Lazy Bear: One of the most unusual — and best — restaurants in the Bay Area

In The Chronicle yesterday I reviewed Lazy Bear, and nabbing a reservation three times was no easy task. I had a friend on the mailing list do all the work of checking Twitter for the tickets that are released a month in advance and generally go within a couple of hours.

Lazy Bear started in 2009 as an underground restaurant by David Barzelay, who was a Georgetown-trained lawyer with no formal cooking experience. He became such a hit that getting a ticket —yes, he sells tickets—was harder than nabbing a reservation two months out at the French Laundry.

A few months ago he acquired the Hi Lo BBQ space on 19^th Street near Mission and recreated his format in a permanent location.  Only one menu is offered a night, at two seatings. Diners have up to five appetizers at the lounge upstairs and then go downstairs to finish out the 11+ course meal, sitting at two communal tables.

Once you buy the tickets for the $120 dinners, plus $65 more if you want wine pairings, there are no refunds. However, diners can sell or give their tickets away; on my visits I talked to people who bought them on Craigslist and on social media sites.

In the review I compared Lazy Bear to a 21^st century version of Chez Panisse, which also has a completely open kitchen, a single menu and two seatings a night.

However, Barzelay takes this approach several steps further, creating a kind of dinner party. The bottom line is that it’s fun, and Barzelay has proven himself one of the best chefs in the Bay Area.