"Where-To-Wednesday" Adventures: April 2013

I’ve never been good at math. I used to have to work on an assignment three times..THREE TIMES…before I fully understood it. Probably a good reason why I have a paid professional working on my taxes right now, rather than taking off my socks to finish my multiplication. Also a reason that I haven’t been to flour + water before. Like most of you reading this know, getting a reservation is just about as easy as finishing a calculus problem. No, there are no tables within 2.5 hours of your request for the next 2 months. But if you call before 10am exactly 2 months before your preferred reservation date, you may just be able to snag a table within 2.5 hours of your request. And…I’ve already logged off open table and its proposed table-snagging algorithm to check out the less complicated dealings of what’s happening on Facebook. But now…I stand before you, as someone who has finally been to (and I may add: conquered!) Flour + Water. Take that, Open Table. I’ve also learned that flour + water = a happy me. My ~~new~~ only favorite equation. So…the details…you want the details do you? And possibly to know exactly how we ‘conquered’ it? As if I’d let that slide in the opening paragraph. In the words of Andy from Cougar Town…’C’MON!’ Now, if you’d like to read this review in the next 2.5 hours, please enter your name, phone num- kidding. I had you. I did. Don’t worry – no such rules here for you, just the restaurant. 0/10 scale…read on mathletes.

Ambiance 8: Okay here is as good of a place as any to start in on the caveats of this review. We didn’t have a completely normal dining experience here, so this isn’t necessarily going to be an apples to apples comparison of dining in the main area. We instead dined in the private area upstairs in the ‘dough’ room. Yes, we’re special. You do know this already I hope. So…I’ll get into the ambiance of our “we’re super special and in a private room’ experience in a minute, however, to get to our fancy schmancy room we did have to pass through the regular restaurant so we got a feel for the overall ambiance and feel. And I have to say, if I came back, I would rather dine in the main area. The air is electrically charged, and you can almost feel the vibration of chatter and excitement. The main dining area is the epicenter of the restaurant and makes you feel as though it is actually the epicenter of San Francisco at that moment. The kitchen is hustling, the crowd around is stirring and if you're simply just walking through the restaurant, you'll feel compelled to grab a seat and join in the excitement. IF, however, you've snagged yourself a seat in the Dough Room, it is a much different atmosphere. Down the hall, out the door, up the stairs and through the woods to grandmother's house you go. Enter: the Dough Room - by day a prep kitchen, by night a private dining room....if I didn't understand Princess Fiona's debacle back when, I can now say I do. It's....interesting. Away from all the chatter and excitement of the main room, it's a much more intimate and quieter setting. In all honesty, it's pretty obvious that this is in all respects a prep room - with machinery and utensils spread out just about everywhere around us. Also - open the wrong door to the bathroom and you'll find a meat freezer. Whoops. But try their best...they've added a table cloth, candle light, low overhead lighting and faint music and presto alakazam, the dough room has transformed to be fit for a princess! Or so they would hope. It's...still pretty much a prep room. Make that - a snazzy prep room. The main benefit for a large party: you can hear each other. There are other options for private dining that seem a little more upscale, so if you do have a larger party, I would recommend exploring those. Or...dine with everyone else in the main room. Look at you and all your options. Go on with your bad self.

Wine: Since we knew we were going to pay an arm and a leg for dinner (spoiler alert..hmm I probably should have said that before I began. whoops.), we opted to bring wine to cut down on cost. I love me some wine. I do. And we had quite a bit of it. All different kinds. They were great. And I would love to tell you about it. I would. But we went through several, several bottles - half of which you can't even get at the restaurant. And let's face it, I don't want to confuse you, so in this Where-To-Wednesday review, wine will not be reviewed. It's for your own good. You're welcome. (Also - side note and COMPLETELY unrelated, I decided not to take notes and just drink the damn wine. THERE. I said it. And yes, *smug smile* it was DELICIOUS).

Food 10: It's true. Everything you've heard. Unless you heard something different. Then that's not true. And you need to get here and try it for yourself. Confused? Tee hee. Let's jump in. As you do...you may want to start your 2 month booking of this place because you're going to wish you had a table (IN THE MAIN DINING AREA) waiting for you upon finishing. For our party, they created a Spring Tasting Menu with appetizers, salads, pastas, meat and dessert. If this is Spring, I care for no other seasons moving forward. Spring all the way...forever. The meal was, quite frankly, out of this world. Also, I think they're lying to us. I think they use more than just flour + water. Pretty sure. Just saying.

- Citrus Salad: A carefully chosen array of fruits and vegetables create a superbly unique combination with a refreshing zing and lip-smacking finish. Hearty beets mingle with sweet watermelon and tangy tangerines, colliding with the grassy taste of the kalamata olives. But wait, there’s more. Large pieces of ripe avocado adorn the salad, lightly salted with sea salt. Not only is the salad a delight for your eyes – with vibrant, gorgeous colors…it’s outrageously delicious. A must!

