Flour + Water

We came back to Flour + Water for our anniversary—our second time doing the pasta tasting menu in the dining room after first trying it back in 2022.

What we always appreciate about tasting menus is the discipline behind them: the ingredient sourcing, the painstaking prep, the clean cuts, and recipes you simply wouldn’t attempt at home. Pairing a sourdough tempura squash blossom with the corn sformato—a savory, custard-like dish layered with charred shishito, smoked tomato, and crispy potato—was an unexpected combination for a pasta spot, and one of the most memorable plates of the night.

The standout was the tortellini in brodo. While most of the tasting menu rotates with the seasons, tortellini in brodo has always been the kitchen’s anchor—a direct nod to chef Thomas McNaughton’s pasta training in Bologna. The restaurant pairs that Italian foundation with Northern California sourcing (including rabbit from Devil’s Gulch Ranch in Marin County), serving the delicate dumplings in a clear broth that offers a quiet pause in the middle of a rich lineup.

Halibut crudo · melon, cucumber, avocado, habanero

Squash blossom · sourdough tempura, smoked early girl; corn sformato · shishito, crispy potato, honey, balsamico

Dulse seaweed rigatoni · sea urchin, fennel dashi, squid ink breadcrumb, chive

Cappellacci dei brigante · peperonata, guanciale, early girl tomato

Tortellini in brodo · rabbit, tomato, genovese basil