Black Bear Diner - Pocatello, Idaho

 Black Bear Diner

190 Bullock Street
Chubbuck, ID 83202

208-904-0702    http://blackbeardiner.com/

The first diner that would become Black Bear dates back about twenty years to California near scenic Mt Shasta. Bruce Dean (aka Sugar Bear) and Bob Manley (aka Papa Bear) began their enterprise with the intent of making good food at reasonable prices. They have apparently done quite well towards that aim. They now have about a dozen units in 6 Western states and are in the process of adding additional units in another two states.

This newly opened family style diner has a lot to offer from is spacious booths and scenic mountain décor to its friendly and very attentive staff.  Entering the restaurant you notice the chain saw-carved black bears. They are the name sake of the diner and represent the forested mountains at the foot of Mt. Shasta where the diner chain was born. The bear carvings are done by Ray Schultz and the bears at each location are posed differently to reflect the uniqueness of the local surroundings. What is your take on the Chubbuck bears?

The menu covers are replicas of a newspaper from 1969, the decade of the founding of Black Bear Diner, featuring the major headline from way back then. The big news of the day was that “The Eagle Has Landed.” Also featured are news item from Chubbuck, “The Chubbuck Days Parade.”  It also gives you something else to read, notably 1969 trivia.  Open it up and you have the menu; it is divided into the three major meal periods, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Each one offers the guest regular size portions but also a lighter selection as well.

For breakfast there are classic egg combos, pancakes, omelets and a breakfast burrito. On a diet? There are four other selections using egg whites.  Fresh squeezed orange juice is offered all day, 16oz for $4.49 and 10oz for $3.49.  Lunch offers burgers with fries served on a platter or you can opt for the more classic approach and have your burger and fries served up in a basket.   You are offered Chicken strips, fish tacos, nine different sandwich combos from Turkey clubs to a hot Turkey sandwich and even a Cubano, a fire roasted pulled pork, ham, Swiss cheese sandwich served up on a soft Tribeca roll.

There are a nice selection of salads featuring a Bacon Cheeseburger salad, an Asian Chicken Cabbage salad and four others to choose from.  Dinner offers “home style” dinners featuring homemade meatloaf, slow cooked pot roast or Dijon crusted salmon along with several steaks and ribs combos.  You can get a Dinner Deal of Chicken and Waffles, a hot Turkey plate or herb crusted Trout. You can add soup or salad for $3.99 and a nice selection of “Extras” including but not limited to onion rings, baked potato and Italian Green Beans or a seasoned vegetable.

Black Bear features Java City coffee, assorted juices, Pepsi products and the usual selection of milk, teas etc.  For dessert they offer you a nice selection of cobblers, cakes and pies along with ice cream shakes and treats.

I had the Old Fashioned Burger for $7.99 (A 1/4 lb. Burger and French fries, served in a basket – just like the good ol’ days!) and my friend had the California Burger with Avocado and Jack cheese for $10.49 (All 1/3 lb. Specialty Bear Burgers are built with a golden brioche bun, shredded lettuce, tomato, diced red onion, dill pickle chips, mayonnaise & Thousand Island dressing.) Each order came with a generous serving of golden French fries. (Bob’s Big Bear Burger and all specialty burgers are served with your choice of side: French fries, house-made potato salad, fresh coleslaw, green salad OR cup of soup. Substitute a Gardenburger upon request.) The burgers were good size with a nice char on the meat, the toppings were fresh and they did not skimp on portion size. You get unlimited drink refills for coffee, teas, soda products but not the fresh squeezed Orange Juice.

Condiments on the table include a selection of the signature hot sauces. Crazy Cuz is a Sriracha Chili Sauce, Baby Burin (perhaps a shortened reference to bruin) is their original Pepper sauce, Mama Burn is a Chipotle Chili Sauce, and Papa Burn is a Habañero Sauce. If you fancy any of the sauces there are available for sale as well as other souvenir merchandise.

During peak lunch or dinner times the noise level can become quite high but not to the point that you need to yell across the table. Please note they will sing and clap to you if it’s your Birthday so if that’s your forte by all means let them know.  Also of note is they do not rush you as other eateries do, we lingered long after our meal was done and at no time did the servers act as if they wanted us to leave, on the other hand they kept refilling our glasses.  I was favorably impressed with the offerings from Black Bear Diner and will be visiting again in the future; it is a nice place to eat and a good addition to our area.

