Last week, LAZY BEAR hosted quite the kick-off party to celebrate their new wine list and late-night mezzanine experience they’re launching in December. Beverage director Matthew Dulle has been working for the past two years on accumulating a cellar that will offer one of the country’s deepest collections of old, historical California bottlings, including over 60 different labels from Ridge Vineyards alone. And now it’s time for the unveiling. You’re going to have fun scouting through the red, cloth-bound, vintage-style book.
Dulle, an Advanced Sommelier, decided to let taste and quality drive his choices, and even though you’ll find some big game Napa cabs and the like, there are also some hidden gems from under-appreciated regions and vintages as well. You can dive deep with a rare bottle of Bordeaux from the 1920s, or try something from a current, small producer. The result is a 1,000-label wine list, which you can peruse before your dinner reservation if you want, or enjoy through pairings (the standard $95 or reserve $175 pairing) curated by Lazy Bear’s sommelier team.
But you won’t have to buy a ticket to the full dinner experience to access it. Starting December 1st, guests will be able to head up to the cozy midcentury mezzanine for The Lazy Bear Den (not to be confused with WesBurger’s Den around the corner on Mission). You’ll have access to the new wine list (as well as cocktails and spirits), along with a limited à la carte menu of dishes that you can pair with the wines. You can take a peek at chef David Barzelay’s preview/sample menu, which includes flavorful bites like their miso-cranberry bean soup (with miso they have been fermenting for the past year), ham and biscuits, and then there’s their tableside campfire section, with burnt ends of wagyu ribeye from Miyazaki with smoked beet BBQ sauce and bone marrow-infused tater tots. Yeah, that.
For dessert, you can have fun with the grill-your-own s’mores, with redwood marshmallows, dark chocolate, and graham crackers. Expect things to change—of course that creative kitchen will be working on new bites inspired by the season’s offerings and new flavor discoveries, through the lens of the wild and outdoors.
While it will mostly be about ticketed reservations on the mezzanine (via Tock, $25 deposit per guest to hold, and redeemable on food and drink), they plan to reserve a few tickets to be released day-of (or close to it) so diners can experience it without always having to reserve a month in advance. Tickets go live on Tock Thursday November 15th at 10am. The Lazy Bear Den will be open Tue-Sat 9:30pm-late. 3416 19th St. at Mission.
You lookin’ for some big bottles of amazing wine? These guys can help. Photo: © tablehopper.com.
