On a recent Friday evening at Rocco's Grill in Lakeway, Rockey Piazza (a.k.a. Rocco), the charismatic owner of this restaurant and its brand-new sibling on West Sixth Street, moved along the highly polished bar, shaking hands and talking animatedly as he welcomed customers and friends. Linda Piazza, gracious and softer-spoken than her husband, greeted tables and clusters of waiting patrons, adding to the already warm ambience. Around nine o'clock the two left arm-in-arm for the downtown location to repeat their appealing brand of hospitality.

Rocco's is very much a family business. If you're not greeted by Rockey or Linda during a meal, you might meet one of their daughters. Ally, 25, handles special events and catering for both restaurants and Ani, 22, does advertising and public relations when she isn't running the other family business, Piazza Real Estate.

“Ani and my and Dad are more outgoing - they go around and talk to the tables,” said Ally. "My mom and I like to stay behind the scenes when it gets busy to make sure the sauces are blended together perfectly and the food presentation is impeccable.”

And they do a great job. The food is full of flavor and looks enticing. From pasta to grilled meat, dishes are reasonably priced (entrees from $8.99) and stand on their own without an overly fussy presentation.

Fried shrimp arrived perfectly breaded, with lemon butter chardonnay sauce, a family recipe, for dipping. The sauce was a standout, and its glaze-like texture pointed out the shrimp's fabulous crunch, while the lemony sauce brought out the delectable fresh shrimp flavor.

Simple bread with herb-garnished olive oil was good enough to knock carb-watchers off the wagon for life. The soft, yeasty bread is baked on-site several times daily. The recipe comes from a cousin, who kept it secret until the first Rocco's opened in 2002, when he presented the instructions to Rockey as a gift. Rockey makes the tasty salt and herb pesto that is mixed into the olive oil.

“When customers ask me for the recipe, I tell them it contains 32 different herbs - it would cost a fortune to make at home. Let us do it for you,” Rockey said.

Pasta Rocco came out next, featuring ribbon fettuccine handmade by a local pasta company according the Piazzas' recipes. These, along with sautéed mushrooms, peas, and slices of chicken breast were tossed in a light, flavorful Alfredo sauce that bore no resemblance to the gummy commercial stuff found in so many chain restaurants.

Pizza Margherita had one of the best thin crusts I've tasted - you guessed it, also a family recipe.

The meal's true star, however, was the rack of lamb. Its mint orange mustard sauce tasted exotic - if you closed your eyes and took a bite, Morocco might come to mind. The medium rare preparation was perfect, making this about the best lamb I've had.

Rockey stressed the care put into the food and the quality of the ingredients. All of the dressings and sauces are homemade, and the steaks are hand-cut before each order.

Each of the Rocco's locations has it's own charm. The Lakeway restaurant boasts a huge veranda looking out over a golf course. The downtown store has an alleyway piazza and a rooftop patio with its own bar and views of the skyline.

The locations have common elements as well, though, most notably the vivid murals, painted by a local artist. Scenes in both entryways are of the family: son Rocco II as a bodybuilder, Linda reclining on a couch, and Rockey peddling victuals from a pushcart.

“Everybody that's in there is family, a friend, or a customer,” Rockey said of the other murals.

There's also a common standard. “Look at the restaurants,” Rockey said. “Each one is pretty perfect because we don't accept anything less. Just turn around and look. Every table, every chair is lined up perfectly. If you were to come to my house for dinner it would be just like this.”

He added, “Every night it's like having 500 of your friends over for dinner. You get to know everybody. That's what's fun about it.”