Eat: Lazy Bear
Lazy Bear is one of those restaurants that has always been on my list of places to eat. When Elliott’s 30th came around I knew it would be the perfect place to celebrate his entrance into the next decade. I successfully pulled off surprising him with dinner there along with some of our close friends. I also learned that on a scale of 1-10 (10 being very difficult) Elliott is about a 1 when it comes to surprises. There is video footage that shows that he’s not even sure what’s happened once we surprised him.
All in all, it was a super fun dining experience. I thought the meal dragged a bit towards the end because there were 3 desserts and we were stuffed, but it was so unique to be able to see the chefs cooking and plating while eating. It was almost like a dinner show experience. They give you a little booklet to record notes on all the dishes and in between courses, you can go right on up to the chefs and ask them questions and watch how the food is prepared.
The other fun part is that they serve the first couple of courses on the top floor that overlooks the main restaurant. It’s a more casual setting and you get hors d'oeuvres while you’re conversing and having cocktails on their couches and around the lounge tables.
This dinner party experience started out as many SF restaurants do, as a pop up which gains momentum and eventually turns into a fully fledged restaurant operation. The owner and head chef David Barzelay held dinner parties in his apartment and then moved them to a secret warehouse location where you had to be in the know to get a ticket. You could say he gained a cult following and launched the brick and mortar in 2014 in the Mission. Lazy Bear is an anagram from the owner’s last name. It’s come a long way from the secret warehouse operation and has earned 2 Michelin stars along the way.
Some of our favorites included one of the dishes served as “snacks” up in the Den, whipped scrambled eggs with bacon, maple and hot sauce - to which I described in my tasting notebook as f*kin delicious. I also loved the pole beans with grilled eggplant, sourdough, shellfish and Lazy Bear Reserve caviar by Tsar Nicoulai and the Marin Coast King Salmon served with grilled cucumber, lemon verbena and cured roe. All the flavors tell a story of the Bay Area and the wildlife that ends up on your plate. The menu changes frequently but each of the 15 courses will keep you eagerly anticipating the next.
Location - 3416 19th St, San Francisco, CA 94110
The tasting booklet for your foodie notes
The f*king delicious whipped eggs
Watching the magic happen!