Flour+Water (and compliments for me, oh my!)

OK, so last night I finally went to the much loved Flour+Water. We made our reservation two months ago (and if you check OpenTable now, the next available dinner within two hours of 7pm is for July 7 at 8:45pm!) so the anticipation was killing me. Needless to say, my expectations were high, and I'm happy to say they were exceeded. Not only is the food homey, delicious, and beautiful, but the whole space is just so welcoming. I mean, c'mon, are those beaker candle-holders not the cutest? And so helpful for seeing your food!

I started with this little gem salad that was fresh and crisp and refreshing. It normally comes with a buttermilk dressing, but the chef tossed mine with some lemon and olive oil and it was just perfect. Having been thoroughly "appetized" I was more than ready for the star of the show; my pizza.

Is that not the most gorgeous pizza ever? I had ordered the ramp and hen-of-the-woods mushroom pizza, but the chef informed me (via our lovely waitress) that he though it might be a bit dry without the cheese and that he'd prefer to make me a vegan pizza of his own creation. Um, yes please. This one did indeed have ramps and mushrooms, but it also had shallots, onions, olives, red sauce and a little chili flake. SOOOO good. And the crust? Thin as paper and downright amazing.

So, my verdict? I think I prefer the pizza at Beretta, but only by a smidge. The crust at F+W is better, but the sauce at Beretta is to die for... and the fact that they offer vegan cheese doesn't hurt either. Beretta also offers lots of other vegan-friendly dishes that F+W doesn't. On the other hand, for being one of the hippest spots in San Francisco, I was surprised by just how darn nice the people of Flour+Water were. I may slightly prefer the food at Beretta, but I'll take the service with a smile at F+W anyday.

In other news, I was honored that Vegan Junk Food thought my white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies were one of the best things at the SF Vegan Bake Sale last weekend. I'm always thrilled to contribute goodies to such a charitable event, but having people enjoy them makes it even sweeter. Hope you all had as good a week as I have, and may you have a tasty weekend too! I am off to enjoy one of my favorite Bay Area evenings - a dinner concert hosted by Philip Gelb. Stay tuned for the full report...