New Beverage Directors Named at Lazy Bear and Uma Casa

Drinks are a huge part of the Lazy Bear experience, and there's someone new making the wine calls. Zach Pace has been named beverage director at the dinner party experience, where he'll be overseeing the wine program, as well as performing some general manager duties. Pace was last director of sales and marketing for a wine importer and distributor and before that he worked as Foreign Cinema's wine director. The man's got a lot of certificates behind his name (he's a certified educator at Wine & Spirit Education Trust, Society of Wine Educators and the French Wine Society, just to name a few), so his pairings should be informed at the very least.

A look back in the Eater archives reveals that Pace has a fun way of describing his wine — for a holiday party he recommended a blush Champagne because it's "fruity enough for your gay uncle but dry enough for your Republican father" — so he should fit right into the Lazy Bear family.

--

Meanwhile, over at Uma Casa, chef Telmo Faria's forthcoming Portuguese restaurant moving into the old Incanto space in Noe Valley, Nora Furst will be officially joining the team as beverage director and operating partner. Furst joins from Lolinda, El Techo, Delarosa and Belga, where she worked as beverage director as well, and she’s been helping Faria out with his pop-ups from the beginning. Furst will be putting together a fortified wine program as well as some low ABV cocktails.

Faria has been busy bopping around in the last few months, first popping into Birba to revamp the menu and now helping birth Bar San Pancho during its opening week. All the while, though, he’s been focusing on bringing Uma Casa to fruition. The restaurant isn’t slated to open until at least June, though, so until then, Faria and Furst are putting on some pop-ups at Maven. For three consecutive Mondays (April 18, April 25 and May 2), Maven’s kitchen will be putting out Portuguese food with Faria at the helm, and in true Maven fashion, Furst will be collaborating with Maven bar director Tim Hagney to create paired cocktails with each course. You can see the full menu with pairings below.

White Port and Tonic (Assorted botanicals, verjus)
Paired with seared day boat scallops, pea-mint purée, spice roasted cauliflower, radish-cucumber relish.

Bamboo #2 (Fino Sherry, dry vermouth, celery, pea, salt)
Paired with cornmeal crusted quail "jardineira," spring vegetables, sweet potato purée, Madeira jus.

Savage Islands (Jamaican rum, pineapple, lime, Madeira, fenugreek)
Paired with: pork belly "Alentejana," chouriço-tomato sauce, crispy potato, clams