The Bold Italic’s 2020 Awards

This article is part of The Bold Italic’s 2020 Awards, which celebrate the Bay Area’s small businesses and local residents who have hustled and shown creativity throughout 2020. See all the award winners here.

In a city with more three-Michelin-starred restaurants than far bigger (geographically) New York City, San Francisco has an exceptional range of high-end takeout options during the pandemic, whether it’s champagne and caviar service or multicourse tasting menus.

But Bologna, Italy–trained chef Thomas McNaughton’s exquisite pastas have been quintessential San Francisco at Flour+Water since it opened in 2009 — and the restaurant is continuing to serve us as the official winner of TBI’s Best High-End Takeout of 2020, chosen by our readers.

Chefs Thomas McNaughton and Ryan Pollnow and their team have smartly continued to operate robust takeout from Flour+Water Pizzeria and the new Flour+Water Pasta Shop, offering more casual eats and pasta kits to cook at home (also a nominee in our Best Restaurant Pivot category). But when we want pampering perfection, the OG restaurant is our readers’ choice for Best High-End Takeout for the inspired likes of duck raviolini in huckleberry pine nut relish with roasted fennel puree and mint.

We caught up with chefs McNaughton and Pollnow to talk about their year. Read our Q&A below, along with the other nominees for Best High-End Takeout.

TBI: How have you managed to stay afloat this year?
Chefs Thomas McNaughton and Ryan Pollnow:
When we opened Flour+Water over 10 years ago, we said we would never do “food to go.” It just did not travel well. A lot has changed since the pandemic hit. Our first move was to shut down all operations, board up the restaurants, and give all our pantries to our then-laid-off staff. We did not have a lot of information, just like everyone else, and we knew we believed in flattening the curve. Months went by, knowledge was gained, and when we felt like it was safe to open, our first move was to deliver on a new concept we have wanted to do for a long time.

Because of the stay-at-home ordinance, we knew we wanted to focus on delivery and home-cooked meals for all of our clientele. We transitioned our existing Salumeria space into Flour+Water Pasta Shop. It is a hub to purchase fresh pasta to cook in your own home and access to our pantry of goods. This gave guests the opportunity to finally enjoy Flour+Water pasta at home. We moved our entire dough room into the space, too, so when the world opens back up, you can come in and see all our pasta being produced right in front of you.

How are you holding up now, heading into another month of shelter in place?
We were always told it was going to be a tough winter. Things were starting to look up with our parklet at Flour+Water and patio at Pasta Shop, but we knew this was going to happen. I feel like so many in the restaurant industry in general have a mentality of plan for the worst, hope for the best. But it’s not easy.

We’ve been able to use this time to step back, look at our restaurant group as a whole, and try to find a silver lining. Though the Pasta Shop was created because of the pandemic, it will stay in place offering fresh pasta for our community to cook at home. We also have plans to have our pasta distributed nationally soon.

What are your hopes for 2021?
If one thing has been highlighted by the pandemic, it’s that the restaurant industry has been broken for a long time, in a lot of different areas. I have faith that there will be a continuation of the conversation around how we can improve the industry as a whole. Hopefully in 2021 we can improve it. We also have some exciting new things to announce that are coming in the new year!

How can people help support your business?
Order direct! If you find something you like, please tell your friends and share on social media (if you’re into that kind of thing). See if there are any subscription-based services, like our Flour+Water Wine Club, that help provide a steady stream of revenue to the restaurants you love. Also spread the love. Try different restaurants throughout the week and give the staff some love, too.

The other nominees for Best High-End Takeout in San Francisco

1. Che Fico

Che Fico has been special since day one, opening in 2018 and showcasing chef David Nayfeld’s brilliant one-of-a-kind pizzas, pastas, and house salumi and Christopher Longoria’s pitch-perfect cocktails. As the pandemic hit, Nayfeld immediately pivoted to nightly family meals, feeding households of two or more, available for donation to families in need. Currently, the downstairs Che Fico Alimentari is the shop for house sauces, spices, salumi, candies, etc., while the restaurant’s excellent food and drink takeout/delivery menu ranges from “eat now” to cook-at-home options.

“The hallmark of any good cook is not becoming paralyzed by chaos,” Nayfeld told The Bold Italic. “Through this crazy time, it was important for us to stay active and try a lot of things. Some of the things we tried fizzled out, while others were productive and stuck. The key to making through uncertain times is to keep moving forward.”

To support Che Fico, consider purchasing house-made products and ordering takeout. Also, people need to call their senators and congresspeople and demand that they pass the Restaurants Act.

2. Ju-Ni

Hitting NoPa/Western Addition in 2016 with only 12 seats, Ju-Ni has been a unique omakase-only restaurant among San Francisco’s wealth of intimate, Tokyo-worthy omakase bars (all of which we’re worried about during the pandemic).

Dubbing it “virtual omakase,” the restaurant smartly offers at-home nigiri omakase boxes, sake pairings, and individual chirashi sushi bowls and desserts for takeout.

3. Commis (Oakland)

Oakland’s only Michelin-starred restaurant—moving from one to two stars—Commis and its chef/owner James Syhabout (also of San Francisco’s fantastic Thai restaurant Hawker Fare, available for takeout and delivery) are East Bay treasures.

Commis’ reasonable (for the quality) $55-ish take-home tasting menus has been a great source for supplying our special occasion and “treat yo’self” meals during the pandemic.

4. Baia

Taking over Traci des Jardins’ iconic Jardinière in 2020, L.A.’s Matthew Kenney of Matthew Kenney Cuisine and restaurants did what he does best: vegan, raw, and plant-based food in the new Italian Baia (also housing vegan sushi pop-up and to-go option Woodblock).

With its vegan cheeses, hearty sauces, and meatless “meatballs,” Baia manages to deliver “real deal” Italian food for vegans, vegetarians, and those of us reducing our meat consumption. “People are more interested in their health than ever before, and our food provides incredible comfort Italian cuisine in a nutrient-dense, plant-based format,” said Michaela O’Malley, Baia’s director of marketing.

Baia is open seven days a week for takeout dinner, as well as weekend brunch. The restaurant is currently offering holiday cookie boxes and complimentary champagne with orders over $75. Check out all the offerings at BaiaSF.com.

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