Truckers Say This Dusty Roadside Diner Is California’s Best Restaurant | Eater LA

"At the intersection of the 15 and 395 freeways in the Cajon Pass, I found a weathered, 62-year-old A-frame diner with tattered wooden shingles and country-and-western accents, long rows of 18-wheelers out back, leather booths and worn turquoise seats at a gleaming wood-grained counter, high wood-paneled ceilings, wagon-wheel light fixtures, kitschy signs like “We don’t have Wi‑Fi. Talk to each other, pretend it’s 1995,” and the aroma of frying oil and hot coffee. The Outpost Cafe began in 1929 as a gas station and six-seat diner and moved into this building in 1961; it’s one of a dying breed of mom-and-pop roadside restaurants and has long been favored by truckers and locals. Under owners Mike and now his son Ryan Dandurand — who took over last year and is determined to uphold his father’s emphasis on doing the right thing and taking care of people — long-time staff such as server Sherry Spearow (since 1992) and cook Elvira Canelo (30 years) help keep it feeling like home. The food is uncomplicated, nostalgic American fare: popular dishes include chicken-fried steak with eggs and bacon, a 12-ounce rib-eye with loaded baked potato, the best-selling Meatloaf Masterpiece sandwich with sweet potato fries, spaghetti and meatballs, California chicken salad, salmon dinner, and a juicy Cowboy Bacon Cheeseburger, and many truckers will go out of their way — even parking overnight and using the nearby Pilot to shower — to eat here." - Lynn Q. Yu