After writing about Sardina's minestrone last week, I had to go back and have some there over the weekend. It was as good as usual: flavorful beef broth, vegetables and a few pieces of al dente macaroni. (Disclaimer: I like to criticize restaurants, but I'm not much of a food critic.)

Have you ever been to Sardina's Restaurant? I didn't think so. Whenever I go there, the place is almost empty.

Brett Whiting and his wife, Susan Sardina, have owned the restaurant since the summer of 2004. They're really nice and the food is really good, and I've been expecting the place to take off ever since. I've kept thinking the next time we tried to eat there we wouldn't be able to get in. It hasn't happened.

They're only open for dinner, and they do catering. Susan, a self-taught chef, has built the menu around family recipes. Again, I'm not a food critic, but I'd describe the food as American Italian. They have spaghetti, ravioli, lasagne, sausage, chicken and veal piccata, chicken and veal parmigiana and so on. Dinner prices range from about $11 to $15 with soup or salad and bread included. They have daily "additions to the menu" that sometimes cost more; last weekend they included halibut, steak, mushroom ravioli and pesto lasagna. They also have a menu of thin-crust pizzas as well as appetizers and salads.

The soups, salad dressings and desserts are all made fresh in house. Susan always makes a good variety of special desserts; last weekend they included pumpkin cheesecake and clementine pie with a gingersnap crust. (In case you're wondering, that's like key lime pie but made with clementine oranges.) They also have a good wine list.

As I said last week, I'm not a decorating expert, so I won't try to describe the decor. I think they're going for a "homey" feel. The checkerboard tile and the 1950s dining tables from the restaurant Sardina's replaced are still there. They've added some booths, changed the window coverings, filtered the overhead lighting, and painted murals on the walls. The place is always spotless. (I just checked the latest health inspection, and they scored 100 in 2005.)

While Susan runs the kitchen, Brett takes care of the "front of the house." (Do I have the restaurant lingo right?) He had previous experience as a waiter in high-end restaurants, and he's an excellent server as well as a good host. My only complaint would be that service can be a little, well, slow. We can count on being there a good hour and a half for dinner. It's time spent pleasantly, though.

I'm thinking that Sardina's and my blog have something in common. Brett and Susan are working at their restaurant, doing everything right and waiting for people to find them just as I'm making entries to my blog and hoping people find me. If I can help them by writing about them, it will help me, too. If the restaurant doesn't survive, where will I find good minestrone?

DETAILS: Sardina's is in the Mira Loma (Scolari's) Shopping Center on South McCarran. They're open from 4:30 to 9 Tuesday through Saturday and 4:30 to 8 Sundays (closed Mondays).