You can put Italian food on the island, but you can’t take the island’s white-bread roots out of the pizza and pasta. At least not when you’re eating at Island Pasta in Coronado, which operates well within the tourist net surrounding that certain landmark hotel.

The restaurant’s small, casual atmosphere could be viewed as generic if it weren’t for a 13-seat lunch counter that adds warmth and character to an otherwise flavorless interior design. A few tables imposed on the front sidewalk hold little comfort appeal and seem clearly meant to accommodate spillover patrons searching for a quick rigatoni fix.

My dining companion and I ranked among them as we fought our way up the waiting list for an indoor table. Twice when we were about to be seated, the hostess realized others had come before us. It’s the kind of confusion I’ve come to expect from places that attract sun-starved tourists and their fidgety kids.

Arriving with a taste for garlicky pasta and saucy pizza, the upshot to our evening was that we partially scored. We began with a mediocre Carpese Salad that might excite the palates of visitors enraptured by Coronado’s sanitary splendor more than local daytrippers like us. The same can be said for my crouton-heavy Caesar Salad, although my companion’s plain-looking iceberg salad took on a lively flavor from some excellent house vinaigrette and Parmesan cheese.

Among the sacrilegious breaks in Italian tradition here is the absence of complimentary bread. It is offered a-la -Carte for $2 an order. And listed on the “Island Specials” menu we found a crustless pizza served in a bowl. If this is where the low-carb craze is taking us, I don’t like it.

Yet I also don’t care for meals that carry a zillion grams of carbs from pasta that is cut way too thick and spilling over the plate. Such was the case with my companion’s dinner – Jumbo Scallops served over a ridiculously large quantity of dense homemade fettuccine that carried the weight of a bowling ball. The scallops, however, were plump and tasty, but the white-wine cream sauce was weak in flavor.

Tastier and more cooperative with the fork was my order of Sun-Dried Tomato Ravioli, stuffed with the perfect amount of cheese and accented with a discernable pinch of Italian spices. Here, the pasta was thin, delicate and bright red, although I could have withstood a lot less of the creamy pesto sauce that covered the plate.

We also graced our table with a cheesy 12-inch Island Pizza, topped with colored bell peppers, onions, pepperoni and some very good Italian sausage. But the tomato sauce lacked zip. And the crust was flat and boring to the point where we found ourselves doing the unthinkable – scraping off the toppings and creating our own carb-free “pizza bowls.”

If your palate is wired for pure California-style Italian fare, then you’ll easily embrace many of the specialties cooked here, which include Fettuccine with Clam Sauce, Cannelloni, Rosemary Chicken and all sorts of pasta and sauces that can be mixed and matched to your liking. Additionally, the menu offers only one dessert – a standout Toffee-Chocolate Mousse Cake that will abolish any hankering you have for tiramisu.

The restaurant currently offers various “Spring Specials” on food and wine during the weekdays, plus a 15 percent discount for military personnel on Sundays. And of course, the biggest perk is that the beach is only a couple blocks away, should you need to walk off some noodles.

Correction: Last week’s review of Mama Testa’s incorrectly labeled “atmosphere” and “food quality” ratings at two stars (fair) when it actually received three stars (very good) in both categories. The Gay & Lesbian Times regrets the error.