Rita’s Margaritas and Mexican Grill - Eureka, California

Rita’s Margaritas and Mexican Grill
Eureka, California
http://www.ritascafe.com/

August

Having arrived in Eureka late afternoon after a long days drive from Oregon, both my son and I were tired and hungry. After a brief rest we decided to drive around the town to see what was available. We toured the beach historical area and found many bistro type establishments, some frilly fish types. On the main street we found the usual diner affairs and a couple of higher priced ones. We drove up and down the main street several times passing most until we settled for Rita’s. First it was around the corner from our hotel, second it looked nice and clean and afforded parking in front, so what’s not to like?

The store front impression is that of any other small town Mexican eatery, but upon entering you know immediately that this is a California Mexican Restaurant. There is something about the feel and way they furnish, richly colored ties, the tables and booths, the smell of the place. This is an experience that one must feel to tell the difference. Having g grown up in Southern California in the San Fernando Valley and a hop skip and jump from San Diego and Tijuana one might say it’s in the blood. Rita’s is a growing concern with three stores in Eureka and another in nearby Arcata, California.

Friendly staff greeted us immediately and we chose a booth, after a longs days travel it was nice to sit on something soft. What I noticed first was the hot sauce already on the table. It was like when you eat at the House of Pancakes and they have about 3-4 different syrups on the table, well here they have several hot sauces spanning the Scoville ratings. You can mix to your own taste preference and as much as you want.

The menu offers the usual assortment of Mexican dishes and they have a good sampling of beer, local and Mexican and a full bar. We ordered their signature Margarita and what we got was a giant sized, fully packed drink and for only $6.50. Chips and a regular bowl of salsa were brought to the table, here is where you can create your own signature salsa, mine was eating through the table and my sons just a tad behind.

Our dishes came with rice and beans of good proportion and the main entrees were large and fully satisfying. The seasonings were subtle but adequate to satisfy most devotees of Mexican cuisine. Taco’s were freshly prepared with shredded beef, lettuce and crumbled cheese. The enchiladas were full and bursting with cheese and covered with a delicious red sauce. If I find myself back in Eureka, California again I will be sure to have lunch or dinner at Rita’s, perhaps both.

Rusty's Surf Ranch - Santa Monia Pier

Rusty’s Surf Ranch
AKA Rusty’s
256 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, Ca
http://www.rustyssurfranch.com/index.html

August 2011

I have always found that the smell of the ocean stimulates my appetite, or perhaps it was the double ride on the roller coaster. Just maybe it was just sitting on the world’s only solar powered Ferris wheel admiring the view from 150 feet above the pier. That’s not to mention we skipped breakfast we were just hungry and eager to eat. But after walking past all of the offerings on the pier we decided to stop and try Rusty’s. At first glance it appears to be a modest eatery but it spills over with the charm of the 60’s and surf boards and kids calling themselves Big Kahunas.

No need for air conditioning the front and back are open and the air flows freely through almost chilling but welcome from the searing sun’s rays. Small tables and chairs for the diners and a full bar in front, towards the rear are more tables and chairs and pool tables. They have happy hour drink specials as well as appetizers and cater events, parties etc.

We both picked the Malibu Beach sandwich, (Grilled chicken breast with sliced avaocado, melted Jack cheese and Rusty's sauce. Served with coleslaw. $9.95) served in a most peculiar bun. Slightly larger than a regular slice of bread it had the appearance of three small hot dog buns baked together. Thicker than bread but with a fluffy moist consistency and I must add that it added flavor to the sandwich. Served along with this is a nice bowl of Rusty’s Cole Slaw, which was flavorful, seasoned well and very scrumptious.

The menu offers something for just about everyone, from chicken sandwiches, homemade soups, a nice assortment of fresh salads, seafood sandwiches, shrimp, steak pasta and fajitas and tacos. You can get sides of fries, guacamole, onion strings, salads, bacon, garlic toast and even grilled chicken. They feature a kids menu of fish and chips, macaroni and cheese, chicken tenders to name a few. Soft drinks, wonderful coffee and a full bar are offered round out your options.

