Which underscores one of butter’s key advantages over olive oil: It’s not hard to make yourself. At Lazy Bear, Barzelay has taken years to perfect his process, which involves inoculating cultured buttermilk from Straus in Marin, letting it rest for up to a week, then churning and hand-squeezing it to remove excess moisture. The chef has optimized his recipe to achieve the ideal fat content, elasticity, crystal structure, and texture, resulting in butter with a distinctly tangy flavor and just the right amount of salt. “I recognize that saying it’s the best in the world is a ridiculous statement,” he said, but noting that customers have brought him highly sought-after butters from around the world to compare, he stands firm. “We consider it to be pretty precious stuff.”
So, considering how much value Lazy Bear places on its butter, how much will the staff really let you take with your milk bread? Barzelay said two ounces, or a little more than a full shot glass, would be a reasonable, unobnoxious amount. Then again, he noted, once you’re seated at that table, you can ask for pretty much anything you want — including a hell of a lot of butter.