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I first visited Mediterraneo last fall but decided to postpone a review until spring. If my impressions continued to be positive (and they were), crowds could wind up standing in line outside -- perhaps good for the restaurant, but not good for my readers, and therefore not good for me.

This place is tiny, with seating for only about 30. The interior is quite attractive, with a marble countertop over mosaic tile under deep salmon walls. The kitchen is open, and I enjoyed watching the kitchen staff cook. With warmer temperatures now the norm, the restaurant becomes more accessible through patio seating.

The menu offers casual samplings of both Lebanese and Italian dishes. Breadsticks flavored with cheddar cheese arrive shortly after you are seated.

My wife and I started one meal with Spinach Pie ($5.50), flaky pastry enclosing chopped spinach, flavored with lemon. Baba Ghanouj ($6.75) is mashed eggplant. I enjoyed this version well enough to order it again, but in comparison to other preparations, Mediterraneo's tasted a little on the bland side. Tabouli Salad ($4.25) perks things up quite a bit, though. Chopped parsley and tomatoes in olive oil bear a sharp lemon accent. Most recipes call for more bulgur wheat; this version contained very little.

A Garden Salad ($3.25, $1.50 with entrée) consists of iceberg lettuce, red onion, green olives, Roma tomatoes and cucumbers. The blue cheese dressing struck me as harsh.

Pizza is important to this concept. We tried a Veggie Pizza ($12.75 for 12-inch) and found fresh mushrooms, broccoli, onions and red, yellow and green pepper slices, plus black olives in a flavorful, thin crust. I also added pepperoni ($1.25 for additional toppings); this consisted of very thin slices with a heavy salt flavor.

That pizza dough is folded and baked to create a list of Stromboli offerings. Chicken Stromboli ($8.25 small, $13.50 large) encloses fresh chicken breast and mozzarella cheese. If you want something richer, order calzone -- the same preparation with ricotta cheese added. Ham, pepperoni, steak, vegetable and eggplant versions are available, as well. These come with a good marinara sauce.

Lasagna ($10.25) layers a tomato and ground beef sauce among pasta sheets with melted mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, plus maybe a tiny bit of ricotta in between. I would rank this in the midrange of local versions I have tried.

Linguine and Clams ($12.95) is aptly named. Bits of clam meat, plus clams in their shells, are scattered among linguine, with olive oil and maybe a dab of butter. I was hoping for more of a clam sauce, with more flavor.

Chicken Marsala ($13.50) is based on fresh breast meat, pounded thin. My serving bore a streak of gristle down the middle. Most of the flavor came from mushrooms, which tasted fresh. The Marsala wine flavor emerged at a very mild level.

Seafood Mediterraneo ($16.25) joins tender, medium-sized shrimp (not deveined), with clams, mussels and thinly sliced calamari in a light tomato-garlic sauce. I ordered this with whole wheat pasta, which I usually prefer, but the ziti that this kitchen uses did not soak up flavors well.

I would consider Mediterraneo a casual, neighborhood place, offering reasonably enjoyable meals at good prices. The level of patronage I observed indicates that the establishment has developed a popular following during the winter. It's an especially good bet in spring, for outdoor seating.

According to the "Short Orders" column and the restaurant's Web site, the owners are Ramona Hage, whose family is from Lebanon, and fiancé Antonio D'Abbusco, who is from Naples, Italy.

John Batchelor is a freelance contributor who has been reviewing restaurants for more than 20 years. Contact him at P.O. Box 20848, Greensboro, NC 27420, or send e-mail to john.e.batchelor@gmail.com. To find his recent columns, visit www.go triad.com and click on dining.