, once you dine there it will feel as charming as any restaurant you've been to.

Food 3 stars (good)

The cooking is based on the cuisine of southern Italy, especially Sicily. Thus, there are plenty of fine pasta and seafood dishes. Don't miss the heaping portion of lasagna. Many of the seafood dishes also are good bets, including the linguine Mondello with swordfish, clams and mussels cooked in white wine. Desserts are all made in house.

Service 3 1/2 stars (very good)

How do you rate a place for service when the owner just might pull up a chair and have a glass of wine with you? This is an exceptional example of a family-run operation that has passion and integrity.

Ambience 2 stars (fair)

The "decorating" isn't going to win any awards, but the energy and charm of the room is so good that you won't notice after five minutes. Football photos? The chef was a college football standout.

Value 4 stars (excellent)

Pasta dishes range from $9.95 to $14.95. Seafood dishes are from $14.95 to $18.95. For the prices, the quality and the portion sizes are outstanding.

Noteworthy: The restaurant has a bar adjacent the main dining room. Twice monthly, a jazz band performs or there is a DJ with dancing. For details, visit the restaurant's website.

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Call The Bee's Blair Anthony Robertson, (916) 321-1099.

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