Give us an empty plate and a key to every restaurant in the city, and we’d ask David Barzelay, of Michelin-starred upstart Lazy Bear, to fill it.
Naturally, he’s also one of the first guys we turn to when we need a day’s worth of bar and restuarant outings by the Bay.
To wit: five eateries for your sunup-to-sundown needs picked out by the man recently named our fine country’s best new chefs by Food & Wine.
Breakfast: Wise Sons
“Wise Sons bagels have a beautiful crunch on the outside but are still soft on the inside, and remind me of my grandmother’s bagels growing up. They’re so delicious and way better than any bagels in New York. I always go for plain, because you can toast them longer. If you get something with toppings, like a sesame bagel, you can’t toast it for as long without burning the toppings.
Then I’d grab a proper breakfast at the classic St. Francis Fountain on 24th—it’s familiar and homey, and has all of the usual things you’d expect from breakfast, like hashbrowns and pancakes.”
Lunch: Deli Board
“When it’s on the menu, I get the Carzle — brisket, Romanian pastrami, provolone, cherry peppers, pickles, coleslaw, and Board sauce on a French roll. Deli Board sandwiches are huge and packed with meat unlike anything else. They also bake the bread to order, and have amazing sauces to go with the sandwiches.”
Snack: Ritual Coffee
“I like to get both an espresso and a cappuccino at Ritual Coffee. The care and sourcing that they put into their roasting is unparalleled. Nobody else touches that level of precision and care. If I’m going for something bigger, I get the Tacos Dorados at La Taqueria.”
Dinner: Californios
“Californios is one of my favorites for dinner — it’s like the Talking Heads of Mexican cuisine. Val actually cooked at Lazy Bear for a while, and the Californios concept is just really amazing and unique.”
Drinks: Dalva
“I walk a few blocks over to The Hideout at Dalva. Our bartender, Nicolas Torres, moonlights there and has some awesome drinks on the menu. The menu showcases up-and-coming bartenders in a tiny, intimate space, and the cocktails change constantly.”
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