Moments before we entered Bear for dinner, we could sense the presence of smoke. As we open the door, a blast of it greeted us from the open kitchen’s roaring fire. While we’ve dined at numerous restaurants with open kitchen fires, our most recent experience at Saison in San Francisco pales in comparison.

We’ve never encountered such an overwhelming volume of smoke before. Was the kitchen fan malfunctioning? If not, they should seriously consider relocating the fire outside, or they’ll find themselves covering guests’ laundry expenses. “Would you prefer to sit indoors or outdoors?” “Outdoors, please.” Oddly, they seated us right next to a noisy party of ten. Why? There were plenty of other vacant tables, so we politely requested a change.

However, they appeared befuddled; a new table necessitated a new server introduction. “Hi, my name is [Server’s Name], and I’ll be your server tonight.” However, it didn’t quite go as planned. The service fell short of our expectations, prompting us to seek assistance from other staff members, further adding to the confusion. The food is okay, but nothing more. There’s room for substantial improvement.

To put it simply, The Bear is all smoke and no substance.