We were passing through Shasta, California and the opportunity to eat at Black Bear Diner number one was presented. With the wait for a table, I decided to avail myself of the restroom. There are two, and they are both unisex. The previous user was a man, and he left his calling card all over the floor and on the seat. I was forced to clean up with a paper towel from the dispenser, but the trash can was overflowing, and I had to add to the pile on the floor.
On exiting, our table was ready and we were seated at a sixtop instead of a normal table. Drinks were ordered, and the waitress brought the wrong drinks. She said she could not remember what was ordered for drinks, so she just brought what she thought might have been ordered.
Next, main courses were ordered. I ordered a patty melt with coleslaw, and companion ordered a small steak with mashed potatoes and green beans.
The patty melt was brought out after an interminable wait and not only was the bread burnt but so was the patty. There was absolutely not one drop of seasoning on the patty melt. As for the coleslaw it had no dressing on it. The waitress finally brought out a dish of a sweet pink substance she called dressing. I also asked for some mayonnaise to make the dressing more palatable. In all the years I have done tastings, (more than 17) I have never before had coleslaw with a pink dressing on it. Essentially my meal was almost inedible. When the waitress was asked about the lack of seasoning, she retorted that some customers don't like seasoning, so they don't use any anymore!
As for companions steak, it was left unfinished because it was dry and overcooked and once again had absolutely not one drop of seasoning on it. Companions mashed potatoes were literally dumped on the plate and smothered in a gravy that was supposed to be beef flavored but created many doubts. It was gelatinous and did not look at all appetizing. The green beans were flaccid and dark green having been sitting I'm sure, in a pot for hours.
Service was extraordinarily slow by any standard. As far as sanitation goes, companions silverware appeared to have been used by someone else first, and had to be replaced twice because the replacement was also dirty.
I have evaluated many Black Bear Diners and most of them have been given either three or four stars. For this one I can only give a rating of one star. Perhaps it is time to close down Black Bear number one and turn it into a museum or something else. The food here is not on par with any other black bear I have ever eaten in. I cannot recommend people eat in this establishment.
