Flour Modern Pasta Bar opens today at Polaris Fashion Place, in the former Brass Tap space on the south face of the mall, and I think it offers one of the more interesting menus that we’ve seen in a while!
Flour is the brainchild of Yash Kishinchand, whose family operates the excellent Rooh in the Short North. Yash grew up here in Columbus and attended the Culinary Institute of America in Napa, where he graduated top of his class and earned a full-ride scholarship to go to the CIA in Hyde Park, New York. There he studied food business and hospitality before heading to Chicago (where there’s another location of Rooh). He helped open the Indian-inspired Sawadesi Cafe in Chicago before being drawn home to help re-shape Rooh and move on to his own project: Flour!
The space has been given a colorful makeover, with brightly patterned wallpaper, cake pans on the walls. Yash said he wanted to paint the ceiling pink, but was overridden by the rest of the family.
Flour’s menu is set up as a $28 prix fixe affair, with customers choosing from dough, salads, and pastas for their meal. There are a collection of sides as well, but otherwise it’s pretty focused.
Same with the cocktail menu. They have a full bar and can make any of the classics, but the signatures are thoughtfully designed and priced at $12. Being able to experience an interesting dinner plus a cocktail for $40 per person is pretty good nowadays!
This is the Meet Me For Matcha, which combines Watershed Distillery’s Four Peel gin, matcha, elderflower liqueur, lime, and orange. It neatly balances matcha’s grassiness with the citrus notes.
Everyone’s got an espresso martini nowadays, and Flour’s answer to the trend is the Cafe Tiramisu Martini, built around Watershed vodka, cold brew, dark chocolate liqueur, and a mascarpone cold foam. It’s quite delicious.
It’s hard to see, but behind it is the Pasta Water Martini, a savory affair using olive oil-washed vodka, blanc vermouth, sherry, MSG, and – yes – pasta water. The starchiness of the pasta water helps thicken the drink a little bit, which fits with the more savory and salty elements.
The Dough section of the menu features a pair of, well, fried donuts. They’re delightful starts to your meal. The first is covered with truffle honey and pecorino.
And the second features herb and garlic butter.
Then it’s on to salads, where you again have two choices. This is the house baby gem.
And then the main feature: the pasta courses! There are eight pasta dishes, all with creative international inspirations. There’s the Mexican-inspired I Love Elote, a French onion mac and cheese, the N’djua Noodles.
Pictured here is the Dye Ricotta Gnocchi, topped with a blistered cherry tomato sauce and a gruyere alfredo, all drizzled with a nut-free basil pesto.
The Butter Chicken Alla Vodka is sure to be a hit. It uses Rooh’s red pepper and cashew makhani sauce as the base.
You can add a handful of sides, too, like this very generous plate of caramelized figs with prosciutto and burrata.
Or even a plate of shoestring fries. “You have to have fries,” Yash said.
And the desserts are not be missed! Yash said his sister, who created the decor for the restaurant, loves tiramisu and tres leches, so they created a dessert that combines both. It’s every bit as decadent as you could imagine.
The space features a central bar and a mix of tables, with plenty of natural light.
Starting out, Flour is open for dinner seven days a week!
Flour Modern Pasta Bar
1540 Polaris Parkway
Columbus, OH 43420
(614) 396-9100
Web: flourcolumbus.com
IG: @flourcolumbus
