Hefty portions at Black Bear Diner could satisfy short hibernation
The Grizz served at Black Bear Diner iin Orem.
The Bob's Big Burger Deluxe.
The Hungry Bear Chicken Fried Steak served with pancakes.
The Hungry Bear Chicken Fried Steak served at Black Bear Diner's new location in Orem.
The Grizz served at Black Bear Diner in Orem.
The Bob's Big Burger Deluxe served at Black Bear Diner's new location in Orem.
Be sure and bring your appetite when heading out to enjoy a meal at the new Black Bear Diner.
As the name suggests, the impressive food portions are big enough to satisfy even the most ravenous black bear.
One of the newest restaurants in Orem, the Black Bear Diner is a great family-style restaurant featuring a hefty menu of breakfast, lunch and dinner options. The bear-themed decor inside and out is sure to delight children of all ages with wood-carved bears, stuffed animals, bear cub photographs and even nostalgic bear-themed ephemera.
After admiring all the fun woodland decor, I shook open my newspaper-style menu to consider my many, many options. Did I want breakfast? Or was I going to stick with a lunch option? What about a larger dinner entree?
The breakfast options like the Grizz with its sweet cream pancakes, eggs, potatoes and hefty serving of breakfast meats — bacon, sausage and a ham steak — sounds perfect for anyone with a ferocious hunger.
The Bear Claw French Toast, made from either a fruit-filled or classic bear claw pastry, sounds like a delicious sweet breakfast, too.
And then there’s the four different versions of Black Bear Benedicts — the classic eggs benedict; the California Bacon option with avocado, bacon, spinach and tomato; the spicy Huevos Rancheros with pulled pork, green chiles and salsa Hollandaise; and the Mushroom Spinach.
Ultimately it was the lunch menu that grabbed my attention most, specifically the new Parmesan Sourdough Cheeseburger. Laced with Dijon mustard, Swiss cheese, tomato and grilled onions, this burger was served sandwiched between two pieces of Parmesan-crusted sourdough bread. Selecting onion rings for my side, I enjoyed every bit of this meal. The sandwich was packed with rich flavor and the onion rings were perfectly seasoned and lightly fried.
My frequent lunch buddy, Michelle, ordered the lighter version of the Turkey Club with a side of French fries. Raving about the extra-crispy fries, she also managed to enjoy a few of my shared onion rings.
With both of us prepared to take home our entree leftovers, we decided to splurge and order from the dessert menu.
Michelle ordered the popular Peach Cobbler and I gave in to the Banana Cream Pie temptation. When our waitress delivered our desserts, I was completely flabbergasted. My pie was no ordinary single slice of cream pie. It was an entire miniature pie, the tin filling a soup bowl and brimming with whipped cream. Michelle’s cobbler, too, was huge. These desserts are clearly made for sharing, or lots of leftovers, or both.
What a wonderful cream pie! The custard was rich and full of banana flavor. My only slight disappointment was that the pie had a graham cracker crust. I was longing for that traditional pie crust — the crust that encased Michelle’s cobbler. I guess next time I’ll just have to order a cobbler.
Dinner options at Black Bear include classic diner favorites like chicken pot pie, fish and chips, chicken and waffles, meatloaf, spaghetti and meatballs, a selection of steaks and even a tri-tip combo with either pork ribs or fried shrimp.
So if your den of cubs is hankering for a large meal, enough to keep them satisfied through even a short hibernation, gather everyone up and head to Black Bear Diner for some delicious, homestyle cooking.
BLACK BEAR DINER
Where: 771 E. University Parkway, Orem
Hours: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Prices: From $5.99 for breakfast up to $16.99 for dinner.
Info: (385) 236-2782, www.blackbeardiner.com