True Laurel

The Lazy Bear People Are Opening a Bar in the Mission Tonight

This Is Not a Drill

By Joe Starkey ·
None 14 Photos True Laurel

We know you're probably eager to get out of town and home for the holidays.

But before you go, we've got a pretty enticing reason for you to stick around just a little bit longer: a casual new cocktail spot from the bar director and chef of Lazy Bear.

It goes by the name of True Laurel, it opens tonight in the Mission, and here's its slideshow.

You and a date you clearly like very much will walk in and immediately notice the modern starkness of it all, from the stucco wall sculpture to the metal accents to the pictures taken by the owners.

Pull up a few stools at the white-and-green quartzite main bar and get to the important things: drinks and more drinks. Though they have wine and local draft beers, the cocktails are the stars here. Take the Lightning in a Bottle, for instance, with its Pink Lady cider, Jersey Lightning apple brandy, rainwater, barrel-aged maple and salt. We're 95% sure it's not a witch's potion.

And since, presumably, one can not live on liquid sustenance alone, you'll eventually want to move on to some "Small Items" like broiled oysters with green garlic and herb glaçage. And if there's time, some "Items That Are Also Small" like Dungeness crab and aged-cheddar fondue.

Fondue-date at the buzzer.

Joe Starkey

Joe Starkey is the tallest person in the room 90% of the time. He enjoys liquors that aren’t smoky, dive bars that are, and has a vague dread that someone, somewhere might be having more fun than him.

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