Black Bear Restaurant is a reliable uptown staple for Maritime seafood, a straightforward kitchen that handles lobster, scallops, halibut, and chowder with the competence of a place that has been doing exactly this for years. It is not stylish, but the sourcing is local and the portions are generous.
The fish chowder — thick, cream-based, with chunks of haddock and potato — is a good gauge of a Maritime kitchen's seriousness, and this one passes. The lobster is market-priced and worth ordering in season. The dining room is plain and comfortable, the service efficient. It draws both the local business lunch crowd and tourists wanting a no-fuss introduction to New Brunswick cooking.