If you’ve never dined at Roman Cucina, here’s a tip before you go: Skip lunch. This is a place to bring a hearty appetite, because the portions are so generous and the food is so good, it’s hard to stop eating – even when you’re full.
   
Combine that with the warm, mid-20th century ambience of the dining room, and you almost feel like a goodfella sitting with your goombahs in Mama’s dining room back home. The walls of Roman Cucina’s Sunset Beach restaurant are adorned by 1950s-era photographs that look like they were taken on the streets and front porches of New York’s Little Italy.
   
And one taste of the food – whether it’s the ginormous calzone, a thick-crust pizza bubbling with cheese or a big bowl of steaming pasta – and you slip further into that Italian state of mind.
   
My husband and I have made it a habit to start our dinners off with an order of bruschetta – it’s truly the best we’ve ever had, and it’s almost a meal by itself. A loaf of toasted Italian bread, sliced into roughly half-inch pieces, is topped with sweet baby Roma tomatoes tossed with tiny chunks of garlic and olive oil, with a sprinkle of mozzarella on top. The whole thing is served warm and popping with flavor. It has a real mouthwatering zing to it.
   
If you prefer a salad to start, go with the Caprese. It’s served in the classic preparation: layers of sliced buffalo mozzarella and Roma tomatoes, topped by a few fresh basil leaves and a drizzle of seasoned garlic-infused olive oil.
   
As for the entrées, you’ll find all the standard favorites: eggplant and chicken Parmigiana, pasta with meatballs or sausage, and three types of lasagna. But my favorites are the Pasta Alla Checca (your choice of noodle – I prefer penne – tossed with a mixture of Roma tomatoes, basil and garlic sautéed in olive oil); the Pasta Rosa (a creamy tomato sauce that is rich and delightful – so simple, but so delicious); and the Shrimp Scampi served over pasta in your choice of a white wine sauce with lemon-garlic or a classic red sauce. You can add chicken or shrimp to the pastas for an additional cost.
   
On the dessert menu: tiramisu, cannoli, spumone and Roman Cucina’s homemade cheesecake.
   
Whether or not you finish with a sweet bite, you’re going to walk out with a full belly – and probably some leftovers, so you can relive the experience tomorrow.

Roman Cucina
romancucina.com
• 1773 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa
   949.645.5550
• 211 N. Harbor Blvd., Fullerton
   714.680.6000
• 25214 Cabot Road, Laguna Hills
   949.380.4228
• 16595 Pacific Coast Hwy., Sunset Beach
   562.592.5552
Hours: Open daily from 5 p.m.; closed some holidays