My work travels had me heading west of Belmont County recently and thus, I was once again on the hunt for a dining establishment in Guernsey County.
Fortunately, I recall an eatery on U.S. 40, technically in Cambridge, but to me, just west of Old Washington. I found it traveling into Cambridge, for pizza no less, following a Buckeye Trail softball game last spring.
It’s not the first time I passed the Bear’s Den Steakhouse and remarked to myself that this is a place I need to stop at and try. I finally did stop however, and let me be the first to say, I’m glad I did.
We headed this direction en route to cover a football game, so I made sure to leave early enough to allow time to stop and enjoy our meal without being in a rush. There’s nothing worse than trying to gauge all aspects of a restaurant during your introductory visit when you are pressed for team.
It kind of had that mountain lodge, outdoors arrival upon first stopping. But we didn’t stay inside long. The weather was still warmish for this time of year, and we opted for a seat outside. The raised stools at an outdoor table were a nice touch.
Initially my plan was to order a steak, after all, it is a steakhouse. But the description of the different styles of burgers caught my attention.
“The Bear’s Den serves only all natural, grain fed, proprietor raised, hormone-free beef …”
Hormone free you say? And it did say grain fed, but not grass. So, I figured why not, let’s give it a shot. Besides, I’m quite particular about my steaks and usually cook them myself inside the fat man’s ‘keepin’ it simple’ kitchen.
I ordered the Den Burger, an all-natural patty as described above, topped with provolone and hot pepper cheeses, Texas toothpicks, and A-1 steak sauce.
I’ll be the first to admit that, for me, A-1 is the opposite of the Frank’s Red Hot logo—i.e., I put that “stuff” on nothing. It’s just not for me. But, to get the true flavor of the Den Burger, I opted to leave it on.
The meal came with fries, so I ordered that, along with a diet soda. She wanted to try the French onion soup, and ordered that, long with an appetizer of boneless wings with the house-made BBQ sauce.
The Food
A-1 sauce or not, the Den Burger is tasty. It’s definitely in my top five burgers locally (have yet to find the equal to the 360 Burger thus far). Good flavor, the “toothpicks” were a nice touch and while I noticed the A-1, it was subtle and not overpower.
The fries were pretty good too. Not the best I’ve tasted, but if asked to eat them again, I would. They were solid.
What made this another great dining experience was the situation with the wings, and the outcome. She ordered the BBQ boneless wings. What they brought out were the flavored with the hot sauce, not BBQ. She not being a fan, asked me to taste them to be sure. Personally, I liked the hot wings. But that wasn’t what she wanted. So, I informed out waitress of what happened, and asked her to put in an order of the BBQ wings, stating that it wasn’t a big issue and I’d eat (and pay for) the hot wings also.
Mistakes happen and Lord knows my hearing isn’t the best, so no harm, no foul. Soon after she brought out an order of the boneless BBQ wings. They were much appreciated and hit the spot. The French onion soup also received a thumbs up in taste.
When the bill came, I discovered we were not charged for the second order of wings, even though I said not to worry and that I’d pay for both. It was a nice touch of customer service that, wasn’t asked for, but was greatly appreciated.
I tipped in kind to return the favor. I would have anyway; our server was friendly and incredibly helpful.
I’m starting to learn that Guernsey County has a number of quality eateries, even with plenty still on my “to try” list.
Bear’s Den Steakhouse, located at 13220 E. Pike Road in Cambridge, should be on yours. You won’t regret it.
