The idea of the family restaurant makes Munch's skin crawl. Munch tends to picture such places as big and loud where the food is as mass marketed as the decor.

That is why one of Munch's favorite places, both for intimate dinners with Dear One of Munch (DOOM) and to take a couple of Munchkins, is Alexander's Pasta Express. It is neither big nor loud. And the staff is great about serving the food either family-style or individually.

There are cloth napkins, which Munch really appreciates, and white tablecloths, albeit covered with glass. One wall of the dining room has a mirror with strings of star-shaped Christmas lights hanging over it. On the other wall, there are stained-glass windows that are lit from behind.

Munch has even been to Alexander's for Mother's Day with the extended family. During one memorable meal, Munch was there with Mother of Munch (MOM) and DOOM when one of the Munchkins, who was about 3 years old, saw the waitress clearing other diners' tables and protected her plate every time the woman came within two yards.

One of the greatest aspects of Alexander's is that the meal can be tailored for about any budget. One night a few months ago, when looking at two little faces, feeling unfit for cooking and looking across the kitchen at the reflection of Munch's own exhaustion in DOOM's face, Munch made the executive decision to head to Bloomfield. There, for about $30 we were able to feed all four of us, splitting an order of eggplant Alexander, a pizza and two garden salads for the adults. We left satisfied and not completely broke.

So, on a recent Saturday night, with no Munchkins to worry about in a 10-mile radius, Munch and DOOM headed back to Alexander's for a repeat.

It's not hard to go to Alexander's on a budget. In the pasta selections, for $7.75 a plate, one can choose any one of seven pastas, and match it with marinara, tomato or alio olio (olive oil with garlic, basil and herbs) sauces. The sauces range from the lower cost to $9.95 for the pasta with white clam, classic Alfredo, or the gorgonzola basil cream sauces. From there one can add a meatball for $1.50 (OK, maybe not on the clam sauce), or other additions, such as mushrooms, chicken or shrimp.

The clear intention for Munch and DOOM recently was to walk in and make it a meal without taking a bath. That intention went awry when Munch ordered a glass of wine and decided the meal should start with two garden salads ($3.25), one with gorgonzola cheese ($1 extra).

Munch went straight for the entrees with the Mafalda Alexander ($10.95) while DOOM went for the tortellini (a pasta that adds $1.50 to the cost of the combination) with the sweet red pepper sauce ($9.95) and shrimp ($5). DOOM's choice used to be featured as tortellini Gamberi, but the menu has since changed.

The mafalda pasta is like mini lasagna noodles. It is three-quarters-of-an-inch wide and crimped along the sides. (Yes, Munch measured it. It's pasta from a restaurant. It's not as if Munch took the ruler to bed.) The pasta, which is heavy on the fork so that only one piece of pasta can be twirled at a time, is served in a blend of marina and alfredo sauce and hot sausage slices.

Once the budget was shot, Munch and DOOM went at the table as if it was the feast of bacchanalia (without as much drunken revelry and minus the ensuing orgy with the other diners) and ordered the coffee and a bowl of tiramisu. (By this time, we had long since abandoned noticing prices.)

We left with full tummies and a well-learned lesson: It is possible to eat cheaply at Alexander's, but it's awfully tempting not to.

Alexander's Pasta Express, 5104 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield. 412-687-8741. The food is also available for take-out, which is fun, too.