David Barzelay may be living more than a few lawyers’ dreams. A blessing-in-disguise layoff saw the former lawyer ditch it all and start a restaurant. Well, to be honest, at first it was more like an underground dinner party at his home. This soon became a sought-after event and a waiting list developed. Lazy Bear (an anagram for Barzelay) became one of the hottest tickets in town. It has now moved to a permanent location and each month the 43,000 people on the mailing list receive an email telling them when reservations for the next month will become available. You read that right: 43,000 people are on the mailing list of a former lawyer with no formal culinary training. The restaurant accommodates 40 people communally for dinner and the email recipients are vying for these coveted spots. Oh, did I mention that Lazy Bear has two Michelin stars?
“The atmosphere at Lazy Bear is that of a friendly dinner party that happens to be hosted by extremely talented chefs.”
As a nod to its origins as a dinner party at home, the meal is divided into two sections: first upstairs for cocktails and nibbles and then downstairs for dinner (this also cleverly allows the first seating to finish in close to three hours while the second seating starts with cocktails).
As mentioned, the first few courses are served in the lounge upstairs.
To start, we are offered a bourbon-based cocktail with vermouth.
(We ordered our dinner with the wine/alcohol pairings; non-alcoholic pairings are also available.)
1. Egg, bacon, maple syrup, homemade hot sauce. A little breakfast.
2. Snap peas – play on ham and peas – with geoduck (gooey duck-like salt water clam), with scallops. The peas are served raw and double shucked. Tossed in XO fish sauce and Benton’s bacon.
3. Asparagus – colossal asparagus are grown to chef’s specifications. They are peeled and the bottom of the stalk is juiced off to intensify flavour. Served with a touch hazelnut oil (I think it needed a pinch of salt).
4. Lamb tartare – Chinese scallion pancake with ramps – served with ramps and scallops fish sauce and garnished with pepper leaves and mustard flowers
5. Brandy-coated cherry and duck liver mousse with a red ruby beet and strawberry glazed. Ginger snap-inspired cookie with cocoa bottom – their spin on PB&J
Having finished the first five amazing bites, we move downstairs. We are greeted by 14+ chefs (there are another eight people working below). We’re lucky as we are seated beside David the sommelier (dining at his workplace on an off day) who gives us the lowdown.
Guests are encouraged to ask questions and to go into the kitchen. As a food lover, it is very fun to be able to interact with and watch the chefs as they prepare the meal. A menu booklet is left on your place setting so you can follow along and take notes.
6. Bread and butter. This is their version of a Parker house roll (a frozen bread). It is created with a butter starter culture and served with salted brown butter. It has a cheesy lactic tang. People refer to this as the “best goddam bread and butter you will ever eat”.
7. King salmon from Santa Cruz. It is cured and cold smoked and served with edible Nasturtium flowers, apple, celery, dashi, roe and lovage oil.
8. White asparagus with Lazy Bear caviar creme fresh and a Grassy Bar oyster from the Bay Area. The sauce is a reduced cream with leek and onion. The asparagus is broiled and the dish is served with seaweed powder, seaweed oil and Meyer lemon marmalade. The dedication to food is impressive – the white asparagus is imported from the Loire valley. Sadly, it’s only available for a small window in the spring.
9. Halibut with wild greens, but it is all about the broth which is housemade with smoked and dehydrated salmon bones. and called the 7 Treasures Seafood Soup. Wild greens include borage and miners lettuce.
10. Abalone with lemon juice and brown butter, served with little gem lettuce and toasted grain and with liver mixed with grains, chicken jus and abalone (aged and salt-cured) and alums.
11. Dry-aged Sonoma duck and rendered duck skin. Fat is used to poach the duck and the duck is handheld over coals. The duck is served with a Seville orange glaze gastric, duck jus beet and kumquats.
12. Carrot barbecue and black trumpet mushrooms are served with 100% wagyu ribeye from New Mexico. The star is the carrots and the focus is on the carrot barbecue process. The carrot is first cured in salt and then sugar-cured and roasted. It is then brushed with a carrot glaze, seared in coals then seared again in a cast iron pan with the beef fat and coated with trumpet mushroom dust and served with black trumpet mushrooms. The “Pot roast carrot” bordelaise sauce is made with homemade “wine” – including leaves for flavour. (Note: photo is missing the sauce on the meat.)
13. Milk and honey ice cream has jasmine rice floral notes which pair with the honey (“Wild West wildflower” unfiltered beeswax) with bee pollen on the top to add some bitterness. The soft whipped honey and softly whipped ice cream add to the dish.
14. Black and Tan is a drink that is equal parts stout and lager. To compliment this, a stout mousse is dipped in chocolate with vegemite caramel with puffed farro and sponges grains and a caramel sugar twill. The serving vessel for the Black and Tan is what was used in ancient Spain and predates drinking glasses. As directed, we pour the beverage directly into our mouths. Fun and dangerous!
15. The final sweet bites! Right to left: hazelnut bonbon; robins egg macaron; ice cream sandwich; sea buckthorn gummy bear.
A fabulous meal and dining experience. I’d highly recommend this for any food lover. It’s worth the effort to get places at the table.
Special thanks to my dining companions, Pete, John and Madge and a shoutout to my friend Vivian for the recommendation! Cheers guys!
Note: you must prepay for the entire dinner (and wine pairings) in advance including the 20% service charge – this is non-refundable, but transferable.
Spending more time in San Francisco? Check out where to go cocktailing with my “Cocktailing San Francisco” post, here. (Lazy Bear is the group behind True Laurel.)
If you go:
Where: 3416 19th St, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA – https://www.lazybearsf.com/; When: two seating: 6:00 & 8:30 Tuesday – Saturday (closed Sunday/Monday) – tickets must be booked in advance
