Lazy Bear

San Francisco, California

This is a place that intentionally creates a memorable experience from the time of arrival to departure. The evening is structured to begin in an upstairs balcony that overlooks communal tables down below that are meticulously set for dinner.

Upon arriving, I was greeted warmly and ushered to the upstairs balcony where a refreshing seasonal spiked punch was offered to me after I was seated in a couch amongst other diners. After struggling to find parking on the clogged streets of San Francisco, I found the loft area already filled with other guests enjoying the snacks offered prior to dinner. Nonetheless, the servers carefully monitored which guests had received each snack to ensure that every individual enjoyed the full experience. As I settled in, I took in the ambiance.

The restaurant felt casual and rustic with wooden beams and forest themed decor cluttering the walls. In contrast to the eclectic outdoorsy art that hung in seemingly random collages, both the patrons and employees were more formal in both their carriage and attire. The entrance to the restaurant was situated underneath the loft where everyone was escorted prior to dinner. The long communal tables below served as a semblance of a runway into the open kitchen at the end of the large open space.





My welcome cocktail was accompanied by a booklet containing additional drinks as an option to order. I was satisfied with the light and fruity punch that had only a hint of tartness. Although it was a balanced drink, it did not stick with me as being notable. Then the seemingly endless parade of food began.

Whipped scrambled eggs with maple and hot sauce. 

This was the first snack served upstairs. Exquisitely frothy and light with just a hint of spice from the hot sauce. My only criticism is that perhaps it was so cloud-like that it disappeared rapidly on my tongue, limiting the duration of my enjoyment. 

Kumamoto oyster with winter citrus and chiles.
The oyster was topped with tiny cubes of gelatin with a light citrus flavor that was divine. The gentle flavor remained in the mouth long enough to enjoy it while not overpowering the smoothness of the oyster but with enough tartness to provide a contrast to the saltiness of the oyster. The contrast of the chew provided by the gelatin was a fantastic addition to the oyster that I have yet to experience, making it perhaps my favorite oyster to date! It was beautifully presented atop a rock bed that was served to me from a tray.












Crispy Maitake Mushroom with creme fraiche and allium dip.
This was a slate plate adorned with mushroom heaven! The mushrooms were lightly battered (as a tempura would be) giving a nice crunch. They were already seeped in their own mushroom flavor that was enhanced by the cleanly white and luxuriously thick creme that was dolloped into an accompanying bowl. It had a consistency reminiscent of buttercream frosting and it contained a light onion flavor to be balanced by the weight of the creme and strength of the mushroom taste. I did not see any of these bowls cleared away until they had been scraped clean by each patron. It felt like an indulgence due to the rich creme






Crab Toast with cauliflower on pumpernickel.
The crab was spread thickly enough to enjoy as an adequate counterpart to the dense nature of the pumpernickel it was spread upon. The bread was thin and toasted and provided a slightly crispy base. This was a bite was an elevated take on pastrami, but quite traditional rather than impressive or memorable to me.



Satsuma mandarin soda with fennel and bitters.
The flavor was refreshing while also being syrupy thick. This could have been a sickly combination, yet it was topped with a thick foam  that was sufficient to cut the heaviness of the syrupy sweetness from the orange resulting in a palate cleansing pleasantness that I would compare to the function of a sorbet. I would have added another flavor component, such as cayenne, to further entertain the tastebuds.

Next, we were invited to the communal tables where we found a "Field Guide" dinner book in black and red buffalo plaid that listed each course. A pencil was also provided in the event that anyone desired to jot down notes as the dinner progressed. I took full advantage of this to facilitate my memory in describing the tastes with great detail. Each course was placed before us as a designated chef thoroughly described the dishes from the front of the room. We were all invited to walk up to the open kitchen at any time to observe the plating and speak with the chefs as they worked, a truly unusual proposal at any restaurant. This was a most memorable addition to make the evening more interactive.






