AT HARBOR’S END : This Corner of Costa Mesa Offers Breakfast, Baubles, Orchids and Tents

The intersection of Harbor and Newport boulevards is getting to be one of Costa Mesa’s busiest. A multiplex cinema has just opened, and the bustling Triangle Square mall just across the street is a big draw.

But there’s action just to the north of that intersection as well, a more personal stretch of Harbor Boulevard with lots of interesting places to stop and while away a morning.

10 to 11: Restaurants that specialize in pasta are not generally known for their killer breakfasts, but then the Pasta Connection is no ordinary restaurant. Despite the name, this happens to be an Argentine restaurant that serves pasta dishes alongside hearty fare such as matambre, empanadas , omelets heavy with red chorizo sausage and plenty more.

Breakfast is obviously a big deal in the Southern Hemisphere, or you wouldn’t be able to start your day with a dish such as Milanesa, breaded fried beef that is to the Pampas what chicken-fried steak is to the Clinton household. There are great home fries here, topped with cheese and leek, biscuits in a floury white thick gravy, and empanadas , deep-fried meat pies filled with aromatic spices.

But if you have a serious hole in your stomach, nothing beats matambre (a contraction for “kill hunger” in Spanish.) This creation, rolled flank steak stuffed with hard cooked eggs, pimentos and leeks, comes on a crusty roll with lettuce, tomato amd mayo. It’s enough to keep you going all day.

11 to 11:30: Let’s Barter is a tiny store crammed to the ceiling with odd and wonderful collectibles--everything from Buddhist good-luck charms to gorgeous hand-carved African screens. But this is no ordinary bric-a-brac shop. First off, there’s an actual barter board in here, a cork board set up for people to hang pictures and description of items for sale. Space is available for $5 a week. Second, things are sold on consignment. Even if you are just a browser, this place is fun.

11:30 to noon: Across the street about one block up is Brecht Orchid Gardens, one of the most beautiful greenhouses in Orange County. It doesn’t cost a dime to look, but if you are thinking of buying someone a special gift, you can expect to pay about $20 to $40. Dozens of varieties are always on hand, in a vivid range of colors. The delicate cattleya is the most popular variety. My favorite is the tall, stately cymbicium, majestic in pale pink.

Noon to 12:30: For my money, Adventure 16 is the most impressive shop on the street, a full-service store for anyone interested in camping, climbing, backpacking or any of the more rugged outdoor sports.

How about a Marmot sleeping bag, rated at -40F, to keep you warm on the north face of Mt. McKinley, a steal at $639 when you consider the alternative. (It’s a Gore-Tex shell filled with the best goose down money can buy.)

You can get almost anything in here--New Age energy chimes that ring in the key of B-natural, dehydrated foods, first aid necessities, top-grade hiking boots from Vasque and One Sport and the mountain tent of your dreams. The one thing you can’t get in here is in shape. That’s up to you.

12:30 to 1: The Blue Marble Coffeehouse is a good place to relax. There’s always good jazz playing, a reading library for customers and even a few board games on a rear shelf to play with your friends. Coffee’s good too, thanks to a Probat roaster that leaves the air fragrant with the pungent perfumes of fresh whole coffee beans.

This is a great small place where people come to sit at goofy little wooden tables scrawled with graffiti to nibble away on the cafe’s home-style brownies and muffins. I like these places on cloudy winter days, when the world outside feels like cruel and unusual punishment compared to a hot cup of caffe latte and a good book.