One of the most charming locales along our coastline is the tiny town of Chinook, Wash.: seemingly always-sunny street lined with vintage homes, well-kept gardens and a breathtaking view of the river from nearly every angle. I have often wondered, though, why such a lovely town has so few dining options, apart from bars and coffee stands.

Admittedly, I have driven by the Chinook Inn before and not given much thought to stopping. On a recent evening, some good old-fashioned diner food seemed just the ticket, though, and Im glad I dropped by.

Chinook Inn feels like a Hollywood depiction of a diner in a small town, right down to the vinyl-covered booths and built-in lunch counter. Our server seated us right away, and instantly charmed my children, who were with me, by bringing them coloring sheets and crayons, plus vintage wooden puzzles to play with.

I began with a dinner salad and was pleasantly surprised that the salad seemed hand-crafted, with freshly chopped vegetables, croutons and a buttermilk-ranch dressing. The dressing, too, seemed housemade and with nice flavor and consistency, not the gloppy goo you find in many restaurants.

I selected the first mates platter next, with battered and fried halibut, oysters, clam strips, prawns and scallops. In my position as the Mouth, I am often asked by readers about the best places for coastal favorites such as fish and chips, clam chowder, and the like, so I try to sample these items often while Im out. For its reasonable price tag of $14.95, this platter at the Chinook Inn is an exceedingly well-prepared and generous portion of fried seafood, and I found it very fresh and tasty. The breading was golden and crisp but not overly greasy, and even the French fries and cole slaw that accompanied the dish tasted fresh and homemade.

A club sandwich, gargantuan in size with ham, turkey, bacon, Swiss and American cheeses, lettuce and tomato, followed next, and was equally as toothsome as the seafood platter.

We all shared a cheeseburger, topped with the traditional fixings, and though it was edible, it wasnt nearly as tasty as the other two entrees. The meat patty was thin and overly cooked; everything else I had sampled seemed fresh and homemade that I wondered why the hamburger patty wasnt similarly prepared. A burger is a diner standard, and the one served at Chinook Inn could be improved with a seasoned, hand-shaped patty, cooked to order. This is a minor change with major impact.

While we were dining, I overheard our server discussing the evenings special, meatloaf, with another patron, and I thought aloud that I wished I had room to order that. Yes, its true, readers; I can never seem to make a fantastic meatloaf in my own kitchen, despite many different recipes and methods of cooking, so I am always looking for a meatloaf that can impress me.

Our server returned a moment later with a large bite of meatloaf on a fork for me to sample, and it was tender, moist, flavorful and savory. I thought this simple act was above and beyond, and I appreciate service like that. I also appreciated the meatloaf, and I hope to return sometime to eat an entire plate of it.

Chef Guy Fieri has a program on the Food Network called Diners, Drive-in, and Dives. Though my feelings about both Fieri and the program are mixed, I think his mission is valuable. Diners like the Chinook Inn are the stuff America is made of, with good food, good spirit and good intentions, and they are the culinary lifeblood of our country.

If you ever happen to be on the Long Beach Peninsula, I recommend dropping by the Chinook Inn, hopefully on meatloaf day.