By Linda Salisbury

Bellisimo! Lucio Restaurant in Culpeper makes Italian food special.

Named for chef/owner Lucio Tonizzo, the restaurant--in a renovated Victorian-style building on Main Street--is full of palate surprises. The brightly colored plates, with elegant and artistic food presentation, are a contrast to the simple elegance of muted gray and burgundy walls, ceilings and window treatments.

Greeted at the door by one of the helpful servers, we checked the foyer chalkboards for information about the daily specials.

I started with prized buffalo mozzarella (made from domestic water buffalo milk), with slices of red and orange vine-ripe tomatoes, chunks of Bermuda onions, basil and fresh greens ($8). I savored the pairing of texture and flavor.

My Dining Partner ordered Antipasto caldomisto fruitti di mare ($9), an elegant platter of hot seafood: shrimp, oysters casino and crabmeat-stuffed mushrooms (two each).

The jumbo shrimp (three-biters) were grilled to delectable perfection.

He ordered lobster bisque ($5), a tomato-basil soup with a large pasta pocket floating. The bisque was delicious, but MDP felt that the pasta slightly overwhelmed the lobster meat inside.

I selected borsellino in brodo, a dark chicken broth with what looked like three little gift packages or pouches in it. And culinary gifts they were! Each bite brought a pop of unexpected basil flavor with the meat filling.

MDP also ordered the "a little of everything salad" ($5). It lived up to its name with wedges of eggs, artichoke hearts, lovely varied field greens, onion, tomato and cucumber and a light Italian vinaigrette.

An entree special on the chalkboard had caught my eye--my favorite fish, grouper, with an almond sauce, lemon and three jumbo shrimp ($18). I selected fresh pasta with marinra as a side. I was delighted with both taste and presentation.

MDP ordered a shrimp and scallop dish ($20), in which the seafood was alternated around the plate, and the center was filled with homemade angel hair and flavorful marinara.

The server described it as slightly spicy, but the heat wasn't evident. MDP thoroughly enjoyed the dish, but thought the shrimp was cooked a little longer than he preferred.

We decided to try the homemade desserts. MDP ordered cream caramel, an exquisite flan ($5.50) and I, the tiramisu ($5.50). The diet-busting portion, garnished with fresh mint and a slice of strawberry, had the density of tres leches cake, and was drenched with coffee. A spectacular finish to the meal.

Lucio offers elegance and excellent cuisine for special occasions, or just for a nice meal out.

Linda Salisbury is the author of an award-winning adventure series for kids.