The Lazy Bear was truly an extraordinary experience. Everyone on the service team was wonderful, made us feel welcome and relaxed, and delivered one of the best culinary experiences I’ve had in recent memory. From the moment we entered the space and even with every online interaction before we arrived, I felt calm, warm, and relaxed. But In coul also sense the skill and craftsmanship in everyone we encountered. The kitchen was open and we were seated adjacent to the action. There was a calm precision to the fifteen or so chefs working each station.
The culinary experience started off with a very unique locally-foraged tea, from cypress tips to a variety of unique herbs, the steeped broth was woodsy, crisp, refreshing and totally unique. I’ve never had anything similar and have a hard time putting the taste into words.Wow, these were incredible eggs. Warm whipped eggs infused with bacon, chopped chives on the top, and on the bottom, they layered a not-too-sweet maple crunch that really tied it all together. Spectacular!Next up was their interpretation of a seafood tower. A solid tuna tartar in an earthy cup, a big, salty oyster with a lemon creme foam, and an incredibly rich plate of scallops.The oyster.The scallops.The following course was a standout for me. A beautifully seasoned beef tartar that was served with warm, thin buns to create wickedly rich tartar tacos.The taco.Beautiful California caviar with sliced radishes. plenty of extra caviar with “chips.”One of my favorite ingredients, and this was an incredible expression of said ingredient, Santa Barbara uni atop a rich mushroom farro. The uni was paired with a cup of mushroom and herb broth that I wanted to last forever. It was so rich and had so much umami punch that I almost wanted to cry because I wasn’t going to be able to drink it every day for the rest of my life.A delightful, perfect sourdough and butter came next.And the bread was just what we needed to sop up the squash puree with seared red pepper.The final savory dish was a perfectly cooked pork chop center along with a rich, buttery potato pie.Berry and cream tart.A showstopper dessert, a decadent blend of ice cream, foam, persimmon, and pecan crumble.The final sweet was a macaron with a light meringue top. The desserts were paired with three different expressions of Chateau d’Yquem Sauterne, arguably the greatest sauterne house on the planet. We had small glasses of a recent vintage, one with 10 years of aging, and another with 20. Each was very different, and of course each was tasty.
As a parting gift, we both received a to-go bottle of cold brew for the morning along with a piece of banana bread.
Noah also received a card signed by every member of the 25 person team, congratulating him on the premiere of Blood Relatives.
Everything about this night was wonderful. I can’t wait to bring Karrie on our next SF adventure!
Rotten Apples and Other Delights 