Behind every good restaurant, there is almost always a good story. Ristorante San Marco is no exception. It is one very good restaurant. Its story is the American success story.

In brief, it’s about owner Aurelio (“Leo”) Leone coming from Sicily at age 21, and soon becoming proprietor of Nick’s Pizza in Dresher, marrying Josephine, having children, working very hard, and buying Dori’s, a successful traditional Italian restaurant in nearby Springhouse. After the tragic loss of a beloved daughter to cancer, the family returned to live in Sicily. A year later came a call from the owner of Il Gallo Nero, offering Leone this very handsome property. Leone liked what he saw, and lucky for us returned to the area, and, with Josephine, created San Marco.

One look, and you can see it is Leo’s dream restaurant come to life. The outside is beautifully landscaped. On the inside, it is an especially attractive, comfortable and richly appointed, low-noise dining environment and bar lounge.

I dined there for both lunch and dinner; both meals were thoroughly enjoyable. Leone’s waiters have been with him since San Marco opened in 1999. Their service is impeccable.

The stylishly presented cuisine is that of Tuscany and Venice, with the love of “cucina” and “mangia” that is very Sicilian.

For lunch, I started with a favorite appetizer, calamari fritti ($8), presented in the folds of a linen napkin along with a boat of rich marinara sauce; the calamari tender and lightly breaded — just delicious.

A full-flavored, large-leaf arugula salad ($7.95), with great flakes of shaved parmesan, followed.

On a more recent lunch visit, a special appetizer, succulent lobster tail salad ($16.95) over baby asparagus tips topped with fresh watercress, sprinkled with tiny dots of dehydrated lobster roe and circled by wedges of avocado and tangerine was fabulous!

I also ordered a plate of pasta (how could I not?), the tagliatelle alla Bolognese ($14.95). It is fine homemade egg noodles with a rich, chunky tomato meat sauce.

Our dinner visit began with slices of good Italian bread dipped in first-rate olive oil poured from a little glass decanter on the table, a straight-up Stoli orange martini and a glass of mellow chianti.

Appetizers served on chilled plates were a delight. Carpaccio ($10.95) — Italy’s answer to sushi — razor thin slices of raw salmon and tuna, with capers and watercress, only needed some added olive oil, salt and pepper to reach full potential.

My favorite Italian appetizer, prosciutto and melon, brought back memories of a recent trip to Tuscany, the slices of Parma’s best blanketing the melon, along with a cluster of red seedless grapes.

Sauteed veal and shrimp ($23.95) topped with sun-dried tomato in a delicious brandy cream sauce was exceptionally appetizing, with lots of mushrooms, roasted potato and broccoli rabe. The exceptionally tasty veal was so tender, it could be cut with my fork.

The pasta dishes can be ordered as an appetizer, a small portion entrée, or full-size entrée. Fresh-made orchiette with asparagus and shrimp ($14.95 or $19.95) was sufficient, and had large succulent shrimp, cut asparagus and a mild white wine sauce.

A gorgeously arrayed dessert tray made choice difficult, but we decided on the heavenly warm apple tart with vanilla gelato. I loved the thin, firm slices of apple and fresh berries bedded down in a rectangle of delicate, flaky pastry. Two cappuccinos were perfect double exclamation points to this superb dinner.

Overall Rating: mmmmm (out of 5 m’s) for outstanding, extraordinary dining. To contact Mitch Davis, you can e-mail him at: MdavisMainCourse@aol.com

Ristorante San Marco Location: 504 N. Bethlehem Pike, Ambler Phone Number: 215-654-5000 Cuisine: Italian Ambience: Classy, comfortable, low-noise elegance Hours: Lunch: Monday to Friday 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dinner: Monday to Saturday 5 to 10 p.m. Prices: Salads, soups: $5.95 to $14.95; Entrées: $9.95 to $28.95 Web site: www.sanmarcopa.com Alcoholic Beverages: Full-service bar