- Deviled Eggs: The mixture of textures makes this dish fantastic. The delicate consistency of the slightly tangy deviled eggs, combined with the equally delicate smoked trout , razor-thin sliced radish, and finishing with the hearty crunch of the asparagus. There is such close attention paid to every detail with these dishes…it definitely doesn’t go unnoticed. Brilliant!

- Margarita Pizza: No...not on the tasting menu, but who can say no to a Margarita pizza?? Not I. Delicate and light, the crust is the highlight of the pizza. Topped with a mild tomato sauce and equally mild mozzarella cheese and basil, the crust takes center stage. And oh….does it shine. It’s deliciously good, with a hint of salt in each bite. It makes me want to hide in the meat closet in eat the entire crust. The flour and water did well here….very well.

- Taleggio Scarpinocc: They’ve coined the pasta “wooden shoe” pasta because, well, we were told it of looks like a wooden shoe, however, upon closer inspection I would go with “snow shoe.” If we’re being accurate here… And, not that I have ever seen a snow shoe, per se, but…it’s what I would imagine. And, my imagination is pretty on point, so…let’s just call this “snow shoe” pasta from now on. Okay so, where was I – yes, the snow shoe pasta – amazing. The dish is so simple, yet so tasty. The pasta is essentially rectangular shaped - flattened on each end, and filled with a bit of taleggio cheese in the middle. If any of you have ever had taleggio cheese, you may be eyeing this dish warily knowing the potency of the cheese. I feel you, I do. Taleggio is one of those super strong sweat-socky cheese types – which is, albeit unlike you’d assume – delicious when paired with a mild cracker. And I have to say – the small amount they use in the pasta – is just rich enough without being overly pungent – to pair with the simple sauce. The sauce is in fact, so simple and yet so delicious…I’ve just got to try to make this at home. It’s a butter base (damnit, why is butter at the heart of everything good??!! Why Paula, why?) mixed with an aged balsamic vinegar. I know…I didn’t see that one coming either. The result – is a light yet rich and sweet sauce, pairing perfectly with the light pasta that ends with a hearty finish. Amazing. My favorite dish of the night.

- Agnolotti dal plin: Well, this one didn’t come with a name so I’ll give it one – Werther’s Originals. And no, this pasta is not just for people over 80. These square pocketed pieces of pasta are thicker than the last dish, and filled with pork shoulder and caramelized onion. With a splash of cream sauce and a handful of parsley, this dish is ready to go. This dish was good, however, if I had to pick between the dishes…I would grab my skis and head to the snow.

- Sautéed beet greens: Although this was a veggie dish, it was surprisingly hearty and felt a bit like comfort food. The greens tasted as though they had been sautéed in a warm, vegetable broth with just a hint of spice from chili oil. Add a zest of lemon to give it a kick and bread crumbs to add a crunch to every bite.

- Roasted Broccoli: Topped with crunchy almonds, green garlic and a bit of olive oil that still allowed broccoli to have a crunch to it, this was absolutely delicious. So delicious, in fact, that I was too busy stuffing my face to snap any photos. I know – just read this and close your eyes and picture what it looks like. By reading this, I’ve passed on my imagination skills to you so whatever you’re envisioning…you’re RIGHT.

- Mixed Roast of Pork: I didn’t know what this was going to be when I saw it on the menu. A smorgasbord of sorts? A cioppino of meat? As it turns out, it was basically various pieces of pork served on a carving board. Pork shoulder, pork belly, pork loin, pork head, pork - -- did I get you? Yep, just making sure you’re paying attention. No pork head…but just about every other piece of pork you can imagine. I grabbed what I realized was the pork belly after one bite. And you know, I don’t think I’ve ever had pork belly before this because, well, I would remember. It’s delicious – rich with fatty goodness and juices, covered in a crunchy skin. So good.

Dessert:

We had one dish on the menu slated for dessert. This was before Mr. David Steele walked in. Owner of Flour + Water, we first had the pleasure of meeting him and then meeting each of the other desserts he sent our way. All three to be exact. So yes, after eating an already hearty 5 course meal, we were both eager and able to ravish the other desserts, and of course, licked our plates clean. I’m not sure whether to be impressed with how much food we put away, or just plain embarrassed. But whatever, since some of the dishes were “presents” (is that a stretch? I’m going with it), I’m terming it “impressed”. After all, we’re polite. And maybe a little hungry. But mostly, polite. Thanks again Mr. Steele!

