Lazy Bear

Lazy Bear is the most awesome underground fine dining experience that i am aware of. Chef David was a lawyer who passionately taught himself to cook to maintain sanity through law school. he eventually decided that he was good enough to make it his full time gig and forget about all that schooling he suffered through. a Lazy Bear meal is officially about seven or eight courses but ends up actually being about twelve or thirteen courses. they lie to you when they mention "snacks" on their menu. they are share plates between your group but they are muuuuuch more than your typical idea of a snack. think soft shelled crab with ramp butter or an oyster in tomato jelly. they have a BYOB policy and provide you with the glasses, which is awesome because you can bring whatever you want and as much as you want. the location is hidden until you've confirmed your reservation and paid the deposit (equal to the cost of one meal, $110), but i think they've been serving in the same spot for a while. and just fyi, it's a quirky spot that is perfect for this sort of thing. also, at any point during dinner you can walk into the kitchen and see what they're preparing as well as talk to the chefs. this is definitely not typical. other fine dining establishments will allow you a short guided glance into their kitchen but it stops there. the combination of everything that Lazy Bear is about makes it such a unique experience. 

Lazy Bear began a few years ago but due to it's insane lottery system reservation process it's possible that you may never be opportunistic enough to get an invite. currently you submit your online application and mark the days within a two week span that work for you. after that it's out of your control. you patiently wait for a call or email but if you don't hear from them then your chances are shot. if you are lucky enough to get an invite, you better be available for whatever date they've got or you'll have to go through the process two weeks later. it's pretty much the same mind f*ck you experience when you've just started dating someone and are waiting for them to call you and make moves. the ball is completely in their court and you have no jurisdiction about where this is going. but maybe that'll change. it is in it's last couple of months operating as a pop-up and will soon have it's very own brick and mortar. maybe their reservation process will change to a more standard system. i've got my fingers crossed on that one. 

i hope you can one day experience Lazy Bear for it is truly an awesome experience!

smoked whipped egg, bacon with hot sauce

warm and savory. a great start to the meal.

my guy, Ted, who scored the reservation! thankssomuch!

Caroline. her boyfriend Ed was with us but i failed to get a picture of the two of them

doesn't sound like much but you just wait and see!

prep in the kitchen

oyster in tomato jelly

not a fan of oysters or jelly in general but i didn't mind this so much. it doesn't make sense but somehow the jelly made it less slimy

smoked salmon and dill mousse

there was a citrus note in this that rounded out the rich creaminess of the mousse. loved this.

soft shell crab with ramp butter

this was crazzzzzy good! the crab was fried in a seasoned batter so on it's own it had great flavor. the ramp butter enhanced it all and was awesomely delicious. you can't tell from the picture but it was a bright green color. an awesome dish.

cultured butter with butter curds

who knew you could make butter so delicious. i don't know what it was about this but it was so creamy and flavorful. i could've kept eating it all night long if i didn't know there was an actual seven course meal ahead of me.

mackerel escabeche. melon, peach, bay laurel

this tasted a lot like sardines. it was fairly fishy but masked slightly by the melon. the part with peach did the best job of masking the fishiness. this was my least favorite dish but still quite good overall.

rabbit confit. rainier cherry, pistachio, ramps and brioche

so much went into the production of this single plate! rabbit done a couple of ways, this was a sophisticated dish. salty, sweet, rich, bright. all good things. 

sea cucumber congee. cucumber, peas, celery.

i'm not a fan of sea cucumber because of it's sliminess but they did a good job ridding that texture from the dish. the peas were beautiful and just barely cooked.

squab. blueberries, porcinis, fir tips

squab and blueberries? AND granola? seriously? who would've ever thought this up?? this dish was so good and the squab was tender and flavorful. loved this!

fatty beef. padrons, pepper juice, basils, finger lime, rice.

ughhhh!!! so tender. and lovely. i wanted this 10x in size. absolutely perfectly cooked and ultra flavorful.

apricot brulee. humbolt fog, frangipane.

charred apricots, cheese and almonds. sounds great, tastes great.

berries. cookies, cream.

simple but somehow hit the spot. refreshing, creamy, packed with flavor and textures. this was awesome! 

treats

cutest little plate of bites!

strawberry jelly with balsamic vinegar, doughnut

i don't even like jellies but they made this really dense so it wasn't like a squishy jelly consistency. balsamic always pairs nicely with strawberries and that little basil bud was crazy fragrant and packed with flavor. this was my favorite of the "treats."

almond cake, smores, caramel bite??

100% worth it. i would've paid more without any hesitation. 

