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Sep 30, 2014 2 min read

Lazy Bear Now Open in the Mission (But You Have to Snag a Reservation First)

Lazy Bear Now Open in the Mission (But You Have to Snag a Reservation First)
At a test dinner. Photo: Luke Andrews.
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While State Bird Provisions is certainly one of the city’s more challenging restaurants to get a table at, the newly opened LAZY BEAR was so flooded with reservation requests for its first two weeks of seatings that the reservation ticketing system they’re using (from Chicago’s Alinea and Next) choked. All systems are go again, but scoring tickets—which are first come, first served—is up to luck (until someone figures out a bot to game the system).

Chef-owner David Barzelay has moved from underground suppers at his home into the former Hi Lo in the Mission, which now features two 22-foot elm communal tables, with room for 20 diners at each. Every Thu-Mon, there are two seatings, at 6:15pm and 8:15pm. The prix-fixe menu is around 11 courses for $120, with optional beverage pairings for $50. The Modern American menu is constantly changing, but recent dishes included chilled lettuce soup with Little Gems, summer squash, fried anchovy, parsley; Delta crawfish (cucumber, Delta rice grits, celery); and seared Sun Golds (smoked beef strip loin, basil, amaranth, tomato raisins). Desserts by Maya Erickson (previously at AQ) included ginger milk curd (pluot consommé gelée, pluot, shiso, mint) and a wooden slab of “treats” like frozen s’mores and a mini PB&J meringue.

The evening starts with snacks and optional drinks upstairs on the retro/postmodern mezzanine, and at the end, coffee service is a custom program with Ritual Coffee Roasters. Sommelier Marie-Louise Friedland (previously at Quince) and bar manager Brandon Presbury (Bartlett Hall, Locanda) are in charge of the beverage pairing menus.

Sign up for the Lazy Bear mailing list to receive information about when each month’s tickets will be released (it never hurts to follow along on Twitter and Instagram, too, @lazybearsf). 3416 19th St. at Valencia, 415-874-9921.

At a test dinner. Photo: Luke Andrews.

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Chilled lettuce soup. Photo: Charlotte Cleary.
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