Black Bear Diner

Black Bear Diner

1809 E. Baseline Road

Gilbert, AZ

In my continuing quest for good food at reasonable prices, I was convinced by two companions to try Black Bear Diner. They are a chain of about 50 restaurants in the western states. We arrived at dinner hour and were promptly greeted and seated. The atmosphere is a bit eclectic and kind of reminds one of a hunting lodge in the mountains.

Our waitress came promptly to the table and asked about drinks. The menu is written on a kind of newsprint, and makes interesting reading. Apparently, each one is tailored to the state it is printed in, and is replete with interesting facts about the state.

Companion 1 ordered the Cobb Salad ($8.99). The portion size was enormous, and two could have easily made a meal of it. Nice smoky bacon, a large portion of blue cheese, and tons of assorted salad on a plate that was more than 12 inches across. Companion 1 was unable to finish half of it and ended up with a doggie box to take for the next day’s lunch. Companion 2 ordered the Bacon Burger ($10.49). I’m not sure, but I’d bet that the patty was a half-pound of meat. By the time it was all stacked up with all the fixings, I couldn’t figure out how anyone could get their mouth around it – but companion 2 managed it along with the cheese on it and a portion of onion rings instead of fries.

For myself, I ordered the Chicken Fried Steak. It came on another huge plate (a necessity for the size of the portion) along with mashed potatoes smothered in gravy and fresh cooked assorted veggies. There was little doubt that the veggies were cooked to order as they were still a little crisp and done to perfection. All this came with a delicious corn muffin to add to the calorie count.

None of us could avoid desert. Other than Washington State and Oregon, I’ve never been served anything with huckleberries – perhaps it’s because the bears like to eat them as much as the humans do, so they are expensive and hard to come by. Nonetheless, they had huckleberry ice cream – the only correct word for it was yum! Companion 1 had it over a deep dish cherry pie, and companion 2 had it as a shake. Neither of my companions could finish their deserts. I had mine as a simple ball of ice cream in a dish, and just managed to finish it.

Service was outstanding, and everything was nice and clean. I give them 4 stars for quality, portion size, and cleanliness.