Fun reading this piece. My grandparents (on my mother's side) lived in Ramona (1950's) and we kids hated going there. Hot, dusty, empty ... nothing for city kids to do. But my brother also ended up living there (1990's) and we loved it then! Quiet, friendly, secluded. I believe Ramona Cafe may be the place we knew as the Country Kitchen - big ceramic (none matching) cups of coffee, food like you just described ... the kind that makes your meal for the day. We even went to the re-opened Ramona theater to watch old movies. Although the overlap of modern and old is occurring, just like with old San Diego, if you look hard, you can see the old days shining through. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.