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Although my Oregon roots are lifelong and firm, I am the product of a Southern California transplant. Nowhere does that facet shine through me more than when choosing a fast-food place. I may loathe freeway traffic and pumping my own gas, but I look back fondly at the quick meals during my childhood visits with Mom's family in Anaheim Hills, Santa Ana and Glendora, Calif. Those stops at Carl's Jr., El Pollo Loco, In-N-Out and Del Taco prior being schlepped with my cousins to Disneyland intrinsically shaped my opinion of what fast food could and should be. The gold standard of the fast food Utopia that is Orange County, In-N-Out Burger, is coming to Medford within a month, but Medford already houses my second favorite California-based spot, Del Taco. Poring over our archives, it appears the restaurant never earned a mention on Tempo pages before. Many locals may have driven past Medford's Del Taco, adjacent to Lava Lanes at 2860 Crater Lake Highway since December 2006, knowing little else than that the Medford store's doors were shuttered between late 2008 and mid-2010. But others, particularly former Californians, know that the chain takes pride in its freshly grilled chicken, from-scratch beans, crinkle-cut fries and hand-grated cheddar cheese. For first timers, it's a rocky introduction. I compare visiting Del Taco to playing a new video game — a great experience that didn't come with any instructions. I've watched my friends try to translate their Mexi-preferences from that other  ubiquitous taco chain, and it doesn't work well. You've got to start on Del Taco's terms. I recommend the half-pound bean and cheese burrito ($1). Offered with a choice of red or green sauce (the green one being Mom's favorite), the simple burrito wraps a hearty — although rather inconsistently sized — portion of beans, a generous amount of sauce and gooey, melted, grated cheddar cheese.  Another standby that plays to Del Taco's strengths is the chicken soft taco ($1). It puts diced, freshly grilled chicken in a flour tortilla with sour cream, shredded iceberg lettuce and cheddar cheese.  As a bonus, from 3 to 11 p.m. Thursdays, you can get three of them for $2.09. They also serve burgers. Similar to In-N-Out, they grill burgers as they're ordered and serve them on buns that are grilled, not toasted. Because the burgers aren't sitting in pieces waiting to be assembled, there's usually a few-minutes wait. I took a couple co-workers on our lunch break to see whether I could make some converts. Our intern was pleasantly surprised at the quality of her Double Del Cheeseburger. It piled two thin, fresh patties, slices of American cheese, lettuce, two tomato slices, and diced, fresh onion on a sesame seed bun with their special burger sauce. I ordered one for myself too. She was a little less wowed by the crinkle-cut fries, which could have been fresher, but they seemed hot and crispy enough for me. For those with an even larger appetite, you can turn to chili cheddar fries for $1.30 extra. Adding to the insular culture of Del Taco fandom, there's some "secret menu" pointers. A certain type of fast-food diner will be interested to know that if you have them "Make it Bold," they add fries and special sauce to any menu item for 39 cents extra. I like to modify their half-pound bean burrito with it; the creamy blend of textures makes for my favorite thing that costs $1.39. For more typical diners seeking something a little less drive-thru avant garde, you can ask the cashier to make a menu item "deluxe," which adds lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream, also for 39 cents. Del Taco's secret menu comes with a caveat, though. Unlike In-N-Out's cashiers, who start out the gate knowing the meaning of "Animal Style," I've had to coach more than a couple new cashiers on the "bold" option over the years. The buttons are on the register in some combination of button presses, or so my receipts demonstrate, but a little patience may be necessary to get the desired result. It can be a fast-food diamond in the rough, sometimes lacking the polish of places like In-N-Out Burger or even McDonald's, but Del Taco's off-the-beaten path approach makes it worth my drive past two Taco Bells to get there every time. — Nick Morgan