Built as a turn-of-the-century Craftsman-style home frequently seen in Lynn Valley, the Black Bear nestles in a corner where its nutmeg-coloured siding blends in beautifully with the natural setting. As Ron Slinger puts it, "We wanted our building to fit in with the area and Martin Kaffka of Kaffka Designs helped us to achieve just that."

On entering the front door, you get a feeling of spaciousness and light--even before you partake of any beverages! There are crown moldings appropriate to the period, high ceilings, and a large stone fireplace. The interior design by Rob Kay, of Dale Matthews & Associates, features delicate blue/green hues in the wallpaper against the ultimate craftsmanship of the woodwork.

There are many collectibles on display and an interesting selection of historic photographs of the area, some of which were discovered in local archives by Dave Raht. "We also have a pretty good collection of Indian art provided by a local collector," adds Dave, "and we undertook to provide a sense of Lynn Valley's history."

There's a heritage-style verandah, with its own large stone fireplace, plus additional outdoor heating. From the verandah, you can view some of the local mountains, keep an eye on who's coming-and-going where or doing what at the local mall, or even watch a bit of TV.

The Black Bear logo, designed by VJ Graphics of North Vancouver, appears on the front of the food menu, which ranges from starters to soup and salads, wrapworks, burgers, sandwiches, to a wide variety of entrees, including pasta. There's even a signature dessert.

"We serve great food, not fast food," says General Manager Milos Indic, describing the Bear's fare. "It took me 10 years to find the right burger bun, and three years to find the right wraps for oriental vegetable and stirfry items, and for our cheesesteak and fajiita."

"Milos has been with Dave and me for 11-and-a-half years,"says Ron, "and he is constantly on the lookout for exciting new menu items. Food creates loyalty and brings customers back, and at The Bear we're excited about the challenge of gathering customers and creating new loyalties all over again. "

The Black Bear has its sights on being at the front of the pack. On the high-tech side, it operates with a state-of-the-art information management program point-of-sale system created by Micros Systems, and it's dubbed the Micros 3700 System. The pub is wired for laptop computers and modems, and offers Sportsound--the latest in portable speakers--all at no cost to customers.

There's also a monster 63-inch rear-projector TV set, which is behind closed doors unless there's a special sports event on tap. And for those with a little flutter in mind, the Black Bear was the first North Shore pub to offer Club Keno.