RESTAURANTS / Max Jacobson : Trattoria Puts Out Good Fare, and There’s Nary a Sidewalk in Sight

Hold everything. A trattoria without a sidewalk? The Italian government has dissolved over less.

Garduno’s is a Costa Mesa trattoria struggling to be an Italian sidewalk cafe. The problem? It’s attached to a supermarket complex,and graded asphalt surrounds the entire building. There isn’t an outdoor table or a strolling musician in sight.

But don’t fret. The heart of a good trattoria is behind the kitchen stove. And Mark and Julie Garduno, an engaging young couple who opened the restaurant 13 months ago, know that. The modest, home-cooked fare they serve has plenty of richly flavored sauces, finely minced herbs, and occasional surprises. Their food may not exactly remind you of Mama, but it doesn’t remind you of Mama Celeste, either.

It’s a tiny place, really, with about 10 tables covered in red-and-white-checked cloth and squeezed around a large deli counter. A dark, terra cotta floor makes the room look even smaller. The long, glass deli case is filled with marinated salads, imported salami and gooey desserts. Behind it, Mark and his assistant keep busy in the open kitchen, while Julie takes the orders and brings the food.

The nice thing about a mom-and-pop restaurant like Garduno’s is that the cooking can be free-form. Instead of matching pastas with sauces like so many restaurants do, the Garduno’s just list all the possibilities of pastas and sauces and leave the choice to you.

Mark will also custom-make a sauce for you with any combination of things he has on hand, and, if it strikes his fancy, name it after you. Just think. Dinner and immortality for one low price.

One thing Mark did for me was customize his garlic bread. It’s listed on the menu as bruschetta , but it’s more like a baked loaf with garlic, cheese, tarragon and a few spices. I asked him to make me one by rubbing the bread with garlic and pouring olive oil over it. He did, and it was wonderful.

But I’m not implying that you should get too fancy with the guy--most of his pastas are already too good to pass up. Each pasta dish is made to order with sauces such as pesto, arrabbiata and vongole , and they are worth the wait. I adored a chewy linguine with a creamy carbonara , loaded with fresh peas, bits of pancetta (Italian bacon) and sauteed mushrooms. Fusilli (twirly spirals of pasta) is terrific paired in the chunky, tomato-based sauce listed as salsiccia --it’s made with big pieces of meaty Italian sausage.

Al forno pastas (oven-baked) are the opposite of lite beer: more filling. And they don’t taste great. Maybe it’s because some--the cannelloni , for instance--are kept in a steam table. My cannelloni came stuffed with minced veal and spinach that had seen better days by the time I tasted it. Maybe it simply had been sitting too long. The steam-table lasagna looked better--it must have been a foot high, and people at the next table were talking it up with vigor. Next time.

Besides pasta, a full Italian menu is served, including creations from the chef that change daily. Appetizers such as mussels and clams in a cioppino -style stew are excellent, as is the insalata caprese , fresh tomato and basil with bufala mozzarella. A thick three-bean soup served with most entrees is full of oregano, thyme and other intoxicating spices. And Julie is pretty proud of the restaurant’s scarola , a hot vegetable dish of escarole, spinach and romaine sauteed together with garlic and served hot. It is so light and fragrant that it is almost like a Chinese vegetable dish. It makes a good complement to veal or other heavily sauced dishes.

Even better is the group of dishes Garduno calls secondo piatto (or second dish), usually listed on the blackboard above the counter. On any given day, there will be sun-dried tomatoes, fresh artichoke, porcini mushrooms and other Italian delicacies incorporated into original dishes using pork, sea bass or whatever the chef has on hand. I had a puff pastry with layers of meats and vegetables called torta Siciliana --in homage to the Garduno Sicilian background. The dish is heavier than torta rustica of Northern Italy, with more lingering tastes. I wouldn’t say it works.

Best from the regular menu might be the vitello al limone , tender, white veal in a slightly thick sauce made from lemon, butter and capers. Pass on the involtini di pollo , or stuffed chicken breast. Mine was mostly stuffing (in fact the same stuffing in the cannelloni ), and it too had come from the steam table. If you insist on chicken, order the pollo paesana , a saute with fresh peppers, onion and peas. Think of this dish as Italian-style fajitas .

Because Southern Italian cooking can be substantial, one would expect the desserts to be light. Not here. Julie’s sister makes the cheesecakes, and they are terrific. I liked the caramel pecan variation best. There is a fine, rummy tirami su , but I found it so rich that two bites seemed an indulgence. Some store-bought cannoli , horns of cheese dough filled with a custardy cream made by the chef, are about the lightest sweet on hand. Better find a long sidewalk and head down it after your cappuccino.

Garduno’s is moderately priced. Antipastos are $1.75 to $6.95. Pastas are priced from $6.95 to $10.95 (oven-baked pastas are all $6.95). Main dishes are $9.95 to $13.95, and include soup or salad, and pasta.

GARDUNO’S RISTORANTE ITALIANO

298 E. 17th. St., Costa Mesa

(714) 645- 5505

Open Monday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sat., noon to 10 p.m.

American Express, MasterCard and Visa accepted