|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
One Monday morning, not too long ago, I showed up to work, ready to go at 'em for another week, and just as I was starting to really have some fun, one of my co-workers came over to my cubicle and started raving about what a great breakfast the she and her family had enjoyed at a Black Bear Diner near her home. Since I'm a breakfast person, her story immediately got my attention, as I'd seen Black Bear Diners during my travels, and I'd surfed their web site, but I just hadn't had the opportunity to pay them a visit. A couple of hours later, another co worker came over to visit and she told me how much she'd enjoyed lunch at another Black Bear location, totally unrelated to co-worker #1. By now, I was totally interested and I made up my mind to pay a visit to the Bear to see what it is all about, and to see if the co-worker's claims of delicious food, great service, yadda, yadda, yadda, were indeed, true.
Photo: Black Bear Diner is rustic, both inside and outside. Note their sign proudly displays the mission of the restaurant. My wife and I had been planning a short "mini-vacation" in Reno, Nevada, and we were planning to stay at the wonderful Peppermill Hotel, and after surfing the web, I noticed that there was a Black Bear Diner only a few blocks north of the Peppermill, so we made big plans to enjoy a wonderful breakfast at Black Bear Diner. Those plans came to fruition when we walked into the restaurant about 09:00 in the morning, on Monday, September 24, 2007.
Photo: Once inside, you're greeted by wooden bears, who display daily specials, and a friendly girl who will seat you at the table of your choice. We like to observe all of the action, so we requested to be seated at the table in the center of the photo. Annette the waitress is slightly blurred, as she's very busy taking care of customers. Black Bear Diner is a small restaurant chain that got its start in the California mountain community of Mt. Shasta City, and the decor reflects the Bear's heritage, as its very rustic, and family oriented; in fact, due to the log cabin atmosphere, you'd think that you'd stepped into a dining room of a ski chalet restaurant in a resort high up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Inside, the restaurant is quite spacious and very comfortable, and its decorated with all sorts of pictures, wood carvings related to bears. Off to the side, they even have a small gift shop where you can purchase Black Bear souvenirs, including stuffed bears, T-shirts, bear wood carvings, kiddie toys, card, coffee mugs and the list goes on. The rustic decor and the souvenirs are great, but what we were look for was great service and a delicious breakfast, and we were seated immediately near the kitchen counter, which is my preference, and presented with menus and hot cups of coffee. That's the way to start off a delicious breakfast!
Photo: Annette and another girl are very busy serving customers, as they pick up orders at the kitchen's ready window. The Black Bear menu proudly states the restaurant's motto as "Good Old Fashioned Family Food," and the menu reflects that ideology, as their entrees are built around family favorites, and the staples of West Coast dining. In addition to breakfast, Black Bear serves lunch and dinner, as well, and their dinner menu includes, besides the usual steaks and burgers, such "Good Old-Fashioned Comfort Dinners" such as fried chicken, meat loaf, chicken pot pie, pot roast, and as quite a surprise, liver and onions. Looking over the extensive breakfast menu, Sharlene ordered a "Bear's Choice," which essentially you can pretty much mix and match whatever you're in the mood for, but I ordered ham and eggs, homestyle potatoes, sourdough toast, and a side of sausage gravy. I find it difficult to enjoy a wonderful breakfast without gravy on the side!
Photo: Annette places my plate of ham and eggs on our table, as Sharlene looks on approvingly. Within a few minutes, or friendly server Annette brought us our delicious meals. Sharlene isn't much of a breakfast person, so her meal was pretty basic, consisting of a large waffle, scrambled eggs and bacon. I'm more adventuresome, so I went all out. The slab of ham was thick, juicy and cooked perfectly, and it even sported perfect grill marks, which a HUGE plus in my book. I ordered eggs over easy, and they were cooked perfectly, not to runny, just glazed on the surface, and the eggs were cooked perfectly to my liking! However the best part of the whole meal is Black Bear's homestyle potatoes, as they're probably the best homestyle potatoes that I've ever eaten. They're cooked to a crunchy, golden brown on the outside, yet inside the potatoes are moist and tender. Since they're homestyle potatoes, they come with diced, grilled bell pepper and onion slices, and I don't know how Black Bear grills their veggies, but they're grilled perfectly, with just a little crunch, yet they're thoroughly cooked. When you add them to the potatoes, you have the best homestyle potatoes that I've ever had the pleasure to enjoy. If you only visit Black Bear Diner for one reason, don't walk away without savoring their delicious homestyle potatoes. Maybe it was the wrong thing to do, but I enjoyed eating the gravy with my eggs and toast. Or, perhaps that's just me? On a beautiful Monday morning in September, Black Bear Diner is a very busy restaurant, enjoyed by locals, but it also attracts hunters, who were being drawn to Reno at the start of deer season, and I would imagine, quite a few guests from the Peppermill, who are tired of Peppermill's generic, and over-priced coffee shop, that serves food that tastes like it was just unloaded from the Sysco truck.
Photo: My breakfast of ham and eggs. Note the juicy slab of ham and the perfect grill marks, which makes for an attractive presentation. The homestyle potatoes are the best potatoes that I have ever eaten. My co-workers were right, as Black Bear Diner is an absolutely wonderful place to enjoy the kind of food that other restaurants brag about, try to serve, but fail to deliver. Their motto of "Good Old Fashioned Family Food" says it all, as Black Bear Diner features fast, friendly service, quality food, rustic decor, a relaxed, family-friendly dining experience, a very traditional menu, and attractive prices. You won't walk away hungry after enjoy a meal at Black Bear Diner, as the portions are huge. If you want to enjoy a restaurant that features the best in everything, you should pay a visit to Black Bear Diner. You won't be disappointed.
Black
Bear Diner
Copyright(c) 2007 eRench Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since December 22, 2002. Web page design has been created by eRench Productions, Inc., custom photography for any occasion..
|
