Lazy Bear’s brick-and-mortar restaurant comes into focus

It’s been about five months since Hi Lo BBQ closed, and Lazy Bear began to move into the picturesque 19th Street space.

Now, chef-partner David Barzelay and company are nearing completion of their brick-and-mortar space, with a September 25 opening date on the books, though there will be preview dinner starting this weekend. Similar to Lazy Bear’s popular pop-up dinners, which employed a lottery system, the restaurant will use a ticketing system; to be precise, it will use a customized version of Alinea’s pre-paid ticketing system.

“With a restaurant of our size, if a party of six no showed, that was catastrophic not only from a financial standpoint, but also for the energy in the room, because we seat communally,” explains Barzelay. As soon as they decided to do a tasting menu format in the restaurant, the ticketing system “was an immediate no-brainer.” Also, he adds that he’s relieved that there will be no more lottery system, as customers should be.

Part of the customization of the ticketing system will allow for solo diners, which Barzelay says plays well in the communal dining environment. “That party of one is your best diner, because they cared enough to come alone and try your food.”

Tickets go on sale September 19 at noon sharp. To start, Lazy Bear will release a week’s worth. The next release will be for two weeks of dinners, and eventually, the plan is to do it a month at a time.

The 40-seat Lazy Bear will be open Wednesday through Sunday, and each night will have two seatings (6:15pm, 8:15pm). Like the pop-up dinners, it will be a communal affair. Diners will be seated at one of two 22-foot-long tables, fashioned out of American elm slabs.

There is only one tasting menu option per night: $120/person, 12-18 courses. The BYOB option at the pop-up dinners is no longer available, replaced instead by three different beverage options ($60-$80): wine pairing, cocktail pairing and mixed pairing.

[Sidenote: Is this the first Bay Area tasting menu restaurant to offer a full cocktail pairing?]

The Lazy Bear staff is coming together, too.

Former AQ pastry chef Maya Erickson has resurfaced here. On the drinks side, the sommelier is Marie-Louise Friedland (Uchi, Quince) and the bar manager is Brandon Presbury (Locanda, Bartlett Hall). Oh, and expect Presbury to embrace Lazy Bear’s communal dining theme with punches aplenty.

For more on Lazy Bear’s history, do check out Jonathan Kauffman’s July profile, as well as these pretty snapshots from a dinner there:

 Article and Photos Sourced From:  http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2014/09/11/lazy-bears-brick-and-mortar-restaurant-comes-into-focus/#26687-7