6th annual flag day at Quince

every year we use Flag Day as an excuse to eat a fancy pants dinner. originally we had reservations for Coi, however found ourselves lacking in excitement so we changed our minds last minute. luckily we were able to find reservations for another two Michelin starred restaurant within a weeks time. this year's dinner was at Quince, where i've dined before but was still very excited to experience again. we opted for the full tasting menu and it was awesome!

tomato

which tasted like a super glorified mozzarella stick

stuzzichini de benvenuto

meaning appetizers or small bites. 

buttermilk something or other with popcorn

simple in taste. i love popcorn so the inclusion in any dish is a win for me.

house smoked salmon on squash chip

not too smokey or salty. a nice bite.

cannot remember but it's some sort of crisp chip with pickled strawberry

i've been seeing this type of crisp around lately and i like it. reminds me of shrimp chips you see on this particular chinese dish with chicken but obviously this is not a shrimp chip. i digs it.

razor clam on a chip

LOVE razor clams and you rarely see it in the Bay Area. this was awesome!

melon gazpacho with watermelon wrapped in proscuitto

light. smooth. refreshing.

hawaiian bonito, cherry tomato, seaweed, lemon cucumber

my least favorite dish of the night, but still pretty good. nicely cured fish with tomatoes that had a super enhanced flavor. i can't tell if they did something to it or if they're just exceptionally ripe tomatoes.

bread service

white asparagus, morel mushroom, spring garlic, vin jaune

favorite dish of the night! holy cow who knew that a vegetarian dish could ever be theeee best dish? the asparagus was cooked nicely, the spring garlic puree was crazy flavorful, as was the morel sauce. and morels are my favorite mushroom, so that was a perfect component to the dish for me. my only qualm with the dish is that it looks so phalic. they could've cut the asparagus at a slant and it would've been even better.

"tortelli alla cecilia chiang" caviar, smoked sturgeon, shallots

non-fishy caviar with light filling. who would've ever thought to put fried shallots with caviar? they seem at opposite ends of the spectrum but worked so well together. i looooved this!

tagliolini e oro, cocoa, japanese surf clam, melon

i don't think the gold flakes were necessary for this dish but it was super tasty. i happily slurped this up.

suckling pig tortellini, parmigiano reggiano fonduta

you'd be amazed at how pungent (in a positive way) the suckling pig could be coming from pasta pieces the size of a nickel. this was also super creamy and verrrrrrry cheesy.

four story hill farms poussin, rainier cherry, sicilian pistachio, corn

i am not typically impressed with fowl dishes but this was pretty great. the poussin itself was super moist and seasoned well with a very crisp skn. the corn in the center reminded me of the corn you get as a side at Chili's but a more refined and more savory version. 

andante's minuet cheese, plum, buckwheat honey, chevril 

yum! love cheese. served with two types of bread.

apricot 

this dish was a palate cleanser and wasn't a part of the official menu but it was one of my favorite bites of the night. it was refreshing yet creamy. the meringue type thing tasted like champagne!

middleton farms berries, yogurt, maras des bois, valrhona opalys

a simple dish. under the cream was sort of a berry crumble with cooked berries and a crunchy top. twas delicious (i could probably eat it all day long) however i expect a little more from a restaurant of this caliber. that little tiny strawberry, on the other hand, was sort of amazing. it was the size of my pinky fingernail but packed so much punch it was sort of astonishing, really. 

mignardise

vancouver/seattle eats

i grubbed so hard while on vacation it wouldn't be considered okay to a normal person. whenever i travel i try to do a little bit of research to make sure that i only eat things worth my time and money. i can't stand eating unsatisfactory things when i'm away. i want to maximize the food potential so i find all of these places with the best this or that. while researching i typically bookmark more eats than i have actual time or meals for and once i set foot on foreign ground i become a greedy monster  going from place to place to devour my list away. here is a majority of my Vancouver and Seattle vacation eats.

--Theirry Chocolateire Patisserie

light and fluffy chocolate croissant. the chocolate wasn't in stick form. it was soft and melty. i also got a basque chili liquid chocolate which wasn't too thick nor too watery. it had a noticeable kick once you swallowed it down. 

--Edible Canada, found on Granville Island across the street from the public market

tempura battered fish n' chips. the batter wasn't too heavy and the fish was fresh. i also enjoyed the duck fat fries, though the dish itself could've used a little bit more seasoning.

smoked meat sandwich on rye. almost like a reuben. tender, juicy, flavorful meat with sauerkraut. and you can never have enough duck fat fries.

--Phnom Penh, vietnamese/cambodian located in Chinatown

fried chicken wings. so much flavor, crisp, and paired with a lemon pepper juice to dip into, which is what really rounds out the dish. yumm!

"butter beef" which is your traditional raw beef dish with fried garlic, tons of cilatro (which i pushed to the side. do. not. like. cilantro), and a house sauce. i've had many variations of this and this one was certainly one of the better ones. 

#6. can't remember exactly what it was called but it involved egg noodles, rice noodles, shrimp, pork, certain innards (i recall liver,  yuck!), fried garlic and a mushroom sauce.

--the rotato stand at the Richmond Night Market

spiral cut potato deep fried and dusted with whatever powdered goodness you want. a cross between a chip and a french fry. i didn't think it was going to be anything great but i was sorely mistaken. this was awesome!

