Field Trip! Flour & Barrel Kitchen + Bar

“Love of the Stranger” is the motto for Raleigh’s Flour & Barrel Kitchen and Bar – a newish (mid-2024) restaurant and brewery located two blocks off of lower Glenwood’s bustling bar and restaurant scene. What lies behind this motto was one of several mysteries we hoped to unravel as we talked with Head Brewer Andrés Rodriquez and researched the story-within-the-story.

Last week, Rebecca called to make a Sunday brunch reservation at Flour & Barrel – a restaurant she had tried and enjoyed before – when she serendipitously found herself talking to Andrés. She knew that Flour & Barrel had once been Little City Brewing, but she thought that the brewing part of the business was on pause. Andrés confirmed that the brewery is very much active, although the restaurant is currently not offering Sunday brunch. This solved Mystery #1, which was the question of whether or not Flour & Barrel’s brewery was operational.

The Basics

Location: 400 West North Street, Raleigh, NC, 27603

Website: flourandbarrel.com

Social media: facebook.com/flourandbarrel, instagram.com/flourandbarrelnc

Vibe/Atmosphere: elegant, stylish, upscale, relaxed, hospitable

Beers We Tried: Love of the Stranger IPA, Ethereal Essence Hazy IPA, Campfire Amber Ale, Birra Di Raleigh Italian Pilsner

Parking: metered street, Smoky Hollow Parking Deck

Important NC Beer Explorer Tip: When consuming alcohol, always have a designated driver. Be safe out there, friends!

Solving a Puzzle

Since we had discovered an opportunity to speak to Andrés and learn more, we jumped on the proverbial beer wagon and made an appointment. As always, Ben did his usual pre-visit research about the brewery and the flagship beers, but he could only find spotty information online.

He was easily able to learn more about the genesis of the upscale restaurant and bar that began when owner/local restaurateur Anthony Rapillo teamed up with celebrity chef Katsuji Tanabe to create an elevated menu and restaurant concept. But he still couldn’t find any information about the brewery at the Flour & Barrel. Untappd.com had a brief listing of beers but there was no way of knowing if the ones mentioned were still active or if they had gone to the Great Biergarten in the Sky along with Little City — the mystery deepened!

As a result, we were full of questions for Andrés when he greeted us inside Flour & Barrel on a Monday afternoon. Lucky for us, he was patient, personable, and happy to help us solve the puzzle.

Backstory

Andrés is originally from Puerto Rico and has only a tiny hint of an accent – like “a light dusting of spice,” as Rebecca observed. Overall, his voice is resonant and well-articulated; he admitted that he has done some radio broadcasting at one point, and people have encouraged him to do voice-overs.

Andrés came to Raleigh from Golden, Colorado, where he was a brewer at Mountain Toad Brewing. However, he preferred warmer skies and closer proximity to the ocean, so he moved to Raleigh, securing employment first at Ponysaurus and then later at Flour & Barrel, where he became Head Brewer just a couple of months ago. Andrés was fortunate in that Darryl Wells (now at Tobacco Road Brewing) gave him some knowledge about Flour & Barrel's brewing system, having worked with it three months before Andrés came on board. Otherwise, Andrés might have had even more puzzles to solve. By the time of our visit, he had the brewery running smoothly, and it was ready for thirsty customers such as ourselves.

We tasted four beers (see tasting notes below) and found them to all be elevated and noteworthy — so much so that we asked about distribution and bottling. We wanted more! But currently, Flour & Barrel beers are only available on site and at some of Rapillo’s other restaurants and bars, including V’s Pizza and Flask Cocktail Bar. Andrés said one of his major goals is to increase the distribution of Flour & Barrel beers and to create a higher profile for the brewery.

Mystery and Intrigue

Closer Examination

Although we like to think of ourselves as epicureans, we have intentionally focused our explorations on North Carolina craft beer. But if we’re going to visit a restaurant/brewery like Flour & Barrel with such an impressive team behind its cuisine, we will definitely deep-dive into the food as well. We completed our visit with a variety of dishes created by Executive Chef Katsuji Tanabe in partnership with Chef de Cuisine Matthew Parker. The driving vision of the menu is fresh, homemade, pastas and breads paired with spices and flavor profiles stretching far past simple "Italian food.” Here is what we sampled from the small plates menu:

• Kardashian Chopped Salad (GF) – romaine, salam, provolone, piquillo peppers , artichoke, garbanzo

• Oven Roasted Potatoes (GF) – yukon gold potatoes, piquillo peppers, cipollini, horseradish cream

• Big Ass Meatball – pomodoro sauce, pecorino, focaccia

• Chicken Parmesan — crispy crunchy panko, marinara, mozzarella

The day we visited, Chef Kevin Holt was in the kitchen, and his preparation and presentation of each dish got high marks from us, as did the attentive and friendly table service from Michelle. We found that the small plates are actually pretty ample; we ate all we wanted and then took home the world’s best-ever leftovers for lunch for one (Rebecca relished them a second time).

Mystery Solved

When you visit Flour & Barrel, over the open kitchen you will see a large mural of floating figures surrounded by flowers and fruits, with the motto written in Greek (“Philo Xenia”) and English (“Love of the Stranger”). We asked Andrés about the mural and the motto, which was painted by Raleigh artist Rachel Johanningsmeir. He explained that the phrase is a reference to the Old Testament where the Israelites are instructed to “love the stranger,” as they themselves were once strangers in Egypt. The motto showcases Rapillo’s intention is to foster the ancient practice of radical hospitality through the creation of a customer-focused experience.

By the time we left, we had certainly “felt the love,” and we had the answers we sought about the beer, food, and service — but we’ll be back for more explorations, and you should certainly visit Flour & Barrel yourself to discover all of its wonders.

NCBE's Beer Notes - Flour & Barrel Kitchen and Bar

• Love of the Stranger

  • Style: West Coast IPA

  • ABV: 6.8%

  • Color: Yellow, lacy head

  • Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, cracker

  • Taste: grapefruit, mango, pineapple, lightly bitter

  • Mouthfeel: creamy, carbonated

  • Aftertaste: bittery
    
    

• Ethereal Essence

  • Style: Hazy IPA

  • ABV: 6.8%

  • Color: hazy yellow, fine foamy head

  • Aroma: faint

  • Taste: tropical fruits, citrus, lemon-lime, toasted nuts, slightly resinous

  • Mouthfeel: juicy

  • Aftertaste: clean, short

• Campfire*

  • Style: Amber Ale

  • ABV: 5.5%

  • Color: light caramel brown

  • Aroma: malt, vanilla extract

  • Taste: malt, caramel, wheat toast, clove

  • Mouthfeel: medium

  • Aftertaste: caramel, hint of bittersweet chocolate

• Birra Di Raleigh*

  • Style: Italian Pilsner

  • ABV: 5.2%

  • Color: sparkling yellow

  • Aroma: light floral perfume

  • Taste: floral, fresh biscuit, thyme, hint of rainy walk in the woods (fantastic food beer, especially with chicken parm)

  • Mouthfeel: light, crisp

  • Aftertaste: short, pleasant

*NCBE Two mugs up!

What do you think about Flour & Barrel?