RESTAURANT REVIEW:

It was comforting to see a Roman Cucina in Costa Mesa as I was driving down the street looking for dining options.

The restaurant has been in my neighborhood of Sunset Beach for years, and I figured I would be safe eating dinner here. There are four locations — the other two are in Fullerton and Laguna Hills — and I figured Costa Mesa would be just about identical to the Sunset Beach locale.

It was different, though, at least in decor. The Sunset Beach establishment is smaller, quainter and has more of a couples vibe to it.

Costa Mesa’s feels more like a sports bar/nightclub. There is a bar area that serves liquor, unlike Sunset Beach, which just has beer and wine.

The room is bigger and decorated with four flat-screen televisions as well as photographs and posters of famous Italian football stars, like Joe Montana, Lyle Alzado, Mark Bavaro and Tedy Bruschi.

Illuminating the room are the large windows in the front of the room and the roughly 8-by-8-foot skylight on the dining room’s right side. With the bigger room comes more noise, but not so much that conversation is impossible.

This trip I was looking to try the lasagna. The restaurant has three types: cheese, a Bolognese (seasoned ground beef) and sausage.

Being partial to Italian sausage, I went with that one and was not disappointed. The dish comes with a salad, but I would pay the extra dollar and get the soup.

The salad is romaine lettuce, a couple cucumbers and red onion and grated Parmesan cheese. The alternative is an Italian wedding soup, which is chock full of small meatballs and escarole in a broth that is very flavorful.

I liked how the lasagna was presented. It is in a bowl and looks more like a lump than a square. The pasta sheets were thin and not chewy and in between them was ample amounts of sausage and ricotta cheese.

I would have liked more mozzarella cheese, but that is just a personal preference. The sauce used was a mellow red tomato base and not intrusive at all.

The menu at the restaurant is rather diverse and represents both northern and southern Italian cooking. The pasta dishes all give you the option of either penne rigate, spaghetti or fettuccine.

One of my favorites is the house specialty, Rosa. This is a creamy tomato sauce that has a different texture and taste than the restaurant’s basic red sauce. It is very alfredoesque in its consistency and mixes well with fettuccine.

Another good choice is the penne pasta and sausage with red sauce. It is a simple dish but well prepared and has an amount of sauce on it that doesn’t douse the pasta.

If you want more than just red sauce, the Bolognese is the way to go. The added bits of Italian ground beef gives the red sauce more of a kick. There is also a sausage Bolognese.

What I like most about the menu is that it doesn’t try to do too much. It has a few reaches with dishes like arrabiatta with shrimp and crab and primavera that blend with the basic menu well. Two other dishes I want to try at some point are the lemon cream sauce and shrimp and the aglio olio, which is pasta with fresh garlic, olive oil and Italian spices.

The pizza is good, but I would like to see less tomato sauce on it. I love the dough, though. It is thick in appearance, but very light. The calzone they make is a favorite of mine. It is huge and usually lasts me for a couple of days.

If you are looking for a hipper Italian place with a little noise, I would make a stop here. The food will not disappoint.

Address: 1773 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa

Phone: (949) 645-5550

Cuisine: Italian

Specialty dish: Traditional lasagna, pasta Rosa

Alcohol served: full bar

Dress: casual

Family friendly: Yes, kid’s menu doubles as activity book

Credit cards accepted: American Express, Visa and MasterCard

Rating: ** 1/2

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