No, Dorothy, we're nowhere near Kansas. We're just west of El Cajon Boulevard and 30th Street.
Here’s what I learned by having breakfast yesterday at Rudford’s (the 24-hour diner that has served “famous home-style cooking” at 2900 El Cajon Boulevard since 1949) :
- That I had never been there before! This shocked me. Rudford’s seems such a landmark. The Googie sign alone should have won it a place in Dirk Sutro’s guide to San Diego architecture.
- That the waitresses know how to make you feel they know you – even if you’ve never been there before. When I walked in and headed for my friends’ table, one waitress called out from behind the bar, “Are you ready for some coffee?” Was she talking to me? Yep.
- That at least one waitress (“Jo”) has worked there for almost 30 years.
- That for dinner you can still get “fried eastern oysters” with tartar sauce , along with soup or salad, potatoes, vegetables, a hot roll, and a choice of pudding, ice cream, sherbet, or jello for $10.25.
- That you can get no alcohol of any sort.
- That the $4.79 “twin double” special (2 eggs, 2 bacon, 2 pancakes) is a good choice for breakfast.
- That the ham in the ham and eggs ($8.25) makes grown men (my two buddies) exclaim with pleasure.
- That the owners of Hob Nob Hill bought Rudford’s some years ago and remodeled it to make the Archetypal Diner elements even more prominent.
Now I have thoughts of organizing a Time Travel dinner excursion: first, martinis at the Red Fox (just down the street), followed by grilled liver with onions at Rudford’s. And… jello for dessert?
Sounds like yesterday went well!