Flying Noodle’s Smooth Sailin’

Bottoms Up

By Lynda Wheatley | Nov. 27, 2021

Most people automatically assume that pasta is best paired with a bottle of wine. Those people probably haven’t been to The Flying Noodle.

While the intimate Italian pasta house and bar certainly makes it easy to complement their fresh and utterly irresistible pasta dishes (and pizza and desserts and salads …) with wines both fine and ridiculously affordable (lookin’ at you, $5 house red and white), we recently stumbled upon an invigorating and unexpected winter cocktail that made our already delish pasta experience even better.

The Smooth Sailin’ ($10), a simple mix of cucumber, gin, and lime, served up, proved a perfect foil and palate pleaser to precede (and, OK, follow) our inhalation of the eatery’s rich and wonderful Pork Ragu ($14; twisted noodles in red-wine-braised pork, with baby kale, tomato, and fall spices).

If your waistband can handle it, we recommend both, together, plus the walnut streusel for dessert ($4). Find the Flying Noodle at 136 E. Front St. in Traverse City. (231) 943-1178, flyingnoodletc.com