Commonplace. That’s the word I’d use to define Rod’s Bar and Grill in downtown Warrenton. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It seems to me that about half of the restaurants in my jurisdiction are the type that register as satisfactory, and serve basic, uninteresting food that plays well to a common denominator. But you really can’t blame the business owners. It’s risky to open a restaurant that serves unfamiliar food. It’s expensive to serve fresh, locally sourced, organic ingredients. It’s savvy to give “the people” what they want. And apparently there just aren’t enough people like me (foodies) in the area to keep the exciting eateries afloat, as I can think of four such places off the top of my head that folded not long after I championed them here.

Over the past couple of years of writing this column, I’ve become quite adept at predicting a restaurant’s menu based on location, building, name, and even the vehicles parked out front. There isn’t any hard science behind it; kind of a sixth sense based on observations. So when I pulled up to Rod’s Bar and Grill, I knew what I was walking into. I steeled myself and trudged on in.

There was a familiarity to the place not unlike deja vu. When I saw the menu, I realized exactly what was going on. I’d already eaten here. Only then it was called Rod’s Lamplighter Restaurant and Lounge, and it was in Seaview, Wash. Both places have the exact same menu, and I mean that literally. One of my dining companions’ menus actually had “Lamplighter” printed on the front in the same font as my Rod’s menu. It must make ordering and bookwork easy when both of your restaurants have the same exact inventory. And Rod’s is Lamplighter’s doppelganger in every respect, not merely when it comes to the menu. The brightly lit dining room, country music, sports on flatscreens, and overall atmosphere is pretty much identical, though the Lamplighter is much bigger.

As I mentioned before, Rod’s food holds no surprises. You’ve got your deep-fried appetizers, incredibly great values on nightly specials, lots of burgers, sandwiches, salads, pizza, seafood, steaks, prime rib, etc. After ordering a few familiar dishes and confirming that it was exactly the same food, I decided to try the things I didn’t get around to at the Lamplighter.

Clam chowder ($3.95 cup) tastes really good, but is of the thick “library paste” texture. The chili ($3.95 cup) was impressive. A bold recipe, it didn’t lack in spiciness, but didn’t burn either. The patty melt ($8.95) needed more seasoning on the beef as well as the onions, but otherwise fared well. Burgers thick, hand-formed patties on a quality bun are Rod’s strongest suit. The Bar Burner ($8.95) is outfitted with bacon, pickled jalapenos, barbecue sauce and pepperjack cheese, a combination that works well. The Gale Force burger ($9.95) is loaded with chili, red onions and shredded cheddar, and like all chiliburgers, is a complete mess you’ll want to eat with a knife and fork.

Every place like this has a monster burger, and here it’s creatively named “Rod’s Burger.” Rod’s Burger ($11.95) is a 2/3-pound patty with bacon, ham, cheddar, Swiss and a fried egg with lettuce, tomato and onion on a massive French roll. It’s easily enough for two hungry people. The egg was cooked over-medium, which while not as runny as I like it, at least kept the burger from being that much messier.

Among side options are French fries, pepper fries, tater tots, onion rings and potato salad, the last of which is made in house. And while much of the food is factory frozen fare, it’s at least of better quality than some that I’ve encountered. Take for instance the chicken fried steak ($8.95). This was nowhere near as good as the housemade version at Arnie’s Cafe, nor was it as inedible as the puck served at Loose Kaboose. Mashed potatoes and gravy are prefab, but not extremely obviously so.

The fried chicken dinner ($10.95) is bereft of a heavy, crunchy coating, but was a touch dry. Canned green beans were served with all of the “homestyle dinners,” lending them even more of a public school hot lunch feel. The garlic toast that also accompanied was dark and a little burned, but that’s just the way I like it. Rod’s pizza is forgettable, but it’s pizza nonetheless.

As per usual, my guests weren’t nearly as judgmental as I was, but I always chalk this up to the fact that they’re getting driven to a free meal that they don’t need to report on. I can recommend both Rod’s for large portions of decent, familiar food with good prices, which, while not exciting to me, is what a lot of people are looking for in this economy.