Flour + Water (San Francisco, CA) [2]

Flour + Water
2401 Harrison St
San Francisco, CA 94110
Dining date: 4/8/22

To this day, my memory of Flour + Water is that it was one of the most memorable pasta meals in my life. That last meal was almost a dozen years ago and I finally got a chance to return. The restaurant had just undergone an extension renovation and reopened earlier this year, making this a perfect time to go.

The restaurant has been popular ever since opening and remains one of San Francisco’s most celebrated places for pasta. Its success has spawned other concepts such as Flour + Water Pizzeria, Penny Roma, and a takeout pasta shop.

While a pasta tasting menu was available, we went a la carte to be able to specifically choose a few dishes.

MUSHROOM ARANCINI smoked treccione, green garlic aioli, douglas fir

VEAL CARNE CRUDA parmigiano reggiano, chili aioli, sunflower sprouts, crispy potato

VEAL AGNOLOTTI VERDI cerely root soffritto, fresh horseradish

SMOKED DUCK RAVIOLI chard, pomegranate mostarda

RYE PAPPARDELLE whey braised pork ragu, charred cabbage, black pepper

CHOCOLATE BUDINO espresso whipped cream, sea salt

The meal at Flour + Water was very good and still presented some of the better pastas I’ve had in the city. Having said that, it did not live up to the memory I had of the place – nothing really had a ‘wow’ factor this time around. The veal agnolotti was probably my favorite of the pasta trio with its hearty, meaty contents encapsulated in a chewy pasta wrapping. The pappardelle was another highlight too, bathed in a rich and savory ragu. All of the pastas were cooked very well, perfectly al dente, but just didn’t hit the ‘excellent’ threshold – I’ll return to try to capture the memory of a dozen years ago.