At first glance, the Black Bear appeared to be one of those neat, die-hard diner places you find along the highways / byways in deepest, darkest America that are sometimes profiled on the Food Channel; that have a loyal (local) clientele and owners who refuse to sell out to or make way for the leviathans of fast food like McDonalds.
Though the paper menus on our table enumerated the many principles that the Black Bear extols, and though serving great food was among them, great food was not on the menu. Indeed it seems that the size of the servings is 1 of their claims to fame; and if that isn't a red flag, than you must like your food served to you in snow shovel proportions.
Size may matter, but should not be a trusted measurement of fine food. The ""Oriental"" salad I had was pretty awful > everything out of cans except for the lettuce (the water chestnuts etc...) My wife wanted the spaghetti and meatballs without the spaghetti (I know...she's weird) and a side of vegetables.
And while 1 of the other virtues extolled on their paper menus was accommodating special requests, from the look on the server's face I could tell that this was a big deal. Separating meatballs from spaghetti is, after all, a complex procedure.The meat in the meatballs resembled field rations and according to my wife (I wouldn't touch them) tasted lousy.
The side of vegetables came swimming in butter. To cap it off the service was OK. It took a long time for our food to arrive and the waitress (I cannot say “wait person”) left us alone in the corner, without tending to our drinks or reassuring us that the food was on the way. With an iced tea & tip lunch came to $21.56, which was about $10 too much. I’d go to Denny’s.
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