Corleone's in Parma has dishes bearing the names of several famous Italians, along with others -- such as Veal Gotti and Gnocchi Capone -- who are infamous. There's certainly an air of high-ranking privilege amid the dark, secretive atmosphere at dinnertime, and a decadence on each plate. We felt special about the weather on our first visit, skirting the cozily romantic interior for the curved patio outdoors. The fenced-in area may be situated next to a parking lot, but it sits up high enough to make rooftops more obvious than cars, and to take advantage of an open, Western sky. Take note, sunset lovers.

There's also a music duo on Saturday nights, and they amazed us with how engaging just two guys who love good-old songs can sound. Request after request was met, and with personality. On our second visit, we lunched indoors. The lights were up more, giving depth and tailored elegance to the angled, tiered and partitioned little room. After three notices that they would be right with us, the waitstaff seated us and did a good job of keeping up with time-pressed, suited clientele.

Steel yourself for what arrives on the plate. Single dinners, and even a pasta at lunch, were enough food for two. I usually hate those plate-sharing charges, but the $5 extra you spend here splits the main dish into enough for two medium appetites, and gives you each salad and a side of pasta. Finally, this whole concept makes sense.

It also makes sense when you consider the price of each dish. There are plenty of dinners under $20, but there are plenty that are a lot more than that, up around $35. You could both get a share of that fancy steak or fish and still spend under $20 for food.

If only the calories were cut in half. Breadings, sauces, nuts, cheeses -- they're in there. The mastermind here must think no one is worried about keeling over in his or her tomato garden from too much richness. As for flavor, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.

Bet heavily on the Steak Zampelli ($29), a 14-ounce pepper-crusted strip steak bathed in gorgonzola dill cream sauce and served with a stack of thin-sliced potatoes au gratin so rich they almost seemed butter-poached. The pepper was the right firepower to cut through all the fat, and framed the plush flavors of the 22-day aged Angus beef.

Likewise for Chicken Liza ($20), crusted with pine nuts and asiago cheese in a Romano (cheese) chardonnay cream sauce. (Try saying that in one breath.) The foil for the richness this time was the piquant asiago.

Two other dishes were less successful: the Sea Bass Allega ($32), already rich enough from the deep-sea oils of the Chilean sea bass and topped with an almond crust. Never would there be enough lemon in the lemon and butter sauce. Also true of the Veal Gotti ($27), which mixed the breaded meat with crab-meat stuffing, provolone cheese, portobello mushrooms, diced tomatoes and a sherry-wine basil pesto sauce. All these things should add up to a distinct whole, but the distinct part was missing. Flavors competed to distraction, and the blandness of the veal didn't help.

I must say in full disclosure that my companions fell head over heels for both of those meals.

By the time we got to our baked penne lunch ($9 at lunch, $18 at dinner), we were not surprised by the family-size bowl of soothingly smooth ricotta and melted provolone tossed with the fruity house marinara. Or the mountainous mildly seasoned meatball in the center of the pasta. I like a little more garlic, but anyone just looking for comfort could drown themselves in this one.

The burger at lunch was stellar. It was big, juicy (not greasy), cooked medium as ordered and charred ever so magically on one side for full contrast to the meat. Fries were pre-salted and bursting with potato flavor.

You could order dessert here and go all out. But after trying two of them, only the house-made tiramisu made a memory. It's not as thick with mascarpone cheese as expected, but the cake layers were so fresh they still had the fragrant romance of vanilla and eggs.

We passed on dessert at lunch. I sat facing a corner wall through an otherwise lovely meal, wondering about the hideous deep gouges in the plaster on either side of my companion's chair. The result of a carb coma, perhaps? Ask the band to play a fast song, and show up when you're really, really hungry.

Set foot into Corleone's Ristorante & Bar, and any recollections of visits to its former incarnation evaporate.

In its previous life, Corleone's Italian Restaurant occupied a narrow slice of real estate a few doors north of its new location. With its background soundtrack, all-Rat Pack all-the-time, and a takeout window that dominated a tiny lobby, the restaurant presumed to be nothing more than a very good neighborhood joint well regarded for terrific pizzas, good veal and a few notable house specialties.

With its move came a new level of dressiness and greater expectations. Now it's a downright handsome space, nearly tripled in size and more destination than hideaway - though dishes honoring names such as Sinatra, LaMotta, Capone, Gotti and others evoke a hint of mystique.

The dramatic back wall in an adjoining lounge area sets a mildly sophisticated tone for the place. Dark, rich woods and a gentle curve to the wall divide seating areas in the minimally appointed main dining room, keeping the feeling simple and subdued.

In addition to the new, upscale ambience, owner Pete Bosinger boasts new help in the kitchen. Their skill shows in the restaurant's expanded menu, one that is presented in a handsome format that's easy to understand.

In the mood for, say, chicken? You can have your boneless breast handled in more than a half-dozen different preparations, each one clearly detailed. And though I don't especially welcome the practice of pairing dishes with specific brands of wines - let alone fairly average ones - if you can sidestep these mini-commercials you'll find some useful varietal recommendations in the bargain.

Since each entree is accompanied by a fairly large dinner salad, you may forgo the Caesar Salad ($6.95) as an antipasto, but it's sufficiently large and well-prepared to satisfy as a lunch. Two holdovers from earlier menus remain successful starters. Calamari Fritti ($8.95), lightly coated and crisped golden, arrive in a heaping mound. Sauteed Shrimp ($8.95) were cooked to a turn, with enough lemon in the garlic-butter-wine sauce to keep it interesting.

Artichoke Sorrentino ($7.95) is a mixed bag. Great fried lumps, they don't look like much and the pasty-looking cream cheese sauce on the side doesn't lend much to the spectacle. But the tangy morsels within are addictive. Order the tasty Sausage and Peppers ($6.95) sweet and spicy, call for a side salad and your lighter appetite may be quenched.

Pastas receive more respectful treatment than was noted in a previous review. The macaroni usually arrived al dente in servings big enough to share. Zuppa di Pesce ($20.95) is a flavorful standout, mixed shellfish and fin fish in generous array atop linguine. This kitchen turns out a sound Lasagna ($10.95), a dish at once hearty but not heavy.

Companions doted on the luxurious Fettucini Alfredo ($10.95) and a side of heartily garlicky Linguini Aglio-Olio. The potatoey dumplings in the Gnocchi Ricardo ($12.95) weren't nearly so light, though the broccoli was fork-tender and played nicely against the garlic-herb sauce. If you relish mushrooms, try the Cappellini alla Funghi ($10.95), angel hair in a nice marinara sauce laced with flamed mushrooms lashed with marsala.

Go for the Eggplant Parmesan ($12.95), a balanced treatment wherein the characteristic flavor of tender eggplant wasn't swamped by other ingredients. Veal Sinatra ($17.95), a house specialty, is a platterful of robust flavors, though they risk overwhelming the subtle sweetness of the decent veal.

Terrific Chicken Marsala ($13.95) was marred only by the kitchen's tendency to saute the meat at too low a temperature, yielding a pale finish where quicker, higher heat would lend an appetizingly caramelized finish. It's less noticeable in a delicious Vitello Arsena ($17.95), the sauteed veal blanketed in a wonderfully light cream finish, or in luscious Chicken Broccolini ($13.95), a melange of scallopini slices combined with penne in a well-garlicked Alfredo sauce.

Long a reliable destination within the southwest suburbs, Corleone's growth and maturity makes an impressive mark on the local scene. It's an appealing spot and a decided step up from so much of the midrange dining in the area, making it a place worth visiting time and again.