(37) Whole Wheat Pasta with Hen and Liver @ Flour + Water

[Updated Post] Holy smokes. Flour + Water. What a phenomenal place. Hands down the best pasta I've had in my life, and that includes fierce competitors like Cotogna, Delfina, and the country of Italy. HA! Yes, the country of Italy, that's a bold statement but Flour + Water is really that badass. All the pasta here is so incredibly fresh and delicious. Everything on the menu is handcrafted and made with seasonable produce and lots of time/energy/love. Every ingredient is paired so thoughtfully, creatively, and intentionally to create a single amazing meal. AND every dish is more incredible than the next. It's true! It's astounding! I am so impressed with restaurants like Flour + Water that are raising the caliber on Italian cuisine. It's absolutely phenomenal and I feel so lucky to get to experience their food.

I reached out to Flour + Water via the phone, I annoyingly called nights on end to see if they would be offering Whole Wheat Pasta with Hen and Liver on the evenings menu. Telephoned them for months, Strike 1. Then I tried emailing but I didn't connect with them, Strike 2. Then I figured, I should shoot them a facebook message, I explained that I often scoured their menu online & phoned in to see if the dish was available but I hadn't had any luck. I wondered if they would tell me when it make an appearance on the menu, and within hours they had responded saying, "Chef has agreed to create this dish specially for you to help you reach your goal of all 100 items on the 7x7 Big Eat list" Holy WOW. What an awesome gesture, I was so excited to I made a reservation for the following week and let me tell you it blew my miiiiiind.

First, they brought me one of the pastas from the menu, an Oxtail Tortelloni with Cipollini Onion & Horseradish. Holy fuck. I was speechless as I devoured this plate. It was like a sensory overload, my tastebuds & mind & belly & soul couldn't compute all the deliciousness. The sauce! The oxtail! The tortelloni! The cipollini! the horseradish! ALL OF IT. It was sooooo good. It was savory, salty, hints of spicyness mixed with hints of sweetness. The oxtail had been braised for many hours and was carefully snuggled into a tender tortelloni. It was sooooo flavorful.

Then, they brought out the final dish on my list, the one I had be anxiously waiting for, the Whole Wheat Pasta with Hen and Liver. Again, this completely blew me away - the little morsels of hen were so succulent. The hen liver was so rich, buttery, it's creaminess coated my whole palate. At one point the Chef looked over and gave me a nod & smile, and in that moment with a joyful mouthful of pasta, my tastebuds danced gleefully and I blushed big time. It was ridiculous how tasty it was!

And guess what?!?! They comped the entire meal! That's $40 worth of pasta, wowwwwwieeee, I couldn't believe it!!!! I was totally floored by their generosity. I didn't have any cash on me to tip them, so instead they charged me one dollar and I tipped them on the card, which worked out because now I have this receipt as an awesome momento :) Check out the itemized receipt line - CONGRATULATIONS! $1, Flour + Water you are too good to me!!!!! Grazie mille!

$1 Congratulations check @ Flour + Water. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Oxtail Tortelloni with Cipollini Onion & Horseradish @ Flour + Water. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson. 

Whole Wheat Pasta with Hen and Liver @ Flour + Water. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

[Original Post]
(This post will be forthcoming....they haven't had this pasta dish on the menu for months.....)
In the meantime, salivate over these photographs.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Hen and Liver @ Flour + Water ($1!)
2401 Harrison Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415.826.7000
Sunday - Thursday > 5:30 p.m. - 11 p.m.
Friday & Saturday > 5:30 p.m. - midnight