Making a tasty Pasta Connection

Jennifer K Mahal

You can’t miss the sign. The baby boy grinningly wearing a bowl of

spaghetti upside down on his head would make the hardest hearted

person smile while driving down Harbor Boulevard. But it’s the low

prices and the yummy food, not the advertising, that will keep you

returning to Pasta Connection, on the corner of 19th Street in Costa

Mesa.

It took Luis Rodriguez eight years to start the restaurant, which

has been a Costa Mesa staple for the past 18 years. The photo for the

sign, which features son Louis at age 1 1/2 , was taken a year and a

half before the family eatery opened its doors.

“It was one of my dad’s visions,” daughter and manager Yadira

Hernandez said. “He asked my mom to prepare pasta and sauce and just

go at it.”

Rodriguez’s vision included owning a place where pasta would be

made daily with fresh ingredients from the recipes handed down from

his mother. The dishes are Italian with an Argentinian touch --

Rodriguez, who is from both cultures, said the two cuisines are

closely linked.

The menu at Pasta Connection reflects that connection, with

entrees like Pampas steak and sandwich de Matambre sharing the page

with chicken cacciatore. The range of items offered is staggering.

There are five choices of fettuccine, three of linguini, two types of

cannelloni, five types of ravioli and more. There’s even a complete

breakfast menu with everything from pancakes (a short stack, $3.25)

to a mushroom cheese omelet ($5.75).

It is always annoying to order something only to have its

preparation exceed the amount of time you’ve allotted for lunch.

Pasta Connection circumvents this problem by stating up front how

long you will have to wait for some dishes. It is a courtesy much

appreciated.

On a recent visit, my friend and I started by sharing an order of

antipasto de la casa ($4.95). A bed of iceberg lettuce is covered

with rolled pieces of salami, mortadella and provolone. Butter beans,

tomato slices, garbanzos and green beans are tossed in with a

cream-based house dressing. Pepperoncini add a needed kick. There was

no skimping on the meats, cheeses or vegetables, but it would have

been nice if they had used less of the unremarkable dressing.

The bread served at the table is good, but ordinary. What is

extraordinary is the olive oil dipping sauce that accompanies it.

While most dipping oils have just a hint of flavor, this one has

flavors that burst on the tongue. Spicy and garlicky, I was really

tempted to find out how they make it. De-lish.

Though tempted to just wolf down the bread and oil, I did order an

entree. Spaghetti Bolognese ($6.95) is a heap of freshly made

spaghetti with a plentiful amount of meat sauce. In retrospect, I

should not have ordered the extra meat balls ($1.50). It was just too

much meat altogether. Going with marinara and meat balls would have

been a better ordering choice.

My friend ordered the agnelotti Sorrentino ($9.95), round pasta

filled with ricotta cheese and parsley, covered with Alfredo sauce.

After one taste of her dish, I wished I had ordered it. The sauce was

creamy, fragrant perfection on top of a ravioli-like pasta filled to

chubbiness. Dreamy in taste and texture, the Sorrentino stole the

show.

Also of note at Pasta Connection is their fettuccine Alfredo

($8.95), with its creamy, flavorful white sauce. You can choose

spinach or egg noodles.

There are several dessert choices, including tiramisu, flan and

cannoli. We ordered spumoni ($3.50), an ice cream with pistachio,

chocolate and cherry. The chopped maraschino cherry pieces and nuts

made the sweet experience that much tastier with their texture. Very

yummy.

Pasta Connection is a family-run affair that caters both to family

taste buds and family wallets. If you’re eating alone, be prepared

for plentiful portions that require a take-home box. While not fancy,

it’s the kind of restaurant you imagine taking your date to in high

school.

* JENNIFER K MAHAL is features editor of the Daily Pilot. She can

be reached at (949) 574-4282 or jennifer.mahal@latimes.com.