Some restaurants age well.  Others just get old.

Consider then what makes such a restaurant as Espo’s so inexhaustibly disappointing.  Yet it’s always full.  Lines of diners out the door are panting to get in for its family fare of ersatz Italian-American cooking in a setting that’s meant to look like a trattoria but is really nothing more than a glorified pizzeria with table service.

Espo’s famous meatballs

But the portions are huge, like the pair of meatballs as big as elephant-gonads weighing pounds each; they’re actually not bad tasting, rich and moist.  But it’s like having a double order of an entire meatloaf.  They’re served over pasta, which is described as homemade spaghetti.  That hasn’t come out of Espo’s kitchen in years; it’s clearly out of a box.  And the spaghetti was really spaghettini—so overcooked it could have passed for angel hair. Don’t count on a fabulous red sauce either to save the dish: it’s workmanlike marinara, slightly acidic and sour.

Full dining room and meatballs basically to go

Espo’s is part of a diminishing clan of red-sauce restaurants in Greater Portland that includes Casa Novello and used to count the dearly departed Village Café, which was the worst of the lot. But one by one the old flame throwers of Italian-American red sauce cuisine are  not what they used to be.  There are some exceptions such as Bruno’s on Outer Forest and Anjon’s in Scarborough; even Siano’s on Stevens Avenue can make a good showing with lusty parms and lasagna.

Still, the Espo’s service staff couldn’t be friendlier, especially so with regulars who’ve loved it for years.  Families pile in faithfully and frugal couples regularly enjoy date-night dinners and moderately priced food.   Ultimately the cooking satisfies our basic instinct for gutsy, down-low cooking that’s meant merely to fill us up rather than enlighten.

The four of us shared a starter of fried calamari.  These were as inedible as deep-fried bike tires. Sappy texture, no flavor, not even a splash of vinegar or red sauce could have saved these rubber bands.

Good salad, lackluster calamari

Besides the meatballs we were pummeled by veal parm, chicken parm and spaghetti with clam sauce.  The latter held clams in the shell.  The shells were so white they looked like they’d been put through a bleach bath—certainly not specimens from local clam beds.

I love veal parm.  Perhaps the best is served at Bruno’s, and Casa Novello’s isn’t half bad.  But my plate held two small veal cutlets, under the usual scrim of sauce and mozzarella. But the veal had the texture of cube steak when you’re expecting the buttery softness of a cutlet.

Clockwise: side of pasta with sauce; a surprisingly small portion of veal parm; clams with pasta and chicken parm

The best dish of our meal was the complimentary bowl of salad that’s served with entrees.  It holds a very good house-made blue cheese dressing that’s thick and cheesy.

As you leave the restaurant you notice a stack of Styrofoam containers resting on a shelf. Nearly every diner has leftovers to fill those boxes.  And if they give variety to the eternal evening meal, what happens after that is anyone’s guess.

Espo’s, 1335 Congress St., Portland, ME 207-774-7923 www.espostrat.com

Rating: Food that fills you up but nothing more

Service: Excellent service staff, friendly, knowledgeable

Ambiance: Neighborhood friendly

Tables: Spacious and comfortable

Parking: Onsite but limited

$$$: Moderate