Prices are reasonable and they offer take out. The staff members are eager and friendly and make your dining enjoyable. If ever on the Santa Monica Pier do stop and try Rusty’s. Open daily at noon. I rate them a 10.

Mother Hubbard's - Buellton, California

Mother Hubbard’s Restaurant
373 A Avenue of the Flags
Buellton, CA
805-688-3912 http://motherhubbardsrestaurant.com/

August 2010

Having spent the night at Anderson’s Pea Soup Hotel and having had dinner at Anderson’s we were eager to sample other tastes. Just across the street from Anderson’s sits Mother Hubbard’s Restaurant, it seemed just right, not too far and the lot seemed to be loaded with cars, always a good sign.

On first impression you are in someone’s home, one that is cluttered with knick knacks, pictures hung on every square inch of wall space. It has been a family run business for thirty years; a home that has seen hundreds of friends, family and neighborhood kids eat their fill and squeal with delight. It is furnished with small square tables with captain style chairs which have the patina worn from the back from all the hands scooting them in and out. There was just a tad bit of a stale smell perhaps from the throngs of patrons eating or perhaps because of the years of cooking and aromas stuck to those nick knack’s.

Quickly seated we got our coffee which was hot and not bad, water and menus in hand we quickly decided and ordered. I chose the Breakfast Wrap (Breakfast Wrap - Filled with spinach, Feta, and scrambled eggs with homemade creme fraiche, served with choice of tomatoes, fruit or cottage cheese) It was stuffed with feta cheese, scrambled eggs and accompanied with large slices of beef steak tomatoes.
My son ordered an omelet ( The Californian - Avocado, diced marinated chicken breast and Jack cheese. Made with three extra large eggs home fries or hash browns, two home-made buttermilk country biscuits or toast and jam or have two cakes instead of potatoes and toast. ). He ordered it with hash browns and pancakes, which I thought odd but he seemed to like the double carb feature.

On first appearance my dish was a brilliant green tortilla wrapper stuffed with eggs and cheese. Once past the “green” the wrap was delicious and extremely large. My son’s omelet was also of good proportion and prepared very well, the hash browns were crunch and he stated the pancakes were also of good texture and taste.

The staff members were friendly, you get big portions and the prices were modest. You do get a lot of food for your dollar. The only drawback was that it was crowded, noisy and again slightly off in the smell. The remedy would be to remove one table from the front dining area and a good spring cleaning to remedy the other, for the noise remind yourself that you are dining out and to talk softly.

Perko's Fort Bragg, California

Perko’s
898 S. Main
Ft Bragg, CA
http://www.perkoscafe.com/

August 2010

Arriving late to spend the night in Fort Bragg, we chose to eat our dinner from Safeway, a couple of pre-made sandwiches, chips and soda. As a result, we awoke in morning very hungry and I do think the ocean air helped that along. Adjacent to our hotel was a restaurant called Perko’s. It is part of a chain that covers most of the length of California. From all the cars in their lot it seemed to be a favorite morning gathering spot for the locals, usually a good sign. It certainly was more convenient for us because we didn’t have to drive; just walk down the stairs across the parking lot and presto, we were ready for breakfast.

Perko’s has the appearance of a Denny’s’ or Marie Callender’s or perhaps a Golden Skillet, it offered food and that’s what we were after. We were greeted by a hostess who seated us quickly in a booth and soon we had water, a menu and piping hot coffee in hand. I must add, delicious coffee.

The menus offers the diner a good assortment of breakfast items, from eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, omelets, cold cereal just about anything for anyone. The prices were reasonable and the portions good sized and very tasty and hot. We both got egg dishes with hash browns which were done to perfection. A good crust on the hash browns but not dried out. Eggs over easy were cooked but still provided enough yoke to dig your bread or hash browns in. Bacon was cooked, crisp yet still tender and juicy all together a very good breakfast for a very reasonable price.

The interior is that of most family style places, booths and tables and chairs, it was clean well-kept and the atmosphere was comfortable. The staff was eager and friendly, all in all a very good experience with very good food and service. I would give them a 10 and I would eat again if ever I find myself in Ft. Bragg.