Flour + Water proves to be a perfect combination

Photo: Jen Siska; SF Weekly

The wait was well over an hour. A taxi pulled up, dropping off a couple dressed all in black.  The phone was ringing off the hook, and there wasn't much standing room in which to wait. The food lemmings have descended. 

It makes sense, given the incredible reviews that Flour + Water—the new, rustic Italian restaurant in the Mission—have received. And for all of these reasons, I was skeptical. Could it really be that good? Does pizza chef John Darsky (of Pizzaiolo and Delfina fame), have everything squared away after just a few months?

The answers: yes, and absolutely. The interior is clean and modern, with light celadon walls and large wooden beams gracing the ceilings. Owners David Steele and David White have taken strides to bring natural elements indoors--and to zoom in and marvel at them. Take the vibrant mural of a moth wing on the back wall. Or the panels of dewy leaves behind the hostess stand. Then there is the long, communal walnut table illuminated by hanging bulbs encased in metal wiring.

The food shares this up-close, conscious quality.  I started with the blistered peach salad with toasted pistachio, watercress, and pancetta ($9). There were thin, shaved peaches commingled amongst larger, juicy slices all resting on a tangle of lightly dressed greens.  The slightly salty pancetta and the occasional crunch of toasted pistachios made this a very special salad with complex flavors and textures.

For our main course, I ordered the Melanza pizza ($15) with eggplant, capers, gaeta olives and chiles (and added a farm-fresh egg) along with the minted papparedelle with braised lamb ($16). In the line for the restroom before we were seated, I heard a man raving about the papparadelle, instructing me if I did one thing for myself all week I must try it. So I did. And it was brilliant: a deconstructed, traditional lamb dish (lamb and mint jelly), but here the mint was actually kneaded into the pasta dough itself. Head chef Thomas McNaughton (formerly of Gary Danko and Quince) clearly handles aromatics in an expert, nuanced way. The pieces of lamb shoulder were delicate and tender, balanced atop the saucy, perfectly al dente noodles.

The servers--casually dressed yet professional and accommodating—brought out the pizza next. You know an exceptional pizza if the crust is good enough to eat on its own and Flour + Water's crust is airy while chewy, and utterly delicious.  The sauce is a vibrant, summery red--a reminder of the way fresh tomato sauce can actually taste like a summer afternoon. The pizza itself is thin enough to fold over and eat, another sign of Neapolitan success. And Flour + Water is casual enough that many folks at our communal table were doing just that: folding over their slices, sharing bottles of water and tips about wine, and quietly delighting in a rare glimpse of pizza perfection.

The dessert list was lovely: three items along with espresso and tea. Simple and to the point. Yet each was, like the interior and the ingredients on the menu, thoughtfully chosen. I opted for the chocolate budino with espresso caramel crème and sea salt ($7). It was exquisite. The sea salt complimented the flavors of the dense chocolate beautifully and the espresso caramel crème added a light sweetness. At Flour + Water, it's refreshing to see the desserts are not an afterthought.  

From the small sea relics in the bathroom, to the typed daily menu, not much is an afterthought. The man in the bathroom line was right (thank you, sir): It was the best thing that’s happened to me all week.