The way I finally ate at the famed, Steve Jobs snubbed, San Fran, rustic jewel of Italian restaurants was not the norm. The reservation is as hard as they come and in this hyper active restaurant scene city that says a lot. I got in by going big and sometimes that’s what needs to be done. Being that it’s been a year since I made my first visit and today’s my last day on a two week long SF trip, I figured it was an appropriate time to release this succulent story.
I booked the dough room for our annual Manifold company dinner. This room is where they prepare all the delicate pastas and perfect pizza doughs for nightly service. Fresh made daily but based on a mother dough from way back, the dough is the essence of their success. The room is transformed into a private dining space by covering the counter top with a table cloth and pushing the mammoth mixers and giant flour bins into the corners. I worked closely with the F+W team to create a menu that highlighted their pastas as well as some of their less famous, but equally as delicious, meats and sides. When time came to start the 5-course meal I, almost expectedly, started to fidget on my bakers stool. One item was lacking from the pre-designed menu and it had been nagging at me since we locked it in a few weeks back. Once the server finished running down the menu and was turning to leave the room, I couldn’t contain myself any longer and blurted out “Ohh, and two pizzas for the table!” Adding a 6th course to our already indulgent meal, a mushroom pizza and a salumi pizza soon slide across the giant table. The super thin pies contained such a crisp crust if I closed my eyes i could have been in the middle of Naples (sans the mobster eyes burning holes in my American torso). Upon first bite the earthy mushrooms and fresh mozzarella paired perfectly with the light and delicious crust. Bread at it’s best I would say. The salami was just as amazing. Of course I had a repeat of this experience during this trip. No dough room this time but just as tongue tantalizing. I hope that holds me for 2014.
Go there:
Flour + Water
2401 Harrison St, San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 826-7000
