Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/898117
november 2017 / the tasting panel / 83 So how did you arrive here? I was a floor somm at Saison and had an opportunity to try something new. The philosophy here is almost the opposite of a classic fine dining restaurant: community tables, tickets for reservations, and a single menu. Exactly. It is indeed communal and much like a dinner party rather than the traditional experience. Everyone eats together and it's really fun. I work on the floor every night and you really get a chance to participate in excite- ment and pleasure. The menu is prix fixe but the wine is not. How does that work? You pay in advance for the meal. You can also pay in advance for our beverage pairing or reserve pairing, but you can always add those upon arrival. Many of our guests order from our list as well as bring bottles in. I'm not surprised to see people share their wines with their neighbors sometimes because the experience is so interactive. Do you allow cell phones at the table? Not at my house! Absolutely, Chef makes that clear at the beginning—mostly for photos of the dishes and the kitchen. In fact, we make it a point to photobomb. You have about ten courses per night. Doesn't that make the pair- ing difficult? There's a lot of flavors and textures to work with here. It can be challenging and some dishes may change from day to day. You have to be on your toes! How many wine selections do you have? We only have half of the inventory on the list at any one time. We have a total of approximately 300 selections and a great love for older vintage California wines, thanks to our Beverage Director Matthew Dulle. I love it! If you behave you get the good stuff! In reality you are building up the cellar and aging wines for upcoming menus. I'm looking at the tables—two long tables. Is it a challenge to serve them compared to a standard separate table configuration? It has its benefits and really works very well. We divide the tables into four sections so we have a lot of interaction with guests. We have a team of four sommeliers and our Beverage Director Matthew Dulle, as well as several captains who assist in pouring if it gets really crazy. We need all hands on deck since everyone eats at the same time. For some reason I had Italian wine in my mind today. I brought the Marchese Antinori 2014 Chianti Classico Riserva. They've only been in business for 600 years so I thought my chances were good! Great, I love Chianti and Antinori is a legendary producer. This wine is exactly what we love for our pairings. We are currently using a Brunello with a tomato bean dish. Perfect! This wine has amazing fruit and structure. What do you sell more of, white or red? I personally love selling Champagne and white wines, especially Chardonnay. Although people are loving our older red wine selections, because of the pairings I would say that it is a fairly even split. Where does the clientele come from? Locals? I would say that 50 percent of our guests are local, including the East Bay and the Peninsula. Since we are a Michelin-two-star, we of course have the gourmands seeking us out from everywhere. How do you get a reservation? It must be tough! At mid-month we announce on Twitter the next month's menu. The waiting list is sizeable but it's not as impossible to get a ticket as it might seem. We occasionally have last-minute openings. I live three and a half miles away—15 minutes tops! What is the average cost of a ticket? Depending on the day, somewhere between $165 and $195. We do two seatings a night and after the second seating moves downstairs we open the mezzanine for cocktails and wine. What is the average bottle price? I would venture that it is about $150. We have very reasonable mark-ups. You came from three stars to two and a totally different philosophy of cuisine, service, and ambience. What has surprised you the most about the transition? It's far more relaxed and the front of the house and the kitchen are really in sync. You can hear cooks singing in the kitchen if the right song comes on. I can really say that it's just like going to a fantastic dinner party every night I come in. I'm having fun! What does Michael like to drink? I love beer. I absolutely love white Burgundy and Chardonnay. I believe that the quality of Chardonnay pro- duced today is at an all-time high. I love Chardonnay as well. We don't have to appear cool by drinking obscure eastern European grape variet- ies anymore! Due to Lazy Bear's emphasis on a "communal" dining experience, Michael Mighetto Hoefling spends much of his time interacting directly with guests.