While I would happily partake in five-star, white-tablecloth dining any day of the week, there is something to be said for a small, comfortable place that feels like you are eating in a friends kitchen. Anitas Coastal Café in Long Beach, Washington, with its mismatched plates and mugs, handmade quilts on the wall, and a generous childrens play area, is comfortable and unassuming and as it turns out, is also a nice spot for a simple breakfast or lunch.

On my recent visit, I sampled the lunch special of the turkey gobbler sandwich, with turkey, cream cheese, cranberry sauce, and lettuce on sourdough bread. Although it was tasty enough, it was rather average. Im somewhat picky about turkey, and as such I dont often order it. To me, the ideal turkey sandwich can be made the day after Thanksgiving, and features big hunks of leftover roasted turkey. Something about sliced turkey lunchmeat just sort of bothers me, although I recognize I may be in the minority here. Luckily, at Anitas, the turkey lunchmeat is better than at most places. I still think the flavors could be punched up somehow, maybe by replacing the bread with a ciabatta roll or a croissant.

I was pleasantly surprised by the side salad that accompanied the sandwich. Often when Im dining out, Im fairly certain that the salads being served come from a pre-mixed bag. Of course, journalistic ethics prevents me from speculating about that unless I have verified it, and most places probably wouldnt cop to it if I asked. I mention this only because Anitas side salad is clearly handcrafted, with a delightful mélange of spring greens, ripe cherry tomatoes and crisp slices of cucumber. The Italian dressing that accompanied was zesty and zippy, and overall, the salad was much, much better than many I have found elsewhere when dining out.

A cheeseburger was also tasty, if a bit on the bland side. Although the patty itself was formed and cooked well, it lacked in flavor and could easily be improved with some simple spices. There was a kind of un-namable quality I liked about it, though: Something about the way the cheese was melted on the top and the toasted bun reminded me of the way my mother makes burgers at home, and there was something about it that just seemed home-y to me. The French fries that were served alongside were fantastic, and I would come in another time for just a side of them. Incredibly crisp on the outside but tender on the inside, these are perfect fries.

I particularly enjoyed the breakfast offerings on the menu. An order of biscuits and gravy was creamy and savory, and the biscuits were fluffy. A simple order of eggs and bacon were cooked just to my specifications, with the eggs perfectly over medium and the bacon extra crispy.

My favorite dish of the day was a German skillet breakfast special, which I sincerely hope could make its way onto the regular menu. German sausage is scrambled with eggs, peppers, and melted cheese and served with rye bread. The sausage was sweet and a bit spicy, and the peppers lent a savory quality to the overall flavor. The rye bread was a nice touch, too, I thought, and it matched the other flavors in the dish perfectly.

I must also comment that I found the serving sizes ample, particularly the breakfast portions, which were more than could be eaten in a single sitting. With prices mostly below $10, this is a wonderful value.

So, is Anitas Coastal Café a five-star experience with innovative, inspired dishes? No, it isnt, and thats okay. There is something to be said for a restaurant that would rather succeed at a small number of dishes than be mediocre at many, where the food is comforting and reliable, the coffee in your mug never goes lower than the half-way mark, and the service and atmosphere are bright and pleasant. Its amazing how simple that is, and yet, even more amazing that a lot of places cant seem to get that.

Anitas Coastal Café gets it, and its a nice, out-of-the-way spot to drop in for breakfast or lunch.