If you haven’t been on East Brookhaven Circle in a while, you’re in for a big surprise, as we were when we turned left off Poplar last night and were greeted by a new building that looks like a soaring fortress in an Italian hill-town. Boy, that went up fast. The two-story building with the tower in front houses Marciano, the new restaurant started by Mortez Gerani after he sold Marena’s (now Roustica) to Kevin Rains; that change was announced in August.

It takes some getting used to the shape of the long, narrow dining room with the bar at the center, which is what you see when you enter the restaurant. The building is wide, and the dining area stretches across the front.

We enjoyed out first meal at Marciano. The menu emphasizes Mediterranean cuisine with a focus on Italy, and the prices are remarkably fair; appetizers, soups and salads are $5 to $10 and entrees start at $12 for a couple of chicken dishes and go to $22, and that’s for what must be the least expensive rack of lamb in town.

An order of bruschetta — and that’s pronounced “broosketta” not “brooshetta” — brought two slices of grilled bread holding smoked salmon (good), one with tomato and mozzarella (good) and one with a little heap of soft, cooked eggplant (great, and I don’t even like eggplant). Mediterranean lentil soup with sausage was hearty and delicious on a cold night, and a bowl of cioppino, Italian fish stew, was a-brim with shrimp and scallops and pieces of white fish in a rich, tomatoey broth with a thin pasta.

LL went with last night’s special, a rich, flavorful piece of flounder stuffed with seafood served with spaghetti and grilled vegetables. I chose that rack of lamb, and while it didn’t offer the deepest or most complex flavors of which lamb is possible, it was very tasty, tender and meaty; it’s served with excellent roasted potatoes and zucchini and a dark, glossy Marsala sauce.

Needing only one dessert and two spoons, we chose the tartufo, a ball of chocolate wrapped around a zabaglione cream center and covered with a Gianduia chocolate cream.

Marciano has an extensive wine list with decent, though standard, choices in all categories. Considering the cuisine, the restaurant offers an opportunity to create a specialized list of wines from Spain, the south of France and Italy, though someone would have to take the trouble to do that. We enjoyed glasses of the Campo del Mare Vermentino ($9) and Robert Mondavi’s Bordeaux-style blend, Vinetta ($7).

Service was friendly, personable and helpful.

Marciano is at 780 Brookhaven Circle East; you can’t miss it. The restaurant is open for lunch Tuesday through Friday and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Call 682-1660.