RESTAURANT REVIEW:

Sucker punched. That’s how I felt when I walked in the door of Pasta Connection and saw the notice by the cash register.

The owner of the land sold, and the new land owners aren’t renewing the restaurant’s lease. The local favorite has been on the corner of Harbor Boulevard and 19th Street for 24 years.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. The land is prime for a strip mall, and I am sure we all need another Starbucks, Quiznos and Macaroni Grill.

Just mentioning those establishments gives me hives and sends my taste buds burrowing down into the nether regions of my tongue.

Pasta Connection’s owner, Luis Rodriquez, is looking for another location in Costa Mesa. The sister restaurant, in which Rodriquez is part owner, is in Orange and features many of the same Italian/Argentinian items on the menu.

The food at Pasta Connection is good, not outstanding, but it is the atmosphere that makes the place.

It is a family-style restaurant, fighting off the chain-style Italian eateries that make runny sauce and have sickeningly sweet television commercials where everybody shares different, bland entrées and talks about last week’s episode of “Desperate Housewives.”

I prefer poster art on the walls and a deli counter that has fresh meats and cheeses I can take home with me after I eat.

I like a waitress who gets to me when she can and not one who says “folks.”

The picture on the restaurant’s menu is a classic. It’s of Rodriguez’ then 5-year-old son, sitting with an upended bowl of pasta on his head, photographed in an era that appreciated the picture for its cuteness, and for which no one was charged with child endangerment.

Institutions like it are sacred. May might be the last call for this establishment at this location.

Changing the mind of the owner of the property is probably futile, but paying tribute to one of the city’s older restaurants would be worth the trip.

When I went to Pasta Connection for the first time I was fairly naïve about cuisine. I usually ordered spaghetti and meatballs at Italian restaurants, but if I really wanted to get daring I would have linguine and clams.

This was the first place I ever had tutto mare.

The picture of the dish was on a placard underneath the glass on the table. The dish is a mix of linguine, clams, shrimp, squid and sole, cooked in chardonnay wine and topped with marinara sauce.

On my recent visit I had the house specialty, the tortellini. The tortellini is large, packed with meat and covered in Alfredo sauce, which is creamy with bits of Parmesan cheese that give it an almost smoky flavor. The chef adds a twist by putting a spoonful or two of marinara in the middle of the plate.

I have always liked the marinara here. It has just a touch of sweetness, which worked well with the tortellini.

I ordered antipasto and saved it for after my main meal. The plate is loaded with green, garbanzo and white beans. Red peppers, shreds of carrot and purple cabbage are also there. It is topped off with swirls of ham and mozzarella cheese, pieces of salami, tomato wedges, large pepperoncinis and soaked with creamy Italian dressing.

As I was finishing my antipasto, a longtime customer came in to pick up his order. He asked whether they have found a new home, and when the waiter told him not yet, he begged them to stay in the area.

It is good to see I am not the only one making that plea.

Pasta Connection

Address: 1902 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa

Phone: (949) 646-3484

Cuisine: Italian

Specialty dish: Tortellini

Alcohol served: wine and beer

Dress: casual to casual

Family friendly: yes

Credit cards accepted: American Express, Visa, MasterCard

Rating: 2.5 stars

JOHN REGER is the Pilot’s restaurant critic. His reviews run Thursdays.