Dining Out:

If given the choice between a fancy gourmet dinner and home-style cooking, every U.S. president from George Washington to George W. Bush has preferred the latter. Meatloaf with mashed potatoes, turkey with gravy and baked chicken with hot rolls have been presidential favorites for years. Even culinary master Thomas Jefferson had to indulge in his favorite, fried chicken.

Fortunately, you do not have to take the oath of office to admit that you prefer classic home-style cooking. In fact, even us gourmets need a plate of fried chicken once in a while. Lancers Family Restaurant in Burbank has been serving simple comfort foods for years. If you remember eating there with your grandparents, you are not alone.

There is something rather comforting in walking into Lancers and finding that nothing has changed much over the years. The booths are still comfortable, the staff genuine in their kindness, the prices reasonable and the portions of food generous. I have to admit that most people my age consider Lancers their grandparents’ hangout. In an age of sushi bars and hybrid cuisines, local restaurants serving classic American cuisine sometimes get lost in the generation gap. Of course, when I asked my friends to name a few of their favorite dishes, it read like the menus at Lancers.

Lancers is one of the few places in Burbank that you can find a great breakfast menu with all the standards, from pancakes and waffles to bacon and eggs and huevos rancheros. They even make a pretty good mimosa and Bloody Mary. I like the breakfast specials because you get the most for your money with the best combination of favorites. Check out the two eggs, hashed browns, bacon, toast and jelly for only $6.79 or the three fluffy buttermilk pancakes and two eggs for only $5.79. I’m a Starbucks fan, but the coffee at Lancers is pretty good.

While Lancers has some pretty good lunch specials served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., like a cheeseburger and fries or BLT for under $6, I prefer to order from the long list of hot and cold sandwiches. There are more than 20 sandwiches on the menu, from the classic French dip to a barbecued pork sandwich that would make B.B. King ask for seconds. My mom’s favorite is the three-decker club royale deluxe. Open wide for the tall stack of bacon, lettuce, tomatoes and turkey on toast. I thought the hot pastrami on rye was one of the best this side of the Empire State Building.