Photo via Facebook / Egg & Flour Tosa
Adam Pawlak of Egg & Flour is on fire and not just from being a contestant on Hell’s Kitchen, opening four restaurants in two years, or being awarded a spot in 40 under 40, but because his newest unique restaurant concept is the talk of the town. The third location of Egg and Flour is as hot as the steaming bowls of pasta that come out of his kitchen.
Egg & Flour Tosa is located inside Metcalfe’s grocery store. It’s a brilliant concept: who doesn’t get hungry while shopping for groceries? Or love one stop shopping? Or being able to buy freshly made pasta while grabbing others dinner essentials. Egg & Flour is not just a grab and go but a fun little cafe with seating tucked in the corner. You kind of forget that you are in a grocery store with shoppers bustling through the aisles. However, it could be that you are mesmerized by the bright yellow wall with all the pasta shapes that match the chairs or the even brighter mural on the wall behind the counter that instantly grabs your attention. That focal point is where you place and pay for your order to take out or eat in their dining area. You can watch all the action in the kitchen while you wait for your buzzer to go off, including the beautiful pasta protruding from the bronze die cast pasta machine or some of the other works of art that goes into making something amazing from just two essential ingredients—egg and flour. Pawlak is a hands-on owner in all of his restaurants and stops every now and then.
The menu has many of the same items as Egg & Flour’s other locations including “The GiGi,” a monster meatball bomber with three big meatballs (totaling 1 pound) packed in a Black Shoe Bakery hoagie roll and smothered in cheese and fresh basil ($10); or the Lobster Mac and Cheese rigatoni only served on Fridays ($17). It will have you crying out TGIF!
The menu has classic and signature pasta dishes with sauce and pasta paired with skill and thoughtfulness in timeless classic dishes telling stories that form the fabric of Italian food and culture.
I can taste the rich history in the fresh pappardelle in Bolognese sauce ($14). The basil or walnut pesto that cling to the fresh Campanelle (literal translation, “little bells”), is a beautiful cone shaped pasta with a ruffled edge that holds up to thicker sauces and is perfect for capturing the pesto ($10). The classic shell pasta ($12) has creamy E&F house cheese sauce and bacon and gets a nice balance of crunch from toasted bread crumbs. On one occasion I had the pleasure of bucatini spun in a parmesan wheel, making the ultimate creamy parmesan dish.
Egg & Flour signature pasta dishes are the best possible versions of themselves, and with so many outstanding choices I highly recommend dining with someone who likes to share and swap. The rigatoni with a tomato cream sauce ($14) and fresh basil is adorned with a 1/4-pound ball of burrata sitting in the middle, drizzled with olive oil. This dish hits all the quintessential flavors of Italy. Pappardelle, the wider strand pasta and one of my favorites, are tossed with a wild mushroom cream sauce ($15) with fresh herbs to brighten up this creamy and earthy dish.
Egg & Flour also offers the addition of a meatball ($6) or crispy or grilled chicken cutlet ($5) to any of your dishes. There are three salads available in two sizes Caesar, caprese or a house tossed salad with balsamic vinaigrette ($5-$11). You can also add fresh bread ($3) or even better bread and burrata with pesto ($8) to really get you carb fix. Egg & Flour offers a variety of beer and wine and even a Prosecco on tap ($4-$6) along with other non-alcoholic beverages and a scoop of homemade ice cream in a cup if you want a little something sweet to finish off your meal ($4). Don’t forget to grab a container of fresh pasta to cook at home for ($5.99) to create your own “Amore” in a bowl.
Egg & Flour is going strong in all their locations proving that with hard work, passion and a little egg and flour, you can make a great effing pasta.
6700 W State Street
Wauwatosa
414.204.1281
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CC
Handicap Accessible: yes