--Mean Poutine

traditional poutine add smoked meat. heavy with gravy and cheese, smokey meat and some green onion to make you feel like you're not completely clogging your arteries. good stuff!

--Beavertails found up on Grouse Mountain

surprisingly light, crisp and chewy. almost like funnel cake. perfect with nutella and bananas!

--Meat & Bread great, simple sandwich spot. they only offer three different sandwiches, one soup and one salad per day.

porchetta. flavorful, tender, great bread. 

meatball sandwich. i don't even like meatball sandwiches but this was SO good. it was even better than the porchetta sandwich. the meatball had enough substance to it (not a lot of bread/filler) and was packed with so much flavor it was almost intense. looooooved this!

-some little window on Robson St.

matcha froyo with red bean and whipped cream. not bad.

--Guu with Garlic, izakaya

pork cheek/jowl. tender and fatty with ponzu. love this shit!

grilled squid

house chicken wings. slightly sweet, slightly spicy, lots of soy.

salmon belly. some parts were fattier (read: better) than others. nonetheless this was cooked perfectly and the skin on the bottom was crisp.

beef tongue. tender and really great with the fried garlic and ponzu.

--Cafe Medina

fricasse. two fried eggs, braised short rib, caramelized onions, watercress, green apple, applewood cheddar. a bit rich for a morning meal but quite good. i think i would've preferred this more as a dinnertime meal.

belgian waffle with salted caramel dipping sauce. quite small and quite light.

--Pike Place Chowder

new england clam chowder. quite creamy and not too thick. loads of clam. can't complain.

--Ma'ono, their tagline is "fried chicken and whiskey"

some damn good fried chicken. super crispy and super flavorful. it's more like korean fried chicken, served with rice and kimchee. we also got the bacon curry fried rice, clams with thai curry and rice noodles, and the schezuan string beans. a solid meal!

--Geraldine's Counter

not bad biscuits and gravy. the bacon was thick and exceptional.

this french toast! holy cow! my friend boasted about good the french toast was but i didn't believe him, thus the biscuits and gravy. but after one bite of the french toast i'd fallen in love! light and crisp, not eggy, and just short of bringing complete euphoria. ugh, i wish i'd gotten a whole order for myself!

--Salumi Artisan Cured Meats, this is Mario Batali's dad's deli. they spread this garlic breadcrumb concoction on every sandwich which makes them juuuuust a bit better than whoever their competition might be.

"muffo," much like a muffaletta. salami, cheese, olive tapenade. SO good! 

oxtail sandwich! they slit the bread in the middle forming two pockets from the halves. they then poured what looked to be an oxtail stew into them which was perplexing. i wondered how in the flying eff someone was supposed to eat that like a sandwich without it getting all over their hands/pants/face/hair. surprisingly, after having driven to Kerry Park to indulge, the bread soaked up all of the juicy parts and left you with a pretty stellar tasting sandwich. by way of some sort of magic the ciabatta maintained it's sturdiness and crispness (except for right down the middle where it was a bit soggy but i'm not complaining). 

Salumi salami, with fresh mozzarella. you can see the garlic breadcrumb mixture. i'm definitely coming back every time i'm in Seattle!

--Byen Bakeri

can't remember the name of this pastry. it was light and flaky, filled with a salted caramel custard and topped with salted caramel. a tad too sweet for me, but overall really good!

--Canlis i came here for the tasting menu, which i'll do a full recap on in another blog entry.

--Ganache Patisserie

chocolate hazelnut croissant. super light and flaky. not too sweet and made with great chocolate.

--Lin's Chinese

excellent xiao long bao! the wrapper was super thin and had a good chew yet maintained form when lifting up, keeping the juicy soup inside the dumpling. one of the best xiao long baos i've ever had.

--Peaceful Restaurant, where Guy Fieri went on an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

dan dan mein. holy damn this was the best meal i'd had during my whole trip! the hand pulled noodles were perfect in texture, the sauce was plentiful and extra flavorful. the peanuts gave it some added texture. i was completely full prior to coming to this restaurant yet managed to eat more than half of this super hearty dish because it was that good.

--Thomas Haas

a croissant-like pastry with hazelnut spread and toasted hazelnuts. quite light and not overly sweet. this was really good paired with a cappuccino. 

--Rain or Shine Ice Cream

blueberry balsamic with an ever so light and crisp waffle cone (one of the best cones i've had next to Ici's in Berkeley). great ice cream and they've got awesome unique flavors.

--Minami

premium aburi style nigiri. i think this "aburi" thing is a vancouver specific thing. it pretty much means lightly seared and with sauces to match. personally, i think that unless the sauces enhance the fish, it should be left alone. some of these sauces overpowered the fish so i can't say i loved this as much as i wanted to.

jidori chicken and foie gras gyoza in a truffle dashi. yep, you know i had to have foie gras considering it's attainable outside california. you could definitely taste the foie in this dish and the truffle dashi was spectacular. i would've preferred dipping the nigiri in this sauce rather than the ones they provided.

happy eating, everybody!