In addition to a book by Stephen King and a movie inspired by said fiction, The Stand is also (for lack of a better term) a hippie fast food restaurant at 238 Thalia Street, Laguna Beach, Orange County, California. I say The Stand is "fast food" only because that's the genre of traditional dining establishment it most closely resembles: there's no table service, all seating is outdoors, and you order, pay for, and pick up your meal at the same counter. I say "hippie" because The Stand offers a truly impressive array of all-natural foods made with minimal salt, no animal ingredients, refined sugar, or artificial additives.

The most expensive item on the menu is a special tamale and guacamole plate for $7.25, but it's easy to run up a bill of $10 or more per person because no meal at The Stand would be complete without one of their tasty beverages, which range from fresh-squeezed apple juice (there's also fresh orange, watermelon, grapefruit, lemonade and your choice of several vegetable juices) to herbal teas (hot or iced), smoothies, and shakes (no milk here, except of the cashew or sunflower nut persuasion). Alternatively, you could try their fresh fruit soft serve, which is exactly what it sounds like: blended frozen fresh fruit. No milk, eggs, sugar, or anything. It's amazing.

But back to the food: The Stand has incredible sandwiches and pita pockets, as well as a wide range of burritos and tamales. Main dishes include various tostadas, special burritos, and combination plates featuring Oriental-style vegetables, tamales, and burritos. There's usually a selection of soups, and their salads are downright amazing. If you order a large, you'll be grazing on it for quite a while, and if you're like me (and I know I am), you'll be loving every minute of it. The Stand's lemon herb salad dressing is incredible, and you can order extra to take home, if you like. Have I mentioned the guacamole yet? There's at least one guacamole option for all of the dishes I mentioned above, except the soups. But you can order some guacamole and chips on the side with your soup, so as not to miss out on the sheer joy of The Stand's guacamole goodness.

The Stand offers daily specials that usually involve some combination of tacos, burritos, sandwiches and salad or chips. These are almost always a great deal (some under $1), so check them out. If you want a breakfasty meal, you're in luck: try either the blueberry waffles with fruit salad and honey (so good!) or the granola. Yum.

The Stand is open from 7 AM to 8 PM every day during the summer, and 7 AM to 7 PM in the winter. I applied for a job there, was told I was rampantly overqualified, and I love them anyway. Once again, The Stand is at 238 Thalia Street (visible from Pacific Coast Highway; it's right next to the Laguna Beach Cyclery, in a building shaped like a barn), Laguna Beach.