The digital age has made it difficult to avoid formulating expectations about a restaurant prior to visiting.
Short of arriving at a new place the minute it opens to the public, chances are you will have heard something about it before trying it for yourself. Even when you simply Google a restaurant’s name, you are immediately presented with its Yelp rating too and, often, a few lines from the most recent user review.
A commonly cited benefit of this climate of instant information is that consumers have access to peer comments that help them make informed decisions about where to spend their money.
On the surface, this is indeed helpful. On the other hand, we’d do well to remember that some resourceful restaurants may incent their patrons to write favourable reviews or engage staff and associates to bolster online ratings with biased accolades submitted under anonymous user handles. The principal drawback of much online content is its dubious authenticity.
Of course, a little research, paired with a healthy degree of scepticism, most often results in a fair approximation of the truth. When it comes to peer-authoured reviews, consistency and sample size are key indicators of veracity.
Take the Black Bear Neighbourhood Pub, for instance. Here is an establishment that has been voted Best Neighbourhood Pub every year for the better part of two decades in several recognized publications, including in the North Shore News via the paper’s annual Readers Choice Awards. This is a truly remarkable accomplishment in an age of rapid business turnover and fickle dining trends.
It was with a view to determining what The Black Bear does that makes it so beloved by the North Shore that I recently set out to experience the pub for myself, accompanied by my friend Mike, a long-term Lynn Valley resident and regular patron of this neighbourhood institution.
In random order, here are the top things I noticed about The Black Bear that could account for its popularity:
1. It is a place where actual conversation is possible. Unlike many contemporary watering holes, patrons here are not brazenly bombarded with banging beats and booming basslines that conjure images of maniacally twerking popstars. The music, paired with the natural din of conversation from other patrons, makes the place feel vibrant but comfortable.
2. The menu is not a predictable list of pub fare. Daily fresh sheets reflect the ambitions of the kitchen to make the food memorable. Mike and I shared a first plate from the fresh sheet, an order of bratwurst sliders. Three plump segments of grilled bratwurst were stuffed into two-bite buns lined with sweet, deeply caramelized onions and topped with sauerkraut and mustard. This proven combination of flavours worked well in appetizer format and was the ideal accompaniment to the pints of local brew we had selected.
Beyond the fresh sheet, the Black Bear’s regular menu offers some creative dishes, including an appetizer platter featuring spicy, aromatic mussels cooked in Thai curry, chunks of warm naan bread, a light and crispy Dungeness crab cake, golden brown calamari with tzatziki and fresh vegetable sticks. The mussels were my favourite component on this plate, offering up sharp chili heat moderately tempered by coconut milk and citrus notes.
3. To quote a famed theme song from a TV show about a pub, sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. The service staff at The Black Bear address many customers by name and engage them in banter that goes beyond the usual commentary on the weather.
4. The pub is part of the community. Little touches like contributing a portion of sales of certain menu items to a neighbourhood not-for-profit or offering bike washing stations for the local mountain biking set, contribute to the overall impression that the Black Bear values its patrons and wants them to come back.
Additionally, in a truly unusual move, the pub had also introduced a trial family service period from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends (during brunch) and on holidays.
The pub’s Facebook page shows a photo of a giddy teenager, the first minor to successfully enter (and remain in) The Black Bear.
Our meal progressed with a generous salad of shrimp-stuffed avocado atop seasonal greens with garlic toast.
The shrimp were plump and numerous and the vinaigrette was sparingly applied, allowing the crisp greens to shine. Mike opted for chicken fajitas as a main, enjoying the DIY dinner experience, while I tucked into an ostrich Matterhorn burger, a lean patty of ground ostrich topped with sautéed mushrooms, Swiss cheese and bacon.
In my experience, ostrich is often too lean to make a juicy burger, but The Black Bear kitchen team deftly sidestepped the issue with the application of a creamy “secret” sauce and the use of micro greens instead of the usual insipid iceberg lettuce, creating a moist and juicy burger.
Our meal, which included two pints of beer each, was $105 before gratuity.
The Black Bear Neighbourhood Pub is located at 1177 Lynn Valley Rd. blackbearpub.com
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. A self-described wine fanatic, he earned his sommelier diploma in 2001. Contact: [email protected].