- Chocolate Budino: Oye. If I could only have one dessert forever…this might just be it. Rich, thick and creamy dark chocolate pudding topped with a dollop of light, whipped, espresso caramel cream, creating a perfect combination of consistencies. With sea salt sprinkled atop, it adds a salty kick to the otherwise creamy, sweet dessert. Amazing.

- Turnip Cake: Don’t let the presentation fool you. What looks like leftover pieces of cake thrown on a dish with ice cream, is actually an attempt to sprinkle and disperse the flavor throughout the dish. Large pieces of turnip cake – actually let me stop there. I know what you’re thinking. Turnips? In dessert? In the words of Sweet Brown “ain’t nobody got time for that!” Please. You know me better than this. I don’t really know if there are turnips in this cake (actually I do. There are.) but…it sure doesn’t taste like it. So go on. Give it a whirl. Okay, where was I. Ah yes – large pieces of cake filled with shredded turnips (see? Sorry), mixed with sweet molasses, rich brown sugar and walnut crumble are spread atop caramelized honey cremeux and topped with carrot gelato. See, eating vegetables is fun! And yes, it COUNTS. Three servings at least.

- Vanilla Bonet: This soft yet rich vanilla dessert which has a panna cotta-type consistency, is a bit of cream cheese heaven and is perfectly balanced with the hearty crunch of crumbled cornmeal-citrus cookies atop it. Resting in a bed of balsamic caramel and sprinkled with mini-blueberries and even a spruce of mint (we’re fancy!) it is the perfect combination of tart and sweet. Yum!

Service 10: Jessie…will you accept this rose? Kidding. I do NOT watch that shit. But if I did, Jessie would get a rose. Because she rocks. I think we were her dedicated table, which makes sense because she basically did everything for us. She was incredibly nice and pretty hilarious, walked each of us through the restaurant and the obstacle course to get to our private room and made good convo the entire way, offered solid recommendations for the wine and extra pizza, kept the dishes flowing and – my favorite – our wine glasses full. With eleven girls, it’s easy (and pretty safe) to assume that something will fall through the cracks. As I finished my glass of wine and set it down, wondering to myself how long I would have to wait before my coveted glass was full once again, I would see a hand come out of no where, holding a glorious bottle of wine – already coming to the rescue. I would venture to guess I waited no longer than ten seconds each time my glass was empty. Which apparently was quite often. I digress…Jessie kept up with us and our appetites and was fabulous. Ten!

Noise Level 8: Again…the caveats. I know, I sound like a Prilosec commercial with all my small print. Our noise level was ideal because we were in our own room and had complete control of the noise. If it was ever too loud? A whistle does the trick. I will say, I do NOT think this is the same in the main dining area. As we strolled through while we were leaving, it felt reminiscent of the noise level from a night club. Or maybe I’m just getting old. Those pesky kids and their loud voices! It was rather loud though and I would imagine difficult to carry on a conversation with a larger group (hence the private rooms), so if you do come here, I would recommend a party of two. Or one, if you’re bold. No phone allowed. Go you.

Price 6: Well, you knew it had to happen. SOMETHING had to give. This night was too perfect for there not to be something awry. Yes, well, we paid for it. Literally. Are you ready for this? Okay, now I will remind you – we had our own private room, with our own private server, and even though we did bring our own wine where the corkage was waived every time we bought a bottle (which in retrospect may have been better to just pay the damn corkage)…well, keeping all that in mind…the damage was (I’m cringing as I write this): $153 each. I know. I KNOW. I could have had a new pair of Ray Bans to enjoy for days on end rather than just a headache the next day (damn you, wine). But you know what? It was worth it. It was an outstanding meal – every last bite. Although next time I would dine in the main area to avoid minimums and possibly pre-drink, heavily, elsewhere.

All About The Area: I feel like this is the area where the cool kids hang out. The area that isn’t overrun with too many bars and restaurants – but just enough of them. You’ve got the new hot spot Central Kitchen (don’t EVEN get me started on this one on Open Table), Gracias Madre (the vegan Mexican place that beckons even non-vegans to hit it up), Southern Pacific Brewery (which is so cool, it’s kind of hidden and you might just walk by it (multiple times) without knowing it. Not that that’s ever happened to me. Ever. I’m just saying. So – if you’ve got your pumped up kicks and ready to explore the cool area that hasn’t even been labeled as ‘cool’ yet (unless I just..did I???) – then get your booty down here and check it out. And bring your wallet.

Overall Grade: 8.4

Last but not least – thank you to my where-to-Wednesday girls for the recommendations to spruce up my W2W posts! We now have the name of the restaurant in the title (and a big duh to myself, thank you for pointing that one out to me). If you’re part of the crew or just an avid reader (love you!) and have any recommendations on how to make W2W even better – always feel free to send ‘em my way. I heart ideas.