The Skillet Licker’s diner food might not be anything special, but its people are

"We have a different special every day," Allred told us. "It's meatloaf on Wednesdays."

I wondered if I would have preferred the meatloaf to my Mexicali plate, though the puffy taco was tasty. The burrito was pretty skimpy on the beef and beans, and there was enough rice on my plate for three more meals. The dessert was a slice of fresh cantaloupe wrapped in foil. I shoved that aside and ate more doughnuts.

Jennifer's tenderloin sandwich, served on a hoagie roll, was impressively large but imperfect. "It's crunchy in some spots and soft and greasy in others," she said after a few bites.

Maybe Curtis, who was helping her that day — "He's really a mad scientist," Allred explained — can tinker with that dish.

A couple of men walked in the front door and looked around the room. "Do we order at the counter?" one of them asked.

"Just find a table and sit down," she answered, beaming. "We wait on you here, like real people."