Spelt and Rye Dinner roll with cultured butter.
I am not much a fan of bread lately, but I am a huge fan of butter and this butter was phenomenal. It carried a slightly tangy taste from buttermilk that the chef explained has been used repeatedly over four years. This has resulted in the flavors of the butter developing with peachy notes in addition to maintaining a cheesy lactic tang, characteristics that continue to evolve as the buttermilk is used again and again.
The bread was intended to be an interpretation of the pillowy dinner rolls so many of us had from the grocery store in our youth. Of course, they delivered a perfect bread that was both hearty and yet not dense. It was topped with brown sugar flakey salt! I enjoyed the unique salt, but personally would I have enjoyed a specially flavored bread. I picture something that could be complemented by the peach essence of the butter such as fennel, basil, or pecans.



Steelhead trout with hedgehog mushrooms, grains, coastal plants, and grasses.
This is a wild caught trout from the nearby reservation that is home to the Quinault Indian Nation. The fish are delivered with the roe sack still intact. The fish is then prepared with cured citrus and sake and adorned with watercress, spinach, and chickweed, each of them being mild greens that add primarily texture and color. To deliver flavor, fermented shiitake is added, as well as a sauce infused with ginger and scallop. This resulted in a beautiful light flavor that retained interest on the plate due to the richness of the shiitake and gentle spice of the ginger. The plating was beautiful and the fish was beyond fork tender, leaving me little to criticize.

Sourdough dumpling with Lazy Bear Reserve Caviar by Tsar Nicoulai and accompanied by seaweeds.
I had my first taste of chain bladder seaweed on this dish and it was lovely! This particular seaweed is distinguished by having a tiny pea pod like appearance that added a perfect little snap when taking a bite. The gnocchi had a very mild sourdough flavor that I may not have been able to pinpoint had it not been explained by the chef. The caviar also delivered additional popping sensations that I found delightful in contrast to the thick and chewy gnocchi. The flavor of the caviar was particularly salty, chosen specifically for the brine taste it could bring to this dish. The seaweed had been hand foraged and was all atop a meyer lemon and kombu dashi sauce. Although I often do not gravitate to gnocchi, I thoroughly enjoyed this dish with the brightness of the lemon lightening the taste and the caviar and chain bladder seaweed making the dish fun to eat with each tiny explosion that they delivered.

Bay Scallop with carrot, kumquat, sunflower.
For me, this was one of the more unique dishes of the evening. It was meant to be an elevated presentation of baby carrots dipped into peanut butter, an healthy childhood snack. I would not have imagined to pair a sunflower butter with a scallop, but it worked very well! There was an orange juice and olive oil vinaigrette dotting the plate along with kumquat and mandarinquat. A shaved red carrot was  cut so delicately that it appeared to be flower petals at first glance. This was atop the pickled pulp of carrot and sunflower seed butter. Hidden below the carrots were sveral perfectly tender scallops with soy and blood orange juice for a sauce and bay laurel salt to garnish. The detail of this dish was remarkable with so many ingredients coming together to form a taste that was surprisingly straightforward and sweet, but with the unique twist of laurel bay salt. This delivered a powerful punch, even as it was just dusted on the dish.









Celtuce with almond, nettle, and duck confit.
Another new food for me to experience was celtuce, which is Chinese lettuce that was slightly nutty and somehow reminded me of a combination of water chestnut and celery root with the chef comparing it to a cross between romaine lettuce and celery. This was braised to be softened and accompanied by a rich tarragon, garlic, and butter broth. It was topped with raw and thinly sliced celtuce with an almond milk custard and shreds of duck confit. Crunchy stinging nettle chips added color and texture to cap off the unique vegetable. I enjoyed the crunch of the raw celtuce against the toothier texture of the braised version and I found it delightful to be introduced to a new vegetable!

Sunchoke fondue with black trumpet, pink lady apple, Lisa's cheese.

This sunchoke was presented in various preparations including roasted, raw and fried crumble. The crumble was tossed across the surface of the plating. Black trumpet mushroom powder added a further earthiness to the sunchoke that also provides that profile. The fondue created a heavy and rich texture due to the goat and raw cow milk cheese  used. The cheese was sourced from Bohemian Creamery, a creamery located in Sebastopol, California. This is located about an hour north of the city in an area inundated with dairy farms that are known for creating superb cheese. The resultant plate was highly rich and creamy, nearly too heavy to finish and may have benefited from a thinner sauce. However, it was an extravagance that I willingly accepted.





