Bear Bites Restaurant and Grill
1001 N. Ventura Ave.
Ventura, CA 93001
I noticed this place a few months ago while heading down the Avenues to Cuernavaca (which I should really write about-it's good), and thought it looked a little out of place. The location is a former hamburger stand that looked a bit grimy in a not good way, and so I'd never tried it. Then, as I drove by, I noticed that all the outside chairs looked nicer, and the stand seemed to have received a coat of paint. I made a mental note that I'd give it a try the next time I had a chance.
So today, when my father-in-law asked about a place to go for brunch, I initially said, "Cuernavaca." But as we were driving by, I said we should try Bear Bites out. There was ample parking along side the restaurant, so we pulled up. We then walked to the window, and the friendly counter girl asked if we'd been by before. My father-in-law said that we hadn't, and while he was saying that, I saw it-the "Joe's Omelette," one of my favorite breakfast meals, (see my June 17, 2013 post about "Joe's Special," the Busy Bee, the Daily Grill and an older woman if you want to know why it's one of my favorites). Priced at about $8, it seemed almost too good to be true.
My father-in-law and I both ordered the Joe's Omelette (strangely, my father-in-law was with me the last time a I ordered a Joe's Special at the Busy Bee). The big difference from a "Joe's Special" is that the "Special" is scrambled, and this was an omelette. It still had spinach, mushrooms, onions, and ground beef, but the Bear Bite's twist is the addition of serrano chile, something that I probably would have asked them to hold had I known. It comes with a choice of potatoes-I went with the Potatoes O'Brien and sour dough toast. I also ordered coffee. My son tried a Cave Dog, a hot dog with bacon, grilled onions, bell pepper, catsup (I normally spell 'catsup' like this-ketchup-but the menu has the other), and mustard. It came with fries and a medium drink for $4.50.
The service was quick, and for the price, the food was excellent. My son loved his Cave Dog, and I thought it looked pretty good also. My Joe's Omelette seemed a touch small, but the large helping of potatoes and slices of sourdough balanced it out, and it seemed a fair value for the price. The coffee was good, too.
Like I said, when I go back I'm going to ask to hold the serrano. I also saw several other things I'd like to try, and I'll follow up soon. The menu features a full array of reasonably priced breakfasts, burgers, sandwiches and salads. The 'Paw Paw' dessert also looked good, a bear claw with vanilla ice cream topped by dulce de leche and almonds. Bacon, avocado or cheese can be added to anything for an additional $0.75.
The girl at the counter said that the cook was the owner, which was nice. I'll ask a few more questions the next time I'm there. It seemed like the cooking and menu were a bit advanced for a hamburger stand and so I'm wondering if there's more of a story to the restaurant. They have a Facebook page, and a somewhat incomplete website.A new, inexpensive food stand is always welcome, and I look forward to more visits. Lot's of specials, too.
