The Petite Pantry in Bishop, CA

There is a place where there are always fresh chips and salsa on the table, where the oldies station is on, and where there is plenty of reading material, from today's paper to old Field and Stream magazines to an assortment of books on how to cope with "being surrounded by idiots." Pictures of family hang on the walls and there is a list of six different pies to choose from. The price is right, the portions are huge, the food is good, and the owner takes good care of his customers, from cracking jokes to warning about the habanero hot sauce.

It can sometimes seem like restaurants are just about profit and the customer is just another number. But then I eat somewhere like The Petite Pantry, in Bishop on Route 395, where the generously sized Mexican and American dishes are made with pride and one truly feels like she is in the owner's home.