Dry aged duck with yam, maple, and black kale.
The duck was from Sonoma County Poultry and is aged 8-10 days while remaining on the bone with the fat intact, which serves to tenderize as well as provide a mildly "funky" flavor, per the chef. California live oak is used for providing the smokey component and cuts through the gaminess that duck can retain otherwise. It was presented with yam and lightly fried kale and a gremolata (Pareley, garlic, lemon traditionally) remoulade  (egg, oil, vinegar, mustard, caper, herb traditionally) with  reduced fortified jus for a broth. This was my least favorite dish by far. I didn't find the duck to be tender nor smokey, but instead mildly chewy. I really could have done without it all together.







This was followed by a transition to multiple sweet endings for the meal.


Olive oil creamsicle with oro blanco and preserved citrus. Oro blanco is a cross between a pomelo and grapefruit, delivering a light citrus and minimally tart flavor. Bavarian cream, goji, white chocolate and olive oil created a hard ganache. Olive oil pat de fru was the center of the desert to deliver a chewy texture somewhat like a gummy bear. There was preserved citrus atop the shell made with yuzu juice and fresh red vein sorrel served as a leaf at the center of the masterpiece. The flavors were delicate and tart with beautiful craftsmanship. However, the outer shell was perhaps too thick or the dessert was too cold for the shell to easily break. This lent it to sliding awkwardly across the plate rather than being easily captured and enjoyed, as it was too large to be a single bite. I am typically not excited about white chocolate and would have loved if this was made from a dark chocolate, which would have deepened the flavors to providing a rich and contrasting bitterness against the citrus.





Parsnip with coffee, vanilla, and cacao
This may have been the highlight of the evening for me. There was an ice cream of roasted parsnip that was steeped in milk and vanilla bean. This was accompanied by a shortbread with espresso and ground parsnip tea with gelatin dusted in parsnip powder with a burnt cacao butter and sugar tulle like cookie that was baked to the point that it would bubble and then crisp. The ice cream was sensational. It was truly unique and earthly, while also being mildly sweet and complimentary of the burnt chocolate and espresso. The parsnip flavors may have been too light had it not been enhanced with the ground powder, but I experienced it as simply wonderful and thoroughly enjoyable.






From left to right:
Coastal redwood bon bon, dark chocolate, meyer lemon, sea salt, belharona gel
A beautifully crafted chocolate with the traditional combination of citrus and salt against the bitter chocolate. Not only was it shimmery to behold, it was an ideal size to place on the palate and savor slowly and it melted, allowing the flavors to expand gradually overtime.

Candy cap bar, white chocolate, smoke
The candy cap mushroom actually caramelizes as it is slow cooked. It consisted of a bottom layer that was the consistency of a soft and meltable caramel and only a hint of smoke that was difficult to detect. Maybe the chef's intention was to not overpower the candy cap mushroom with smokiness and instead retain a traditional caramel while using unusual ingredients?

Sunflower seed nougat, pumpkin seed, wolf berry
The bite was reminiscent of a Big Hunk bar with ingredients of honey, egg white, goji berry, and cherry. For me, it had a somewhat plain taste in contrasts to the other treats. It had a tough chewy texture and hints that were slightly savory rather than sweet. This did deliver a contrast to the other dessert bites, but not a necessary addition in my book considering how many desserts were offered.

Cara Cara pate de fruit, carrot, ginger
This was a sophisticated interpretation of a Sour Patch Kid! It was both sweet and tart. I was thrilled with the freshness of the flavor and the softness of the gelatin. It delivered a perfect tender gel to chew on without being overly gummy. A lovely palate cleanser!

Overall, this dinner was highly memorable. It was an experience beyond just eating a fantastic meal. The food was thoughtful and generally well executed, although my suggestions are sprinkled throughout this post.
One additional comment, the general volume of food that was presented throughout the evening was really too much, leaving me feeling overly full. I have noted that this comment is not unique to myself, per reading reviews of others. This may be a different experience to those who have a larger appetite that I do, but typically I have left fixed menu meals feeling well satiated without being overly stuffed. Of course, patrons want to feel that the meal is worth the price point as well as wanting to indulge in every bite, but it made the evening slightly less enjoyable to be leaving with a feeling of excessive consumption.

I sincerely respected the detail shown to each and every dish, regardless of my preference for one over another. Certainly this is a meal that I will not forget!