Homemade pasta dishes take on a whole new meaning at Flour & Water. This was, hands down, my most fantabulous meal of the weekend. I’ll have that, that, and this. And more of that. And just a little more of this. Everyday for the rest of time, please?

Make a reservation well in advance or arrive by 5 at the latest to secure a spot in line. The restaurant is the perfect size (that means cozy), so the first seating goes to the lucky few who beat all the rest of you in traffic. Imagine my disappointment when, after sitting in that Sunday late afternoon traffic, my friends and I just missed the cut-off point. We took our beeper to a bar around the corner and prayed for one party to be the world’s fastest eaters.

When our turn came around, we decided to throw caution (and calories) to the wind and order half dishes of nearly all of the creative pastas on the menu. Talk about tough decisions. Indecisive orderers beware. Rest assured, however, that you cannot go wrong. But if the salumi fattisu with whole grain mustard is on the menu, do yourself a lifelong favor and make yourself party to the meeting of meat, pasta, and dijon. Oh, and the shaved asparagus salad too. Did I mention that I am one of those indecisive orderers?

It’s colorful San Fran at it’s most delectable at Flour & Water

One of the best things I ever ate: shaved asparagus with avocado, almonds, olives, and salsa verde

Tagliatelle with smoked pork belly, peas, and walla walla onions

Campanelle verde with braised rabbit and ramps

Certainly one of the most visually enticing dishes… squid ink corzetti with pork sausage, braised squid, and favas

I hate to play favorites but…. salumi fattisu with whole grain mustard. Un-real.

Biancoverde pizza. What’s a meal of 4 pasta dishes without one big pie?

A refreshing sorbet. Our one effort to go light.

Alas, what is dessert without chocolate? Chocolate budino with espresso cream and sea salt

Chef Thomas McNaughton is the genius behind this pasta haven, and it is no surprise that in addition to his education at the Culinary Institute in Hyde Park, he staged all over Europe and spent time in a pasta-making facility in Bologna, home of homemade pasta. Each day, there are up to eight pastas on the menu, all made in-house and inspired by local, seasonal ingredients, regional traditions and preparations and whole animal utilization (see: salumi fattisu and campanelle verde with braised rabbit and ramps). Pizzas are Neopolitan style and also encompass seasonal ingredients; thereby making the pizzas more than your typical pie but without straying too far from rustic traditions and authenticity. The menu is constantly changing; all the more reason to return to Flour & Water at least once a month.

Flour & Water

2401 Harrison St