RESTAURANT REVIEW:

What I like most about Lino’s is the atmosphere. It has always been, and I hope always will be, a nice little family-oriented Italian restaurant.

I don’t want much more from a neighborhood Italian facility and Lino’s doesn’t try and over-extend itself, like some places tend to do. That is probably why it has been popular with locals since 1981.

That doesn’t mean the menu is just simple pasta dishes and pizza. The Lino family has thrown a few twists with the cuisine to keep people like myself interested.

The dining room is quaint, with a large aquarium anchoring one of the corners of the room. There is a mural to the right of it that actually makes the room appear to be bigger than it is.

Some tables inside are in awkward spots, like the one I sat in that is to the left of the entrance. My left side of the two-person table was up against a brick wall, so I had no sight line to my immediate left and it gave me a bit of a claustrophobic feeling.

When it is warm, the best place to eat is on the patio. It is open, airy and because the building is set back from the street, the traffic noise doesn’t really reach the area.

Even though it was a Monday, it was busy. The weekends are usually fairly chaotic, with families clamoring for tables. This was more enjoyable; the conversation in the room was low, and I could hear the music that was playing.

Focaccia bread was brought, and I dipped it in olive oil and vinegar while deciding on what I would eat.

In the past, I bypassed the pizza.

My experience with most Italian restaurants is that the focus is on either the entrees or the pizza, but generally not both.

Since the entrees I have had here have been good, I assumed the pizza would be mediocre. I was wrong. The pizza comes in either thin or thick crust, and I prefer thick.

The crust was fluffy and not too doughy. It had a nice flavor to it and the texture was perfect. Eating the crust was like a breadstick.

Being more of a pizza purist I ordered pepperoni. The pepperoni was atop a generous amount of tomato sauce and cheese.

That is good for the cheese, but bad for the sauce. I like pizza to be a little drier, but that is just a preference.

For my entrée I ordered Mostaccioli, which comes with either sausage or meatballs, and meat sauce or marinara.

I knew I wanted sausage and the waitress suggested meat sauce.

I like the meat sauce over the marinara, but both are good. The sausage was a little disappointing. It was soft, almost mealy, and I would have been better off with the meatballs, which I have enjoyed in the past.

Soup or salad is available, but for an extra cost and that has always been a pet peeve of mine. I would like restaurants to offer that with the entrée, but more and more are getting away from that practice.

Being in an Italian place I felt obligated to order Chianti.

They have a limited wine list, but all varietals are represented.

The dessert list is extremely impressive.

There are several items, including tiramisu.

The staff here is warm and the ambience friendly, it is not the best neighborhood Italian restaurant in the area, but certainly worth a visit or two.

Address: 15941 Edwards St., Huntington Beach

Phone: (714) 891-0473

Cuisine: Italian

Specialty dish: Pasta ala Pesto

Alcohol served: beer and wine

Dress: Casual

Family friendly: yes, five-item child’s menu

Credit cards accepted: American Express, Visa and MasterCard

Rating: ** 1/2

JOHN REGER reviews restaurants for the Independent.