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The Black Bear Diner in Willows (part of an 18-restaurant chain in California, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona), was our first stop on our Thanksgiving trip. We hadn't been to a Black Bear Diner before and in all we found it an OK experience. The restaurant features standard coffee-shop fare in standard coffee-shop surroundings (decorated with stuffed bears which helped entertain Michaela). Service was competent. The restaurant prides itself on its large portions, but we found them to be adequately-sized. There were no left-overs to take home (which is probably a plus when you are traveling). I ordered the steak sandwich, medium rare, with fries. The steak was actually served rare - which is OK for me but I could not let Michaela have any. It was very tasty and surprisingly tender, so much so that I wonder if it didn't have something added. In any case, I enjoyed it. Mike had a burger, which he also enjoyed, but didn't find outstanding. We ordered a pig in a blanket for Mika (a sausage surrounded by a pancake), which was OK. In all, I would give this restaurant a D+ for being better than Denny's. Black Bear Diner - Willows 246 N. Humboldt Willows, CA 95988 530-934-3797 http://www.blackbeardiner.com