Lino’s homey atmosphere stands out

DINING OUT

It is special restaurants such as Lino’s Italian Cuisine, on

Edwards Street next to Blockbuster Video, that make Surf City a

destination out of season.

Here, owner Nicolino “Nick” Radogna and his wife, Liz, have

created the warmth of a family kitchen where 17 blue double-clothed

tables fill the dining area and friendly conversation skips from

table to table. Our server, Michelle Neal, is quick to bring a menu

crowded with pasta preparations starting from the familiar spaghetti,

(lunch $6.65, dinner $9.75) served with soup or salad.

I chose the soup, a pasta fagioli different from the usual bean

and pasta. It’s a large bowl filled with shell pasta and tiny white

navy beans in a thick, quite mild broth. In this, as in other dishes,

chef Jason could have used more seasoning and perhaps a touch of

tomato for tartness.

The minestrone, equally mild, was thick with leafy vegetables,

carrots and green and yellow squash. With the big basket of good, but

not distinctive buttered garlic bread, this could be a light,

healthful lunch.

From the 18 pastas offered, I had a dish of eight ravioli, big

pockets filled with ground meat -- the pasta firm and chewy --

covered with a thick, zesty marinara. Though the plate was warm, the

pasta could have been hotter. This was not true on a previous visit

when I ordered lasagna, which was sizzling hot with thin pasta layers

between ricotta cheese covered with a rich Bolognese sauce enhanced

with wine and herbs.

The spaghetti (Italian for “string”) is covered with marinara --

with a fat sausage, thick skinned but mildly spicy, laid across the

top. On this visit, again, not hot enough.

We couldn’t resist tira misu ($4.50), a large two-layered square

of chilled sponge cake and whipped cream topped with powdered coco in

a syrup-scrolled plate. We believed the translation, “take me up.”

This dessert was heavenly. Adding to the enjoyment was the small

thermos of hot coffee or tea for each diner.

Recipes are based on Nick’s mother’s, from their restaurant in

Chicago. The family from Bari, Italy, had an adventurous crossing to

the United States in 1956 when aboard the luxury liner Andrea Doria,

which was fatally struck by a Swedish steamer in the fog off

Nantucket.

Lino’s fills rapidly at noon with “power lunch” groups, hungry

natives and friends greeted by Liz. It feels like a cafe in any small

neighborhood -- relaxing, just what you need for a lunch break.

* MARY FURR is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have

comments or suggestions, call (562) 493-5062 or e-mail

[email protected].